Santa Fe, N.M., May 8, 2018 / 15:54 pm
A 2017 U.S. Supreme Court decision has given new life to New Mexico backers of state funding for private school textbooks, as their case returns to the state Supreme Court.
"Ending the textbook lending program will disproportionately hurt low-income and minority children, at a time when they need access to a quality education more than ever," Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, said May 7. "We should be investing in kids' futures, not crippling their ability to gain a quality education."
The Becket law group, working on behalf of the New Mexico Association of Nonpublic Schools, has challenged a court decision that ended non-public school students' participation in an 80-year-old textbook lending program for state-approved textbooks and other educational material.
"A science textbook is a science textbook no matter whose shelf it's on," Baxter said, arguing that siding with the school would "stop discriminating" and "give all kids equal access to the best educational opportunities."