Faith should never be a barrier to education in this country. But until recently, if you had a child with special needs in California, that was the unfortunate reality.  

I am a mother of a special needs child, and I have lived the struggle of trying to provide the best education for a kid who has never fit the mold. That struggle has always been compounded by the fact that our family are practicing Jews. Living in Los Angeles, we found it impossible to provide my son, Yonatan, with both the educational tools needed to succeed while also the benefits of learning in a religious environment.  

Yonatan is a prime example of the system that failed us. Now 20 years old, we have completed most of his formal educational journey — a journey that included seven public schools before we finally found a non-public school that met his needs.

Along the way, we faced countless challenging meetings, tirelessly advocating for the services he required while searching for schools that not only supported his academic development but could also at the very least respect his religious needs. We had to constantly explain to both Yonatan and the schools what it means to be a practicing Jew in a nonpublic school. This meant, year in and year out, explaining to a disappointed Yonatan why he could not dress up for Halloween when all his friends were doing it (and often giving in because that was simply easier). There were numerous times he was served non-kosher foods despite our explicit instructions otherwise. And so much more.  

California has long blocked federal special needs funding from reaching sectarian nonpublic schools, creating a barrier for these schools to provide the services a child with special needs requires and forcing families like ours to make the impossible choice between utilizing services they so desperately need or educating their child in a Jewish day school or yeshiva. 

However, a recent California court decision promises to change that.  

In Loffman v. California Department of Education, Orthodox Jewish parents of children with disabilities and several Orthodox Jewish day schools — represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and in partnership with Teach Coalition, an initiative of the Orthodox Union that advocates for equitable government funding for nonpublic schools — sued the state for access to this long-withheld special-education funding. In October 2024, a federal appeals court made a historic ruling, finding 3-0 that California is violating the law by discriminating against religious parents and schools in its special education programs. 

This groundbreaking ruling ensures that families of special needs children in California no longer have to choose between accessing essential services and providing an educational foundation that reflects their values and faith. With the recent Loffman verdict, I finally feel immense joy and hope for families who will now have access to the opportunities and support they deserve. 

And yet, this verdict affects so much more than just the families and schools involved. In California, or instance, Teach Coalition is now using its momentum to push for even more special education support on the state level; and with the legal precedent created by this case, we will be pursuing similar opportunities across the country. 

This is a lightning rod moment for our community at large.   

This verdict is proof that we have the power to demand and affect change. It did not happen in a vacuum: Hundreds of Jewish community members showed up to rally, filling the courtroom on two separate occasions, to fight on behalf of these families and schools. It was a show of solidarity and sent a clear message that we would not back down — and that message was received.

We are now in the middle of Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month, a time dedicated to recognizing and advocating for those who, like my son, who don’t necessarily fit the mold. My hope, not only as a mother of a child with special needs but as a proud American Jew, is that this month and this verdict serve as a call to arms for our community to push the boundaries and explore what’s possible when we exercise our voices in this country. 

Miriam Mark is the executive director of Teach CA.