Phase one of what promises to be a long court battle over Douglas County School District’s voucher program gets underway Tuesday as a Denver District Judge begins hearing arguments over whether to temporarily halt the program before it gets started.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups that have filed suit charging the voucher program violates the U.S. Constitution will ask Judge Michael A. Martinez to issue a temporary injunction to stop the school district from implementing the program until the legal issues are resolved.
In March, Douglas County’s school board approved a pilot program that would provide vouchers of around $4,500 for up to 500 students. The vouchers must be used to attend one of the private schools the school district has contracted with to participate in the program.
The hearing on the temporary injunction is expected to take three days.
In the meantime, the school year started Monday for many Douglas County students, creating uncertainty for those who’ve opted to participate in the voucher program.
