The Danger of Special Education Scholarship Vouchers
In Wisconsin, children who qualify for special education and their families are caught in the middle of a legislative battle over a mostly Republican-introduced bill called AB110. The bill is similar to many private school voucher programs for special education students that are being endorsed predominantly by Republicans in state legislatures throughout the country.
AB110 and other bills like it are a result of proposed legislation by the shadowy right wing group, the American Legislative Exchange Council, also known as ALEC. ALEC is responsible for ghostwriting model legislation that benefits corporations and the wealthy and is funded by its corporate members. The bills drafted by ALEC are then introduced by legislators as though they were the original ideas of the legislators themselves; there is no acknowledgement of ALEC's role in the bill-drafting process. The bottom line in all of this model legislation is that corporate profits are increased while the rights of the average citizen are decreased.
One of the most underhanded bills introduced by Wisconsin legislators, AB110 mandates that the option of a voucher be given to special education students for the purpose of using it for tuition at a