Becket attorney Daniel Chen explains that the state legislature had banned certain special education funding from being used at private schools.
In Loffman v. California Department of Education, a group of Jewish parents and schools sued to stop that unconstitutional religious discrimination. The Ninth Circuit federal court of appeals ruled in their favor in October 2024, and now a court-supervised settlement has been reached.
"The California Department of Education and the Los Angeles Unified School District agreed to a consent judgment and agreed that they wouldn't be able to enforce this particular provision to deny religious schools the ability to partner with public school districts," Chen details.
He notes the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is intended to ensure that children with disabilities receive an education that meets their unique needs.
"Now that that law has been enjoined, we are hoping that Jewish students will be able to access the critical special education funding and services that they need," says Chen.
This is final and permanent injunction, which means this agreement will not be appealed.
