School voucher case dismissal sought; a moot point

The Ohio Supreme Court case surrounding the EdChoice expansion is moot, according to the state. Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Education filed with the high court Tuesday requesting the case be dismissed, as the law that voucher advocates challenged in the initial filing has been superseded. In early February, Citizens for Community Values, several families and private schools sued the state after the application period for the EdChoice voucher program was put on hold through April 1. The number of schools on the EdChoice eligibility list was set to balloon to more than half of the districts in the state on Feb. 1. Legislators held marathon sessions leading up to the suspension, grappling with suggested changes to the program in the House and Senate. Days after the hold, Citizens for Community Values filed in the Supreme Court alleging the stay would not go into effect until May 1, as the bill text did not include an emergency clause. Each chamber's proposed changes are still in conference committee. But amid the coronavirus concerns, the statehouse passed sweeping legislation including provisions to roll back the program, avoiding the eligibility list expansion. The state's latest filing argues the case is moot because there is no relief to be given to Citizens for Community Values, or any of those joined in the lawsuit. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com