STATEMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ON THE SUPREME COURT DECISION TODAY REGARDING THE CLEVELAND SCHOOL SYSTEM:

"Today's historic decision is a great victory for parents and children across America, particularly for many minority, low-income students who have been trapped in failing public schools. In June 1995, in the midst of a severe educational crisis in the Cleveland school district, the Ohio legislature enacted the 'Pilot Project Scholarship Program' to empower parents to provide a better education for their children. A 1996 report found that only 9% of the district's high school students passed all four sections of Ohio's ninth grade proficiency test and sixty percent or more failed to graduate.

The Ohio legislature crafted a brighter future for the students trapped in the Cleveland school system, by providing scholarships for students to attend a participating public or private school of their families' choosing and tutorial assistance grants for students attending public school. This program will help make a brighter future possible for these and many other deserving students."

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