As debate rages throughout Wisconsin on Gov. Walker's proposals to expand private school vouchers, the folks at the ACLU, WI ACLU and Disability Rights Wisconsin continue to stand up for children with disabilities.
Lawyers from those organizations had an opinion piece in the May 9, 2013 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that gave specific examples of discrimination the ACLU uncovered in their investigation of discrimination in the private school voucher program of Wisconsin. They summarized the recent letter from the U.S. Department of Justice to Wisconsin's Department of Education that it must ensure that students with disabilities "do not encounter discrimination (in the voucher program) on the basis of their disabilities."
After a careful analysis the authors of today's opinion piece conclude: "It is time to suspend any effort to expand vouchers -- unless and until the state creates a system that stops discriminating against children with disabilities."
There are other reasons, as well, to stop the expansion of vouchers -- financial, pedagogical and vouchers' negative impact on public education, a cornerstone of any democratic society.
The authors of today's opinion piece clearly demonstrate why the rights of students with disabilities are a powerful reason to stop voucher expansion.
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For more information on the campaign to stop special ed vouchers click here.
For more info on the campaign to stop vouchers generally in Wisconsin click here.
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