Christian Schools Lose Appeal In UC Case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from two Christian high schools in Southern California that want the University of California to grant college-prep credit for courses with religious viewpoints.

The justices, without comment, denied a hearing to the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Association of Christian Schools International, which accused UC of violating freedom of speech and religion for refusing to honor some Christian high school courses when considering UC admissions eligibility.

The San Francisco Chronicle says the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had upheld a Los Angeles federal judge's ruling that the university did not discriminate against Calvary Chapel Christian School in Murrieta and Calvary Baptist School in La Verne.

In 2008, federal Judge S. James Ortero said the schools had failed to prove that religious intolerance, rather than academic merit, led to rejection of Christian course credit.

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