Florida Court Applauded for Dismissing Lawsuit against Student Scholarship Program

Jewish organizations are applauding Florida’s First District Court of Appeals for dismissing a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the constitutionality of Florida’s Tax Credit Scholarship Program.

“With this ruling, more than 78,000 students will be able to start school this year knowing their scholarships are secure,” said Mimi Jankovits, regional director of the OU Advocacy office in Florida.

OU Advocacy works to ensure that Jewish day schools, yeshivas and other non-public schools receive resources from local, state and federal governments to make them more affordable.

The Tax Credit Scholarship Program, best known as Step Up for Students, allows low-income children to attend the non-public schools their families consider best for them. Florida’s State Legislature created the program in 2001 by allowing corporate donations to the scholarship fund in exchange for tax credits.