California ends ban on special education funds for children in religious schools

The state of California agreed successful national tribunal Monday to halt barring children with disabilities who privation to be spiritual backstage schools from receiving peculiar acquisition funding.

For decades, children with disabilities person been capable to entree national backing for escaped special education and related services nether the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The national instrumentality allows immoderate of this backing to beryllium utilized successful backstage schools arsenic well, but California lawmakers had, until this week, disqualified spiritual backstage schools from entree to this program.

A radical of Orthodox Jewish parents and schools archetypal brought a suit against the California Department of Education successful 2023 implicit this authorities law, which barred them from receiving IDEA funds to nonstop their kids to Orthodox Jewish schools. 

The parents argued that their children should beryllium capable to person an acquisition that is successful enactment with their Jewish traditions and beliefs portion besides providing a prime acquisition that meets their needs.

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The parents argued that their children should beryllium supported successful receiving a prime acquisition that is successful enactment with their orthodox Jewish traditions and beliefs. (Becket Fund)

"It’s outrageous that California politicians are utilizing religion arsenic an excuse to contradict peculiar acquisition benefits to kids with disabilities," Nicholas Reaves, elder counsel for Becket, a ineligible radical representing the parents, antecedently told Fox News Digital. "Excluding spiritual schools from programs which assistance these children scope their afloat imaginable is conscionable plain wrong." 

In October, a national appeals tribunal agreed, declaring that California was violating the Constitution by requiring schools to beryllium non-religious for families to use for these funds.

The lawsuit returned to territory court. On Monday, California and the Los Angeles Unified School District agreed to a tribunal order that permanently prohibits them from enforcing a "nonsectarian" request to entree the peculiar acquisition funding. 

Becket hailed the tribunal triumph successful a property release.

"California spent decades treating Jewish kids similar second-class citizens. Today’s colony ensures that Jewish kids with disabilities tin entree the resources they request and deserve—just similar everyone else," Eric Rassbach, vice president and elder counsel astatine Becket, said successful a statement.

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Orthodox Jewish parents won a ineligible situation to California prohibiting authorities acquisition funds from being utilized to assistance children with disabilities who be backstage spiritual schools. (iStock)

The California Department of Education did not instrumentality a petition for comment.

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Fox News' Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.