Mississippi is looking to help out kids with special needs
(Fox News) Parents with special-needs kids in Mississippi could soon use taxpayer dollars to send them to faith-based schools, under a new bill approved by the state Legislature on Thursday.
The legislation would allow parents with disabled children to take them out of public school and put them into a religious academic institution, with the help of government vouchers. The bill, which already passed the House, cleared the Senate on Thursday and now heads to Gov. Phil Bryant — who is expected to sign it.
Mississippi Department of Education spokesperson Patrice Guilfoyle said there are more than 66,000 students identified with disabilities in Mississippi, ranging from ages 3-21, as of November 2014.
The bill provides vouchers worth about $6,000 for 500 students per year,for five years. The graduation rate for special-needs students in the state is about 23 percent — compared with nearly 75 percent for students without special needs.
Who could possibly be against giving special needs kids a chance in a learning environment that would benefit them greatly?
Critics, however, say Senate Bill 2695 — The Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act — is unconstitutional because it conflicts with the separation between church and state.
“I personally don’t think it’s constitutional,†said Mississippi state Rep. Jeramey Anderson, a Democrat. “You’re taking public money and putting it into the hands of citizens. You’re really allowing private schools to dip into a public fund.â€
The National Education Association –which is the largest labor union in the country with nearly 3,000,000 members– is against school voucher programs because they “tend to be a means of circumventing the Constitutional prohibitions against subsidizing religious practice and instruction,†according to their website.
How cute. A bunch of mularky, but cute. Liberals will invent any excuse to keep the power within their liberal education system, even to the detriment of children.
“You’re taking public money and putting it into the hands of citizens.”
The horror!
Where does this loon think it comes from?
The stupid is strong with this one.
The National Education Association –which is the largest labor union in the country with nearly 3,000,000 members– is against school voucher programs because they “tend to be a means of circumventing the Constitutional prohibitions against subsidizing religious practice and instruction,†according to their website.
Well, maybe not if they attend the Episcopalian Church of Global Warming and the teachers are union.
The question is whether the state should further subsidize religion, is all.
Of course, they aren’t actually subsidizing religion, they are offering special needs kids and their parents a choice. I thought lefties liked choice?
Nor is this in any way unconstitutional, since it is not establishing religion. Why do you gate special needs kids?