HOUSTON, Texas — A Muslim parent has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Texas officials of excluding Islamic private schools from the state’s new school voucher program based on religion.
According to the Texas Tribune, the lawsuit was filed March 1 by Mehdi Cherkaoui on behalf of his two children, who attend Houston Qur’an Academy Spring. The suit names Attorney General Ken Paxton, Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock and Education Commissioner Mike Morath as defendants.
The challenge stems from Senate Bill 2, signed in 2025 by Gov. Greg Abbott, which allows families to use public funds — about $10,500 per student — toward private or home-school education. Cherkaoui, who pays roughly $18,000 annually in tuition, argues that Islamic schools meeting eligibility requirements have been excluded without individualized findings of wrongdoing.
Hancock previously sought Paxton’s opinion on whether schools allegedly tied to foreign adversaries or designated terrorist organizations could be barred. Paxton responded that the comptroller has authority to block schools “illegally tied” to such groups. No Islamic schools are known to have been accepted so far.
The lawsuit asks the court to require the state to approve eligible Islamic schools before the March 17 application deadline.
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