Texas voucher program deadline extended after lawsuit over exclusion of Islamic schools

A federal judge ordered Texas to extend the private school voucher program application deadline to March 31 after a lawsuit alleged Islamic schools were excluded; the judge also consolidated two related lawsuits.

U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett ordered Texas to extend the application deadline for its private school voucher program to March 31 after a lawsuit alleged Islamic schools were excluded. Plaintiffs and advocates raised concerns that no Muslim schools were approved for the program. Texas said it excluded some Islamic schools over potential connections to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which Gov. Greg Abbott has called a terrorist organization. CAIR has not been designated a terrorist group by the federal government and is contesting the state's designation in court. Key details: - Judge Alfred Bennett ordered the program's application deadline extended to March 31. - The judge described it as "troubling" that no Muslim schools were approved for the program. - Texas excluded some Islamic schools citing possible connections to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a group Gov. Greg Abbott has labeled a terrorist organization. - CAIR has not been declared a terrorist organization by the federal government and is challenging the Texas designation in court. - Two lawsuits were filed over the exclusions, and the judge ordered those cases consolidated. Summary: The order extends the application window and consolidates related litigation while the court considers claims that Islamic schools were excluded. The immediate procedural steps are the March 31 deadline and the consolidated cases moving forward in federal court. Undetermined at this time.