Alaska Supreme Court Reverses Homeschool Allotment Ruling

The Alaska Supreme Court overturned a Superior Court decision that had invalidated key parts of the state’s correspondence school program. This allows nearly 23,000 homeschool students to continue using state education funds for private school tuition while the Anchorage Superior Court reviews the case again. The Supreme Court acted swiftly following oral arguments in the appeal of State of Alaska, Department of Education and Early Development v. Alexander, where plaintiffs claimed it was unconstitutional to use public education funds for private school tuition. Justices issued a temporary ruling to prevent disruption to students’ education, pending a formal decision. They sided with the state’s argument that the lower court had incorrectly deemed the state statute unconstitutional, noting that there are lawful ways to use education funds under state law.