On April 19, 2023, plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit against North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), representing a major victory for low-income families in the Tarheel State. The Liberty Justice Center represented the North Carolina General Assembly in this case to protect and uphold the OSP, which currently serves more than 12,000 students from low-income households.
Launched in 2013, the North Carolina OSP provides scholarships of up to $4,200 per year to qualifying students to attend a school of their parent’s choice. The program allows families to choose the best educational environment for their child that might otherwise not be available due to limited resources and financial means.
“The OSP has been a necessary lifeline for thousands of low-income families across North Carolina,” said Jacob Huebert, President of The Liberty Justice Center. “This lawsuit represented an attack on parental freedom by the teachers’ unions and special interest groups that actively work to undermine parental rights in education. The end of this lawsuit helps to clear the way for North Carolina to expand the OSP to serve even more students.”
Seven North Carolina parents, in conjunction with the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) and the National Education Association (NEA), are trying to block the program from continuing. The dismissal of this case allows for the program to continue and even expand to serve additional students in the future.
Liberty Justice Center filed a Motion to Intervene on behalf of the North Carolina General Assembly in Kelly v. North Carolina on Oct 26, 2020. The Liberty Justice Center’s case filings are available here.