The intersection of Church and State streets in Salem. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday issued a partial ruling in favor of the Medford-based nonprofit Youth 71Five Ministries. (Getty Images)
An Oregon Department of Education policy aiming to prevent grant awardees for youth support services from discriminating on the basis of religion can only regulate activity tied to the state’s funding, a federal appeals court ruled.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday issued a partial ruling in favor of the Medford-based nonprofit Youth 71Five Ministries, which describes itself as providing “many opportunities for loving, caring, Christ-following adults to engage in the lives of lost and hurting kids.” The Rogue Valley Christian youth-mentoring program in March 2024 sued the state’s education department, alleging an abrupt change in policy for a service provider that has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding since 2017…