Douglas County School District Is Denied Their Motion To Stay Controversial Voucher Injunction

This morning Denver District Judge Michael Martinez rejected Douglas County’s motion to stay injunction pending their appeal.

Douglas County officials have been planning an appeal of Judge Martinez’s permanent injunctive ruling two weeks ago, and filed a motion to stay injunction. According to Education News Colorado $52,383.10 has already been donated to their legal fund with over $33,000 spent. Shortly after the ruling halting the district’s voucher Choice Scholarship Program, The Huffington Post reported that several private schools decided to keep their Douglas County voucher students anyway by waiving their fees or through donations.

The Choice Scholarship Program would have used public money to send 500 Douglas County students to private schools, most of them religious schools. Three civil liberties unions including the ACLU of Colorado responded with a lawsuit arguing that the funds would unlawfully take away money meant for the school district to fund religious institutions thereby creating irreparable harm.

According to district spokesman Randy Barber, and Plaintiffs’ court filings, approximately $300,000 in public funds have already been distributed to parents on behalf of 271 students accepted into the private schools through the voucher program. Now however, the district has had to ask parents and the private schools to return that money–$4,575 per voucher student.

This morning Denver District Judge Michael Martinez rejected Douglas County’s motion to stay injunction pending their appeal.

Douglas County officials have been planning an appeal of Judge Martinez’s permanent injunctive ruling two weeks ago, and filed a motion to stay injunction. According to Education News Colorado $52,383.10 has already been donated to their legal fund with over $33,000 spent. Shortly after the ruling halting the district’s voucher Choice Scholarship Program, The Huffington Post reported that several private schools decided to keep their Douglas County voucher students anyway by waiving their fees or through donations.

The Choice Scholarship Program would have used public money to send 500 Douglas County students to private schools, most of them religious schools. Three civil liberties unions including the ACLU of Colorado responded with a lawsuit arguing that the funds would unlawfully take away money meant for the school district to fund religious institutions thereby creating irreparable harm.

According to district spokesman Randy Barber, and Plaintiffs’ court filings, approximately $300,000 in public funds have already been distributed to parents on behalf of 271 students accepted into the private schools through the voucher program. Now however, the district has had to ask parents and the private schools to return that money–$4,575 per voucher student.