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Florida teachers union, others sue voucher program

TALLAHASSEE — Florida's teachers union along with the NAACP and organizations representing school boards and school officials are suing over the state's largest private school voucher program.
 
The lawsuit filed Thursday seeks to dismantle a program that serves more than 60,000 students, many of them from low income families.
 
The groups say the tax credit voucher program is one of several recent attempts by the state Legislature to establish a program to pay for the education of children in largely unregulated private schools. The lawsuit alleges the tax credit diverts funds that would otherwise support those children's education in the public school system.
 
In July the teacher's union filed a separate lawsuit challenging the way the latest tax credit expansion became law during the session. It hasn't yet been heard in court.