HOUSTON — Texas families now have two extra weeks to apply for the state’s new school voucher program after a federal judge in Houston ordered an extension hours before the original deadline was set to close.
U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett extended the deadline from midnight Tuesday to 11:59 p.m. on March 31, in the midst of a legal battle between state officials and a group of Muslim parents and Islamic private schools that sued over their exclusion from the $1 billion Texas Education Freedom Accounts program.
The judge also scheduled a permanent injunction hearing for April 24 and ordered the comptroller’s office to ensure two Islamic schools — Excellence Academy and the Houston Quran Academy in Katy — receive registration links to submit applications within 24 hours.
The plaintiffs aim to prevent the application window from closing unfairly, ensuring Islamic schools can participate alongside other private and parochial institutions. Attorney Hudson, representing the plaintiffs, alleged that the state had “rigged the lottery” to limit participation by Muslim parents.
Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock welcomed the extension, saying it will provide families “an additional opportunity to apply for the first year of school choice in Texas” and help meet “record-setting demand” for private school options. Families who have already applied can update their applications before the extended deadline.
Currently, more than 2,200 private schools are admitted to the program — none of which are Islamic schools. Two ongoing federal civil rights lawsuits allege religious discrimination in the program’s implementation. The suits name Hancock, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath as defendants. Bennett also ordered the lawsuits to be consolidated.
The controversy stems in part from Hancock’s concerns over some applicant schools’ ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Cognia, an accreditor alleged to have links to the Chinese government. Gov. Greg Abbott previously designated CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization, prompting pushback and nationwide legal action by the civil rights group.
In response to the court’s extension, CAIR issued a statement urging the state to ensure faith-based schools, including Islamic institutions, are given a fair chance to participate in the program.
The comptroller’s office, which oversees the program, received the written court order Tuesday afternoon and is implementing the changes.