Bill Clinton: “Programs June 23, 1997 I am pleased with the Supreme Court's decision today which will raise educational standards for…”

“Programs June 23, 1997 I am pleased with the Supreme Court's decision today which will raise educational standards for children across America. For the last 10 years, school districts have been barred from providing title I supplemental remedial educational programs to parochial school students in their classrooms. These special programs, which supplement the school's base curriculum, provide remedial education to students who need more than the standard school day provides. My administration sought to overturn this unfair restriction. The Court's decision explicitly accepts the position put forth by Solicitor General Walter Dellinger, representing Secretary of Education Richard Riley, that federally funded supplemental education programs may be provided to students of both public and parochial schools without running afoul of the principle of separation of church and state. No longer will children have to leave their school buildings in order to get the assistance they need. Because of today's ruling, all schoolchildren, whether in public or private schools, can benefit equally from the important supplemental remedial programs of title I.”