Private schools are not free and open to all and therefore shouldn’t receive public funds.
“In a major victory for public school students, a state district court has ruled that Utah’s universal private school voucher program is unconstitutional…On April 18, 2025, a Utah district court judge struck down the voucher program ruling that the legislature does not have the power to create schools outside the public school system, and therefore any publicly funded education program created by the legislature must comply with all constitutional requirements pertaining to public schools, including that they be free and open to all Utah children.
“The court ruled that Utah’s voucher program is not ‘free and open to all children of the state,’ as required by the Utah Constitution. The court found that although public schools must allow all students to enroll, every private school participating in Utah’s voucher program has an application process to determine if a student is the right ‘fit.’ These private schools are permitted to discriminate against students based on gender, religion, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.”
Originally posted to Facebook on 6/8/25.