The Arizona Department of Education faces legal action that alleges it has run afoul of state law requiring that Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) deposits be made available to families on a quarterly basis.
According to the suit, more than 120 families across the state did not receive funds on time, forcing some families to have to dig into their own pockets.
The suit was filed by the Liberty Justice Center and Goldwater Institute on behalf of a military family, beginning with the filing of a notice of claim.
“These families are trying to do what’s best for their children, and Arizona’s ESA program was designed to help them do that,” Goldwater Institute vice president of litigation Tim Sandefur said in a In Defense of Liberty blog. “But the Arizona Department of Education has been so slow and unresponsive to parents’ needs that it is causing serious disruption to the education of these kids and serious financial hardships to these families. We urge the department to give these parents the money they’re entitled to under this program, and to cease these pointless and even illegal delays.”
Although no definitive explanation has been given for the delays, some contend the program has undergone major changes in recent months.
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