NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Several Tennessee parents and taxpayers have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Bill Lee, the Tennessee Department of Education and its commissioner Lizzette Reynolds claiming the school voucher program, officially called Education Freedom Scholarship Act, is unconstitutional.
The program passed during a special legislative session this January. The program uses public dollars to pay for students’ private school tuitions. The state received more than 40,000 applications for the 20,000 available vouchers during the program’s initial rollout.
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The lawsuit argues the voucher program “violates the state constitution by diverting public funds to private schools that lack accountability and openly discriminate against students,” the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee wrote in a press release.
The plaintiffs claim participating private schools are still allowed to deny students based on their disabilities or beliefs that don’t align with the school’s under the voucher program. This was a concern expressed by some parents before the bill was passed…