Judge orders Texas to extend school voucher deadline in response to lawsuit from Islamic schools [View all]

Source: Texas Tribune

MARCH 17, 2026, 5:00 A.M. CENTRAL UPDATED: MARCH 17, 2026, 5:52 P.M. CENTRAL


A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Texas to extend the application deadline for private school vouchers until March 31 due to the state’s exclusion of Islamic schools from the program.

The extension comes after four Muslim parents and three Islamic private schools sued Texas leaders earlier this month, arguing state leaders discriminated against their religion by excluding them from the program.

The order from U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett prevents the state from considering which families will receive school voucher funding until after the new deadline. It also requires the state to update its voucher application website to reflect the new deadline and provide the schools that filed the lawsuit an opportunity to register for the program. It does not require the state to add them to the list of approved schools.

The lawyers representing Islamic schools and families want the judge to extend the temporary order until the next hearing in late April, when they plan to argue for further relief. Bennett cannot extend the order until the current one expires.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/17/texas-vouchers-private-school-deadline/