HOUSTON — Months after initially applying, several Islamic private schools in Texas, including Brighter Horizons Academy and Bayaan Academy, have been admitted into the state’s $1 billion school voucher program, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office.
The move comes a day after U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett extended the program’s application window for families by two weeks, until March 31, following a temporary restraining order requested by Muslim parents and Islamic private schools. The plaintiffs argued they faced religious discrimination when initially excluded from Texas Education Freedom Accounts, which provide taxpayer-funded tuition assistance for private and home-school education.
Ehsan Sayed of the Islamic Services Foundation, a plaintiff in the ongoing litigation, said the schools were eager to participate once the program could be applied fairly. “It was very frustrating and very confusing on all levels just being in the dark like that,” Sayed said, noting that some parents considered transferring their children to other private schools to access the funding.
The voucher program, approved by Texas lawmakers last summer, allows students to receive up to $10,500 annually per student, with higher allocations for students with disabilities or homeschooling. Brighter Horizons Academy submitted its application on Dec. 9, the first day applications opened, but heard nothing for months.
Concerns from state officials initially delayed the schools’ acceptance. Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock raised issues regarding schools accredited by Cognia and its ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which Gov. Greg Abbott designated as a foreign terrorist organization last year. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a nonbinding opinion supporting Hancock’s concerns but deferred the investigation of school eligibility to the comptroller’s office.
By Wednesday, both Brighter Horizons and Bayaan Academy were back on the program’s approved list. Maria Kari, spokesperson for the plaintiffs’ attorneys, emphasized that the schools’ exclusion was not about accreditation but about religion. “We are grateful that the court’s finding has resolved the issue for our school clients,” she said.
Sayed described the program as personal for families like his own: he attended Brighter Horizons Academy, his son is in first grade, and his daughter will start kindergarten this fall. He stressed that Islamic private schools in Texas are similar to Catholic or Jewish day schools, educating students born and raised in the United States.
The extended application window gives families additional time to participate while the federal lawsuit continues, ensuring that eligible Islamic schools can apply fairly for the state’s voucher program.
