RALEIGH (January 23, 2025) – There is misinformation circulating about whether North Carolina’s taxpayer-funded Opportunity Scholarships enable schools to discriminate against applicants. 

Let’s set the record straight.

The starting aim of the program was to provide low-income families with greater access to private education. But the program has come under increasing scrutiny for enabling private schools to discriminate against applicants and exclude children with special needs—all while using public funds, our tax dollars, to do so.

Unlike public schools, private institutions that accept Opportunity Scholarship vouchers are not required to follow federal laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This means the private schools have no legal obligation to accommodate children with disabilities or to provide specialized services for those students.

For families of children with special needs, the outcome can be rejection by the school or enrollment in schools unequipped to meet their children’s needs. The Opportunity Scholarship program may result in prioritizing  choice for private schools over equitable access for all students.

Of high significance – but not well-known – many private schools that accept vouchers have policies allowing them to deny admission based on religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other discriminatory criteria.

For instance, LGBTQ+ students or those from non-Christian backgrounds may face rejection or a lack of a welcoming environment. Public funds are subsidizing institutions that enforce exclusionary practices, undermining efforts to build a more inclusive educational system.

Below are some examples from Diane Ravitch’s blog, citing NC teacher and blogger Justin Parmenter, that explain how North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship program, intended to broaden educational choices, allows certain private schools to discriminate against applicants, particularly those with special needs, LGBTQ+ students, and individuals from diverse religious backgrounds.

Discrimination Against Students with Special Needs

Several private institutions that receive vouchers openly declare their inability or unwillingness to accommodate students requiring special education services. For example:

• Alamance Christian Academy in Graham assesses applicants based on “emotional readiness,” academic performance, and behavioral history, allowing them to refuse admission to students with perceived “deficiencies.”

• Southeastern Christian Academy in Shallotte states that a student may be ineligible for enrollment based on “achievement and/or individual learning styles,” explicitly noting that compliance with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) is not required.

• North Raleigh Christian Academy requires students to score on grade level and does not admit individuals with an IQ below 90, indicating that IEPs are not available at their institution.

Exclusion of LGBTQ+ Students

Many voucher-receiving schools have policies that exclude LGBTQ+ students:

• Wesleyan Christian Academy does not accept students “participating in, supporting, or condoning sexual immorality, homosexual orientation, homosexual activity, or bisexual activity.”

• Fayetteville Christian School labels LGBTQ+ identities as “deviate [sic] and perverted,” barring such students from admission.

• High Point Christian Academy reserves the right to refuse admission or discontinue enrollment if a student’s home life diverges from the “biblical lifestyle the school teaches.”

Religious-Based Discrimination

Some schools limit enrollment to students from specific religious backgrounds:

• Freedom Christian Academy in Fayetteville accepts only students from families with “a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ,” excluding those of other faiths.

• Fayetteville Christian School explicitly states it will “not admit families that belong to or express faith in non-Christian religions such as… Mormons (LDS Church), Jehovah’s Witness, Muslims (Islam), non-Messianic Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.”

These examples highlight a concerning trend: Taxpayer-funded vouchers are supporting institutions that practice selective admissions, thereby undermining the principles of inclusivity and equal opportunity in education.

Taxpayer money should promote equal opportunity, but Opportunity Scholarships often fail to deliver on this promise. They funnel resources away from public schools—where all students are entitled to services and protections—toward private schools that do not share the same accountability standards.

If North Carolina continues to expand this program while failing to address these concerns, it will deepen[JW1]  educational inequality. It’s time to demand greater oversight and accountability for any institution receiving public funds, ensuring every child—regardless of ability, background, or identity—has access to a quality education.