Supreme Court takes up challenge to Catholic exclusion from Colorado universal preschool program

The Supreme Court announced Monday it will hear another First Amendment challenge to a Colorado policy, this time over the state’s exclusion of Catholic entities from its universal preschool program. Roy over whether the Centennial State unlawfully violated the Catholic preschools’ First Amendment rights by requiring them to accept all families, including those who do not share Catholic beliefs, to be part of the state’s UPK program. Recommended Stories The coalition of Catholic preschools and the Archdiocese of Denver claim the state’s decision to bar the schools from the universal preschool program, because it requires families who enroll in their schools to support Catholic teachings, amounts to unlawful targeting of their religious beliefs. The lawsuit notes that Colorado has permitted schools that only admit “children of color” and “gender-nonconforming children,” among other enrollment requirements, into its UPK program despite Colorado’s claim that schools in the program must give all families an “equal opportunity” to enroll.