NY’s power to regulate religious schools trimmed by judge

By MICHAEL HILL
Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A judge has ruled that parents cannot be required to pull their children from private schools in New York that don’t meet certain state standards. The decision Thursday strikes down a key provision of new rules that strengthened the state’s oversight of such schools, including those specializing in religious education. It came in response to a lawsuit brought by ultra-Orthodox schools, called yeshivas, and related advocacy groups over education rules enacted last fall. Under the rules, the state’s 1,800 private and religious schools must provide an education that is “substantially equivalent” to that of a public school. Judge Christina Ryba said state officials overstepped their authority in setting penalties for schools that don’t adhere to the standards.