The terrifying school voucher system proposed by Betsey DeVos

[Anonymous]

Contrary to what some people think, the school voucher system proposed by Education secretary Betsy DeVos does not mean you can choose any school you want your kid to go to.

It means the public education program will be dismantled.

In a nutshell...

If your child has an IEP (individual education plan for students with special needs), you can kiss it goodbye.

If you have a job in special-education, if you're a special education teacher, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, a para, a teacher's aid, or an ESL (English as a second language) teacher, you'll go first.

House Bill 610 makes some large changes.
Inform yourselves.
This bill will effectively start the school voucher system to be used by children ages 5-17 and starts the defunding process of public schools.

The bill will eliminate the Elementary and Education Act of 1965, which is the nation's educational law that provides equal opportunity in education.
ESSA is a big comprehensive program that covers programs for struggling learners, advanced and gifted kids in AP classes, ESL classes, classes for minorities such as Native Americans, Rural Education, Education for the Homeless, School Safety (Gun-Free schools), Monitoring and Compliance, and Federal Accountability Programs.

The Bill also abolishes the Nutritional Act of 2012 (No Hungry Kids Act) which provides nutritional standards in school breakfast and lunch.

The bill has no wording whatsoever protecting Special Needs kids, no mention of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), and FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education). Some things ESSA does for Children with Disabilities:

-Ensures access to the general education curriculum.
-Ensures access to accommodations on assessments.
-Ensures concepts of Universal Design for Learning.
-Includes provisions that require local education agencies to provide evidence-based interventions in schools with consistently underperforming subgroups.
-Requires states in Title I plans to address how they will improve conditions for learning including reducing incidents of bullying and harassment in schools, overuse of discipline practices and reduce the use of aversive behavioral interventions (such as restraints and seclusion).

Please call your representative and ask him/her to vote NO on House Bill 610 (HR 610) introduced by three Republican reps.

[Anonymous]

Thank you

Evil

[Anonymous]

Wow, thank you so much for posting this info...scary.

And I agree with the previous poster, this is just plain evil.

[Anonymous]

Hysterical charges from the NEA, as usual. By the way, OP, save your breath, H.R. 610 is dead in committee. But school vouchers would give parents choice about public v. private schooling and bring accountability to the public schools. That's why the NEA (National Educators' Ass'n - the largest teachers' union in the USA) is opposed to anything DeVos does and why it's against vouchers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hysterical charges from the NEA, as usual. By the way, OP, save your breath, H.R. 610 is dead in committee. But school vouchers would give parents choice about public v. private schooling and bring accountability to the public schools. That's why the NEA (National Educators' Ass'n - the largest teachers' union in the USA) is opposed to anything DeVos does and why it's against vouchers.

Do you think most special needs families can afford private school even with a voucher? Get real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hysterical charges from the NEA, as usual. By the way, OP, save your breath, H.R. 610 is dead in committee. But school vouchers would give parents choice about public v. private schooling and bring accountability to the public schools. That's why the NEA (National Educators' Ass'n - the largest teachers' union in the USA) is opposed to anything DeVos does and why it's against vouchers.

Because it's worked so well in Detroit where she worked to implement this. I don't want my taxes going to religious and charter schools that can turn students away and don't have to meet the same standards. Yes our public schools have issues, taking money and high achieving students from them doesn't solve the issue.

[Anonymous]

I am not necessarily opposed to vouchers. As a middle class parent of a child with SN, voucher for around $10k would not pay the whole tuition, but would greatly help my family. I could comfortably kick in another $20k to fund a yearly tuition. But I get that not all families could do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hysterical charges from the NEA, as usual. By the way, OP, save your breath, H.R. 610 is dead in committee. But school vouchers would give parents choice about public v. private schooling and bring accountability to the public schools. That's why the NEA (National Educators' Ass'n - the largest teachers' union in the USA) is opposed to anything DeVos does and why it's against vouchers.

