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Attorney general claims the financial aid programs violate First Amendment religious freedoms
Three work-study programs overseen by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board are unconstitutionally discriminating against religious students and organizations, state Attorney General Ken Paxton alleges in a new lawsuit.
Filed Friday, the lawsuit claims the taxpayer-funded programs exclude religious organizations as well as students who are “receiving religious instruction,” such as seminary students, according to a news release from Paxton’s office.
“These anti-Christian laws targeting religious students must be completely wiped off the books,” the attorney general said in the news release.
“Our nation was built by patriotic Americans who had the freedom to express their religious beliefs without fear of being targeted, and we will honor that heritage by upholding the First Amendment in Texas,” Paxton stated.
The lawsuit names the Texas College Work-Study Program, the Texas Working Off-Campus: Reinforcing Knowledge and Skills (“WORKS”) Internship Program, and the Texas Innovative Adult Career Education (“ACE”) Grant Program.
Work-study programs are a type of financial aid that provides low-income students with jobs that help cover their tuition costs.
Currently, work-study students involved in the Texas programs must be employed in “nonpartisan and non-sectarian activities.” However, Paxton argues the “non-sectarian” ban is “a violation of the First Amendment because it excludes religious organizations,” The Texas Tribune reports.
The Tribune described the litigation as “rare” because the attorney general’s office filed it against another state agency.
Next year, about $8 million is budgeted for the work-study programs through the higher education board, according to the report.
The board’s communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The College Fix, asking about the lawsuit.
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