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Florida Supreme Court tosses lawsuit, preserves vouchers

Posted at 12:09 PM, Jan 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-18 12:09:17-05

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The Florida Supreme Court is preserving the state's largest private school voucher program and ending a bitter legal battle over them.

The court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit that the state's main teacher union had filed against a program used by nearly 98,000 school children. Justices split 4-1 on the decision.

The court did not say why it had declined to hear the case.

Last year the 1st District Court of Appeal ruled that the Florida Education Association had no legal standing to challenge the program that is also known as the tax credit scholarship program.

The legal battle has been closely watched as supporters have mounted a public relations campaign to get the union and others to drop the lawsuit. The program has primarily served low-income families.