State Regulations for Schools

• Key point: Reasonable regulation of church-operated schools and children's homes, in an effort to ensure safety and health, do not violate the constitutional guaranty of religious freedom.

• The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that the first amendment guaranty of religious freedom was not violated by the closing of a church-operated children's home for failure to comply with state regulations. In 1989, the State of Mississippi enacted a law requiring children's homes to be licensed by the state. Letters were sent to children's homes informing them of the law and instructing them to begin compliance with the licensing requirement. A church-operated children's home received this letter, but the administrator (an ordained minister) did not respond. He later testified that he "threw the letter in the trash because the home and children are none of the state's business." The church's ...