Baltimore, Md., Jun 25, 2019 / 11:08 am
A Christian grade school in Maryland is filing a lawsuit after state officials denied it participation in a voucher program for low-income students and ordered it to reimburse the state for participating in the program in previous years.
"Bethel Christian Academy offers an academically rigorous and caring Christian education in a diverse environment," said Alliance Defending Freedom legal counsel Christen Price in a statement.
"Unfortunately, Maryland bureaucrats are telling low-income students that this high-quality education can't be an option for them due solely to the school's religious beliefs. Worse still, the state is now demanding Bethel pay back over $100,000 from the two years it participated in the program, which would be a serious financial hardship for the school."
Bethel Christian Academy is a faith-based grade school in the Baltimore area with some 280 students from more than 40 different countries, including recent immigrants. The school serves Christian students, as well as those of different religious affiliations, or none at all.