Hannibal-LaGrange University announced Feb. 6 the resolution of its federal lawsuit against the Department of Education. This landmark settlement protects the constitutional right of Baptists to establish and maintain schools that reflect their faith, doctrine and values, without being forced to abandon their commitments to provide affordable education, Missouri’s The Pathway reported.
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Under a prior administration, federal regulators applied a rule designed for for-profit colleges to Christian universities, forcing an impossible choice: sever ties with the churches that give Christian schools their identity, or lose eligibility to serve students who need federal aid.
“This regulation didn’t just misunderstand Baptist polity,” said HLGU President Robert Matz. “It attacked it. The regulation treated churches like corporate owners and assumed that spiritual oversight must come with financial liability. That’s foreign to Scripture, to Baptist life, and to the First Amendment.”
‘Students were harmed’
After months of fruitless negotiations, HLGU filed suit. The regulation caused real harm — delaying and denying Pell Grants for incarcerated students in the University’s prison education program who were ready to change their lives.
The university reached a settlement that removes the unconstitutional burden, but students who were denied or delayed aid won’t see those funds recovered. The university absorbed nearly $700,000 to cover their education.
“This settlement is a necessary victory, not a complete one. Students were harmed. Churches were put at risk. The fact that the university had to sue at all is a reminder that religious freedom requires constant vigilance,” Matz said.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally released by Hannibal-LaGrange University.
