AP Government Question! Please Help!

Question

A local school board gives non-public, religious schools money to cover teacher salaries, textbooks, and instructional materials. A group of parents lodge a complaint with the school board, saying that it isn't right that public funds are being diverted to private, religious organizations. The parents say the practice violates the establishment clause. The school board claims that state legislation enables them to provide funding to non-public, religious schools. It notes that the students attending the schools have both the right to free expression and the right to a quality education.

Prepare an essay in the form of an argument on whether or not the local school board has violated the establishment clause. In your essay, you must:

1. Articulate a defensible claim or thesis that responds to the prompt and establishes a line of reasoning
2. Support your claim or thesis with at least TWO pieces of accurate and relevant information:
3. At least ONE piece of evidence must be from the U.S. Constitution (including amendments)
4. At least ONE piece of evidence must be from Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) or Engel v. Vitale (1962)
5. Use reasoning to explain why your evidence supports your claim/thesis
6. Respond to an opposing or alternative perspective using refutation, concession, or rebuttal

Answer 1

Thesis

Your thesis is your argument. This prompt provides two potential arguments:

1.     School boards should give private, religious schools funding

2.     School boards should not give private, religious schools funding

The Establishment Clause states that the US Congress cannot name (“establish”) an American religion. 

Support

-       The Establishment Clause is from the 1^st Amendment. It says that there is no “established” American religion. This is commonly interpreted as “freedom of religion” or “separation of Church and State,” however these are not directly listed in the amendment. 

-       Engle v. Vitale: states cannot have an official school prayer that students are required to recite

-       Wisconsin v. Yoder: Amish children can leave school in 8^th grade despite state rules as “freedom of religion” 

Reasoning

-       Engle v. Vitale: prevents religion in school setting

-       Wisconsin v. Yoder: allows religion to influence school setting

Think about what argument you want to make! Use one court case as the basis of your writing, and the other as your counterargument. Good luck!