State seeks delay in Justice Department school vouchers desegregation suit
Gov. Bobby Jindal has been hammering President Barack Obama's administration for its attack on his private school voucher program. (The TImes-Picayune archive)
Lawyers for the state of Louisiana have asked a judge to delay the filing deadline at least until Nov. 15 in the U.S. Department of Justice's education civil rights lawsuit. The federal petition would prohibit the state from assigning 2014-15 vouchers for private school education to students in public school systems that are under desegregation orders, unless a federal judge approved it. A court hearing had been set for Sept. 16, with documents due Tuesday.
The Louisiana Scholarship voucher program, which started in New Orleans in 2008 and is now in its second year statewide, lets students in C-, D- and F-graded public schools attend private school at taxpayer expense. The Justice Department says its data analysis shows vouchers impeded or even reversed desegregation in public schools in 13 systems in 2012-13. Federal lawyers are asking the state to analyze the effect for the current academic year.
The Louisiana Scholarship voucher program, which started in New Orleans in 2008 and is now in its second year statewide, lets students in C-, D- and F-graded public schools attend private school at taxpayer expense. The Justice Department says its data analysis shows vouchers impeded or even reversed desegregation in public schools in 13 systems in 2012-13. Federal lawyers are asking the state to analyze the effect for the current academic year.