How ‘universal school choice’ can become ‘forced segregation’

In its current form, there is nothing “universal” about the proposed universal school of choice voucher program. The word universal implies that access is open — and to a certain extent, unlimited. However, by their very definition, private schools are entities that are allowed to be selective with the type of children they accept into their institutions. For instance, many schools would not accept children like my nonverbal autistic child on the sole premise of his disability.

There was a time when due to what was called “ugly laws,” children like my child were not allowed out in public, let alone given access to a free appropriate public education. Brown v. Board Of Education changed all of that when it integrated schools. Now, for more than half a century, disabled children have been able to access the support and accommodation they need to be successful and included in the classroom. The Florida Legislature’s proposed House Bill 1 is a threat to the educational rights of disabled children and is a slap in the face to the efforts put forth by inclusion programs in schools all across the state of Florida.

For one, despite this program being marketed by sponsors as a “choice,” it is only a choice for children who have equitable access to the admissions process. If private schools are allowed to turn children like my child away based solely on their disability, then the option of choosing private schools becomes limited based on a child’s access to acceptance. Second, even if I could get my disabled child accepted into a private school, there is no guarantee that the school would provide him with the support and accommodations he needs to be successful.

Unlike public schools, private schools are under no obligation to implement individualized educational plans (IEPs). These binding legal contracts require public schools to provide disabled children with the support they need to succeed. However, without any such guarantee at private institutions, children like my child risk being barred from the ability to succeed if they are placed in a private school that refuses to properly accommodate them.

How is it a “school of choice” when only abled children are able to make that choice without risking educational success? How is it “universal” if access to admission is selective? When we think this through, it becomes clear that without provisions on equitable private school admission processes, and without assurances for IEP implementation to special needs families, this bill cannot truly be a universal choice for all Florida families. If the governor and lawmakers want to truly give Floridian families a choice when it comes to their children’s education, then they at the very least should ensure that children like my son (and parents like myself ) get a choice in the matter. Otherwise, we may as well call this bill what it really is: state-sanctioned, publicly funded educational segregation.

PHIL SEARS/AP Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, announced Jan. 19 that one of his priorities during the legislative session that begins in March will be to expand a school voucher program to all Florida students.