Wisconsin school district sued after refusing to provide curriculum material from Christian publisher

A public-interest law firm is suing a Wisconsin school district for denying a mother’s online curriculum choices for her child because of the publisher’s Christian affiliation.

Lighthouse Learning Academy, a virtual charter school in the Two Rivers Public School District, normally allows families to make “personalized curricular options,” claiming it gives students and parents “a unique sense of ownership and pride in the student’s educational path.” 

But a lawsuit by Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) alleges the district refused to provide certain curriculum material requested by Karen Sharkey because it comes from a Christian homeschool publisher. 

“Lighthouse’s contention is that if it purchased these materials, as requested by Mrs. Sharkey, the school would be violating the (First Amendment’s) Establishment Clause,” Lauren Greuel, Sharkey’s WILL attorney, told Wisconsin Public Radio. 

“Lighthouse is in error. In fact, if Lighthouse continues its refusal to purchase these materials, it will violate Mrs. Sharkey’s constitutional rights and improperly discriminate against religion.” 

“Hostility to religious people constitutes improper discrimination” 

The First Amendment begins, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,” now commonly described as the Establishment Clause. 

However, it goes on to say, “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” dubbed the Free Exercise Clause. 

As a result, schools cannot deny parents such as Sharkey the right to select the curriculum they believe best fits their children’s needs, WILL argued in a letter to the district. 

“As the United States Supreme Court has recently and repeatedly emphasized, that kind of hostility to religious people constitutes improper discrimination and violates the Free Exercise Clause. … The school cannot discriminate against her curriculum choice solely because it includes religious elements.” 

The requested curriculum materials from Simply Charlotte Mason involve four items across subjects such as elementary arithmetic and language arts. It also included “Biblingo,” a learning platform teaching Hebrew and Koine Greek. 

“We are surprised and deeply disappointed that Lighthouse has chosen to single out and discriminate against Christian publishers,” Sharkey said in a statement. 

She and her husband had enrolled their child in Lighthouse because of its “commitment to involve parents in the educational process,” according to WPR. 

Handbook emphasizes school, teachers as decision-makers on curriculum options  

The charter school “is preparing a response letter to WILL,” according to an email sent to WPR by Superintendent Diane Johnson, who “would not elaborate further.” 

However, its 2025-26 student handbook clarifies the final decisions on curriculum materials rest with the school and its educators. 

“There are a variety of curricular options that are available to teachers in this process and we encourage parents to participate in the process of selecting the most appropriate materials that fit the needs of the student,” it reads on page 10. 

“Ultimately, the teacher and the school will make the decision on curricular options based on the approved resources available to all LLA students.”