Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District

Zobrest (plaintiff), a deaf student attending a private Catholic high school, requested that his public school district (defendant) continue providing a sign-language interpreter under the IDEA; the district declined, citing Establishment Clause concerns about funding a service inside a religious school, and the district court agreed.

Whether government programs neutrally providing benefits to a broad class of citizens violate the Establishment Clause if religious institutions may also receive a financial benefit.