DeVos Grilled Over LGBTQ Discrimination At Indiana Voucher School
U.S. education secretary Betsy DeVos weathered a volley of questions this week about a Bloomington, Indiana, private school that receives state-funded vouchers but reserves the right to deny admission or discontinue enrollment to students from lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender families.
Bloomington’s Lighthouse Christian Academy was held up as an example of a private school that receives tax dollars but reserves the right to discriminate against students, as federal lawmakers questioned DeVos over a budget that plans to spend $1 billion on a federal school choice agenda.
“Is there a line for you on state flexibility?” said Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Massachusetts, referring to states choosing how to spend federal dollars. “You are the backstop for students and their right to access a quality education.”
DeVos refused to say whether her office would withhold funds from private schools that discriminate against students. It’s the latest development in the national dialogue over school vouchers, which allow families to receive tax dollars to pay for private school, and which the Trump administration has targeted as its educational priority.
Watch the full exchange:
Attorney Brian Bailey, Lighthouse Christian Academy spokesperson, defends the school’s admission policy. Bailey was former Gov. Mike Pence’s state budget director.
“It’s a Christian school and as a Christian school the school is committed to training DeVos Grilled Over LGBTQ Discrimination At Indiana Voucher School | WBAA:
