BLOG

Beacon Statement on ESA ruling

May 4, 2020 8:32PM

The Beacon Center respectfully disagrees with today’s ruling from the Davidson County Chancery Court that the ESA program is unconstitutional. This decision harms children in Davidson and Shelby County who are looking for a lifeline to receive a quality education starting this upcoming fall.

Educational choice has consistently been deemed constitutional by courts across the country; this program does not unconstitutionally single out or even apply to specific cities or counties, it applies to underperforming school districts. For this reason, Beacon believes this program will ultimately be upheld by the courts despite today’s setback.

Beacon CEO Justin Owen stated, “While we are disappointed about today’s ruling, the fight is far from over. Beacon will continue to do everything we can to fight on behalf of families all the way to the state Supreme Court to ensure that they are able to participate in this program this fall and beyond, just as Gov. Lee and the legislature intended.”