Wis. Version of 'E-Rate' Challenged on Religion Grounds

By Jeff Archer

Students at St. Aloysius now have access to the Internet at school, and they have the state of Wisconsin to thank.

The Roman Catholic elementary school is one of some 30 religious K-12 schools throughout Wisconsin that have taken advantage of a state initiative, which took effect this fall, that offers discounts on telecommunications services to educational institutions. For St. Aloysius, it meant a new T-1 line--a powerful connection that allows students to enter cyberspace from any classroom in the building.

"We wouldn't have been able to do this without the discount," said John Brennan, the principal of the Sauk City, Wis., school. "The cost...