Suzanne Bonamici: Private School Vouchers Harm Students with Disabilities and Rural Schools

Impact of Vouchers on Rural Schools

• 📉 Rural schools are heavily reliant on federal funding due to smaller tax bases and populations.
• ⚠️ Vouchers can be devastating to rural communities because they offer few private school alternatives, yet divert funds from public schools.
• 🏠 Rural public schools have less budget flexibility, making cuts to fixed costs like libraries or utilities particularly damaging.
• 🚫 Many conservative lawmakers in rural districts oppose statewide voucher programs, recognizing their negative impact.

Rights and Protections for Students with Disabilities

• 🚫 Private schools often deny admission to children with disabilities or subject them to unfair discipline and expulsion.
• 🏛️ When students with disabilities attend private schools via vouchers, they are considered parentally placed and forfeit many rights under IDEA.
• 📝 This forfeiture means schools may not provide the mandated quality or quantity of services, such as speech or occupational therapy, even if students have an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
• ❌ Private school vouchers do not adequately serve students with disabilities and actively harm their rights and those of their parents.
• ⚖️ Students and parents also lose rights under Section 504 and the ADA when using vouchers for private school enrollment.

Funding and Political Context

• 💰 Voucher programs that take money from state or public education budgets disproportionately affect rural schools that receive no direct benefit.
• 🤝 The American Federation for Children, an organization mentioned, was organized and funded by the DeVos family.