Florida Officials Concerned that Radical Islamic Groups are Taking Advantage of School Voucher System

Articles | August 11, 2026 | by Catholics for Catholics

Share

The state of Florida has been lauded around the country by school choice activists as an educational freedom haven, but there are now growing concerns that the system is enabling schools funded in part by radical Islamic groups to proliferate.

Since 1999, Florida has used a school voucher system. Prior to 2023, low-income Florida residents could apply for a voucher to attend a private school only if their home public school was failing, and the vouchers were worth less than $4,000 a year. 

Three years ago, that law was expanded, allowing any Florida resident, regardless of income, to apply for these vouchers worth up to $8,000 per year that can be used for private school, alternative education, or even homeschooling.

Most of the schools participating in the voucher program are religious, and Roman Catholic private schools make up the majority of this group.

In 2025, however, state officials began raising the question of whether certain Islamic schools in the program were promoting sharia law.

🚨ISLAMIZATION OF RED STATE FLORIDA…

Right in the heart of growing Central Florida suburbs -Clermont and Minneola. Combined population just ~77,000. Lake County overall ~470,000.

Already three mosques operating in this small area to serve a Muslim population of only… https://t.co/rC9HMkRJxX pic.twitter.com/1bIsgnmxYJ

— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) August 9, 2026

During the most recent legislative session, lawmakers passed HB 1471 to be able to designate certain groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) as terrorist organizations, thereby disallowing any school affiliated with them to participate in the voucher program. Other groups like Antifa and Cartel de Sinaloa are also intended to be included in this list. 

The bill went into effect on July 1 of this year, but a lawsuit from CAIR, Southern Poverty Law Center, and the ACLU has paused the state’s effort to designate CAIR a terrorist organization. 

The state now has to pursue implementing regulations first before they are able to make formal terrorist group designations, but no timeline for how long this may take has been provided.