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Page Number: 28

24 

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE SCHOOL v. 
MORRISSEY-BERRU 
Opinion of the Court 

both regarded as “catechists.”28 

Second,  the  Ninth  Circuit  assigned  too  much  weight  to
the fact that Morrissey-Berru and Biel had less formal reli-
gious schooling than Perich.  769 Fed. Appx., at 460–461; 
911 F. 3d, at 608; post, at 16–17.  The significance of formal 
training  must  be  evaluated  in  light  of  the  age  of  the  stu-
dents taught and the judgment of a religious institution re-
garding the need for formal training.  The schools in ques-
tion  here  thought  that  Morrissey-Berru  and  Biel  had  a 
sufficient understanding of Catholicism to teach their stu-
dents,29  and  judges  have  no  warrant  to  second-guess  that 
judgment  or  to  impose  their  own  credentialing  require-
ments. 
  Third,  the  St.  James  panel  inappropriately  diminished
the significance of Biel’s duties because they did not evince 
“close  guidance  and  involvement”  in  “students’  spiritual 
lives.”  911 F. 3d, at 609; post, at 12, 17–18.  Specifically,
the panel majority suggested that Biel merely taught “reli-
gion from a book required by the school,” “joined” students 
in  prayer,  and  accompanied  students  to  Mass  in  order  to
keep them “ ‘quiet and in their seats.’ ”  911 F. 3d, at 609. 
This misrepresents the record and its significance.  For bet-
ter  or  worse,  many  primary  school  teachers  tie  their  in-
struction  closely  to  textbooks,  and  many  faith  traditions 
prioritize teaching from authoritative texts.  See Brief for 
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA et al. as Amici Cu-
riae 26; Brief for Senator Mike Lee et al. as Amici Curiae 
24–27.  As for prayer, Biel prayed with her students, taught 
—————— 

28 See  App.  to  Pet.  for  Cert.  in  No.  19–267,  at  56a,  60a;  ER  593  (St. 
James) (“teachers are expected to . . . engage in catechetical . . . develop-
ment”);  Record  in  No.  2:15–CV–04248  (CD  Cal.),  Doc.  67–1,  ¶10  (“re-
quir[ing]”  attendance  at  “Catholic  education  conference”  to  “prepare 
teachers as religious educators”). 

29 The record also makes clear (contrary to the Ninth Circuit’s and dis-
sent’s conclusion, post, at 17) that Morrissey-Berru and Biel “held them-
selves out” as authorities on religion to their students, and, by extension, 
their families.  See supra, at 2–9.