Because it's worked so well in Detroit where she worked to implement this. I don't want my taxes going to religious and charter schools that can turn students away and don't have to meet the same standards. Yes our public schools have issues, taking money and high achieving students from them doesn't solve the issue.

You really can't think for yourself, can you? You are buying the whole NEA song and dance. This has nothing to do with Detroit. Detroit was a failure because those that could moved out and away from Detroit. Vouchers will give parents the option of choice of the best education for their children. Besides, anyone who knows anything about this knows the bill is dead in Committee so OP is an NEA patsy trying to drum up false indignation against DeVos. Give it a rest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hysterical charges from the NEA, as usual. By the way, OP, save your breath, H.R. 610 is dead in committee. But school vouchers would give parents choice about public v. private schooling and bring accountability to the public schools. That's why the NEA (National Educators' Ass'n - the largest teachers' union in the USA) is opposed to anything DeVos does and why it's against vouchers.

Because it's worked so well in Detroit where she worked to implement this. I don't want my taxes going to religious and charter schools that can turn students away and don't have to meet the same standards. Yes our public schools have issues, taking money and high achieving students from them doesn't solve the issue.

You really can't think for yourself, can you? You are buying the whole NEA song and dance. This has nothing to do with Detroit. Detroit was a failure because those that could moved out and away from Detroit. Vouchers will give parents the option of choice of the best education for their children. Besides, anyone who knows anything about this knows the bill is dead in Committee so OP is an NEA patsy trying to drum up false indignation against DeVos. Give it a rest.

So, are you saying that the education system does not need to serve children whose parents are too poor to move? What a nonsensical point.

[Anonymous]

I don't think there's any way the "I'm against anything teachers unions are for" PP has a child with special needs in the public school system. Betsy DeVos's whole purpose is to destroy public education. She doesn't make a secret about that. She wants to send public education money to private and charter schools. She's against accountability for charters (see Detroit) and against protections for students with special needs (see her confirmation hearings). Disputing that is like disputing that Donald trump bragged about sexually assaulting women.

[Anonymous]

It failed miserably in Detroit and would be a disaster for America.

But Republicans hate America and democracy and understand the only way to remain in power is to keep the masses stupid. We don't need no education indeed.

[Anonymous]

Where's the evidence that vouchers will create quality private schools serving SN kids???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not necessarily opposed to vouchers. As a middle class parent of a child with SN, voucher for around $10k would not pay the whole tuition, but would greatly help my family. I could comfortably kick in another $20k to fund a yearly tuition. But I get that not all families could do this.

Yeah, most middle class families can't come up with an extra 20k/year for tuition. What's your HHI?

Most SN schools are more in the 40k-70k range. Very few people can afford to cover that even with a small voucher. So public schools would turn into places only for the kids with expensive SNs and low income families who can't pay the tuition difference. Then they would run out of money, because all the money left with the vouchers. Then ?????.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not necessarily opposed to vouchers. As a middle class parent of a child with SN, voucher for around $10k would not pay the whole tuition, but would greatly help my family. I could comfortably kick in another $20k to fund a yearly tuition. But I get that not all families could do this.

The vast majority of families could NOT do it. You are privileged if you can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hysterical charges from the NEA, as usual. By the way, OP, save your breath, H.R. 610 is dead in committee. But school vouchers would give parents choice about public v. private schooling and bring accountability to the public schools. That's why the NEA (National Educators' Ass'n - the largest teachers' union in the USA) is opposed to anything DeVos does and why it's against vouchers.

Because it's worked so well in Detroit where she worked to implement this. I don't want my taxes going to religious and charter schools that can turn students away and don't have to meet the same standards. Yes our public schools have issues, taking money and high achieving students from them doesn't solve the issue.

You really can't think for yourself, can you? You are buying the whole NEA song and dance. This has nothing to do with Detroit. Detroit was a failure because those that could moved out and away from Detroit. Vouchers will give parents the option of choice of the best education for their children. Besides, anyone who knows anything about this knows the bill is dead in Committee so OP is an NEA patsy trying to drum up false indignation against DeVos. Give it a rest.

What a hypocrite.