Vermont's Education Law Faces Legal Heat from Christian School

A Christian school in Vermont is making waves by challenging a new state law that changes how public tuition dollars are handed out. The Mid Vermont Christian School argues that the law, Act 73, is unfairly cutting religious schools out of the funding loop. They claim the law was designed to exclude them, which they see as discrimination. This isn't the school's first rodeo in court. They've been fighting the state since 2023 over a ban from state athletics. That case is still ongoing, but now they're adding this new challenge to the mix. The school says Act 73 is a sneaky way to keep religious schools from getting public benefits. The law sets new rules for private schools to get public funding. Schools must be in certain areas and have had at least 25% of their students funded by public dollars in the past year. This change has left many religious schools high and dry, including Mid Vermont Christian School. The school's lawyers argue that the 25% rule is arbitrary and doesn't make sense. They say it's just a way for the state to favor secular schools over religious ones. The state, however, isn't commenting on the ongoing litigation. This legal battle is heating up just as more religious schools were starting to see an increase in public funding. That trend began after a big Supreme Court decision in 2022 that said states can't exclude religious schools from public benefits. Now, the Mid Vermont Christian School is hoping the courts will step in and say Vermont's new law goes too far.