School Choice Is Under Attack Again

Apparently, in Ohio, allowing parents to decide where their children go to school is now a constitutional problem.

On Oct. 15, a three-judge state appeals court ruled that Ohio’s EdChoice school voucher program violates the state constitution, potentially jeopardizing the educational future of roughly 180,000 students who rely on it.

The ruling has been put on hold pending an appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, so families can continue using their vouchers for now.

But the question at stake goes well beyond Ohio: Who should decide where a child goes to school, the parents or the government?

Ohio’s EdChoice program, established in 2005 and significantly expanded in 2013, allows families to use state-funded scholarships toward tuition at participating private schools, including religious institutions.

For parents dissatisfied with their assigned public school, it provides an alternative that might otherwise be financially out of reach.