Christians Score Huge Courtroom Win

Yesterday evening, a federal judge approved a settlement that ends a lawsuit challenging the state and several local governments’ policy and practice of denying tuition benefits to parents who send their children to religious schools. The settlement guarantees that Vermont parents who qualify for tuition benefits can spend those benefits on the private school of their choice, regardless of whether the school is religious. The families who brought the lawsuit were represented by the national nonprofit law firm, the Institute for Justice (IJ).

“This settlement guarantees that any Vermont family eligible for tuition benefits can use those benefits to find the best education that meets their kids’ needs,” said IJ Attorney David Hodges. “Vermonters will no longer have their civil rights violated when they send their children to schools that happen to be religious.”

Vermont’s program allows parents in “tuitioning” towns to receive funds to attend qualifying private schools anywhere in the world. With today’s settlement, families will no longer be forbidden from using those funds to send their children to religiously affiliated schools. Also under the settlement, residents of several school districts will also be eligible for reimbursements if they were denied tuition based on religion. Rutland Town School District and Hartland School District will reimburse residents who were wrongly denied tuition during the 2019–20 school year or later. The Ludlow Mount Holly Unified Union School District will do the same for the 2020–21 school year or later. Residents have until Monday, April 10 to seek reimbursement…CONTINUE READING»>