State Will Continue Awarding Scholarships to Students in Need

CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
April 9, 2014

On Tuesday, a District Court Judge ruled that the State of Louisiana can continue with the overwhelmingly popular School Choice Scholarship Program without unwarranted intervention, representing a victory for Louisiana families.

“This decision takes a lot of the teeth out of the Department of Justice’s original efforts to block the Louisiana Scholarship Program, and puts in place safeguards to both the success of scholarship students and students as a whole in Louisiana,” said Kara Kerwin, president of The Center for Education Reform.

The Department of Justice first filed a motion against the Louisiana Scholarship Program on August 24, 2013 , acting on a claim that the Program impeded desegregation efforts, which was later debunked by a state-commissioned report. Department of Justice efforts sought to block the further issuance of vouchers in school districts with standing desegregation orders until it could be proven that the approximately 600 voucher-receiving students from those districts were not compromising the desegregation process.

The initial injunction against the program may have been dropped, but federal requests for data and oversight persist.

“Tuesday’s court ruling affirms that the decision of how students are educated is rightfully in the hands of parents who know what’s best for their children,” Kerwin said.