TEACHERS UNIONS & ALLIES FAIL TO STRIP SCHOOL CHOICE FROM TENNESSEE PARENTS AS COURT THROWS OUT CHALLENGE A Tennessee Court Just Threw Out A Lawsuit That Tried To Kill The State’s School Choice Program. Parents Can Keep Using Education Freedom Scholarships To Help Pay For Private Schools. The Final Order Came From A Three-Judge Panel In Davidson County Chancery Court On October 19, 2026. The Judges Granted The Motions To Dismiss & Tossed The Entire Case. Two Judges Fully Backed The Ruling. One Dissented On Some Parts. The Program Gives Eligible Families State Money For Tuition & Related Costs At Private Schools Of Their Choice. It Began With Roughly 20,000 Scholarships In The 2025-26 School Year At About $7,300 Each. Lawmakers Later Raised The Cap To 35,000 For 2026-27 At About $7,530. More Than 56,000 Families Applied. Nearly All Who Got A Scholarship The First Year Asked To Keep It. That 99 Percent Renewal Rate Shows Strong Parent Support. Public School Parents & Taxpayers Filed The Suit In November 2025. They Were Represented By Groups Including The Aclu Of Tennessee, Education Law Center, & Southern Poverty Law Center. These Organizations Have Long Fought School Choice & Often Align With Teachers Union Priorities. They Claimed The Program Violates The State Constitution By Diverting Money From Public Schools. They Said It Breaks The Duty To Maintain One System Of Free Public Schools & Hurts School Funding Adequacy. The Court Rejected Those Claims. It Said The Challengers Targeted The Wrong Law. The Education Freedom Scholarship Act Does Not Fund Public Schools. The Laws That Do Fund Public Schools Are What Should Have Been Challenged If Adequacy Was The Real Issue. The Constitution Sets A Floor For Public Education. It Does Not Block Parents From Using Scholarships For Private Options. Parents Who Already Use The Scholarships Stepped In To Defend The Program. Beacon Center Of Tennessee & Edchoice Represented Them. One Intervenor Is A First Responder Mom Who Works Extra Jobs To Afford Private School. The Scholarships Let Her Cut Hours & Spend More Time With Her Kids At School. The Ruling Protects Choices For Thousands Of Tennessee Families Right Now. The Other Side Is Expected To Appeal. For The Moment School Choice Survives In Tennessee.