People for the American Way Foundation and
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)
March 6, 2003
This report claims to be a "thorough analysis" of Florida's McKay Scholarship Program, which provides vouchers to students with disabilities so that they may enroll in private schools. Unfortunately, it's a painfully shallow analysis that reads more like a hostile editorial. Its language is inflammatory, its logic often suspect. In the end, its conclusions are also predictable: the McKay program drains money from public schools, tricks parents into giving up their right to a free public education, and sends students to opportunistic private schools that may be worse than their public schools. The report even suggests that such voucher programs are part of a vast right-wing conspiracy to "limit how much taxpayers must pay to educate the disabled and begin a movement toward cost containment." The report does make a few worthy points, however: some aspects of the McKay program have been implemented sloppily; parents have not been fully informed of their rights and options; and participating private schools have not been well-screened and monitored (leading to a number of highly publicized scandals). And perhaps more importantly, Florida does not require private schools to test these students, as The President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education urged for such programs. Valid concerns, yes, but they do not negate the value of providing a choice to parents, especially those whose children have special needs. If you can stomach a visit to PFAW's website, you can find this report at http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=9063.
