A decision by the state Supreme Court not to take up a lawsuit challenging Florida’s tax credit scholarship program means the educational choices of 98,000 low-income and working class children are no longer under legal threat.
Upon hearing the news, many parents expressed relief and gratitude, and called for cooperation on behalf of children.
Alyson Hochstedler, of Tallahassee, is a mother of two students with tax credit scholarships who intervened in the lawsuit to defend the program. She has had other children graduate from public schools.
This is a step in the right in the right direction. Now how do we work together to get kids the help they need?
Another parent who intervened in the lawsuit, Keyla Pineda of Fort Lauderdale, is a mother of a child attending Sha’Arei Bina Torah Academy for Girls in Miami with the help of a tax credit scholarship. Her family fled Venezuela when Hugo Chavez came to power, and were initially in shock when they heard someone was suing to take away their daughter’s scholarship.
Cheryl Joseph’s three school-age daughters.
“We no longer have to worry about the lawsuit,” she said. “We can focus on high school, on graduation, and college.”
“The scholarship has been a blessing for my daughter,” she added. “I hope we can serve more children with this scholarship.”
Cheryl Joseph uses scholarships to send three of her daughters to Tampa’s Academy Prep Center. Joseph, who also intervened in the case, said she was “ecstatic, not only for my children but for thousands of students all over the state.” Continue Reading →
