The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows - Part 7: FL's 'Other' Voucher Program, for Students with Disabilities

mrustow, I really appreciate your post #232. Thank you so much. Have a very Merry Christmas! :)

Same to you, summer. I read part of your post, but will need some time to read the whole megillah. (Slow reader, little time, demanding toddler playing next to me!)

LOL...no problem. You can also skip down to my post #1 and get an idea of something else good that is happening.

Go, Governor Jeb!

BTW, I just got an email from Katherine Harris's campaign headquarters. All systems are GO for Katherine's run for Congress.

Keep up the good work, Florida conservatives! Show that weirdo Janet Reno what fine stuff you're mad of.

And NEVER FORGET ELIAN!!!

Thanks for your enthusiastic reply, Palladin! :)

This is an interesting article, but I find some things about it disturbing. It seems that there is a great deal of pressure to put labels on kids, and that this program might encourage that practice. Hypothetically, if a child can be a slow learner without necessarily having some real disability. If the child's parents are patient, make some sacrifices, and keep the child involved and moving forward, the child can succeed. In most cases, I believe that the extra expenses associated with this situation, including private schooling, should be the responsibility of the parents. (I've had vision problems from the time I was two or three years old. Those problems resulted in more expenses for my parents, and we had to make sacrifices. However, I don't think that the taxpayers should have been paying for my needs.)

This program seems as if it would give the parents an incentive to find some label to stick on the kid so that the family can qualify for a voucher. Parents who realize that they should be providing for their child would still be making the sacrifices while others would be looking here and there for an expert to label their kid so that they could take advantage of this new entitlement.

The young lady in the photograph appears to be more severely disabled, and I don't have a problem with extra assistance for her family. Most states have been providing some kind of assistance like that for years, although I think private charities could hande these situations as well as the government can. Obviously, the program is going to be popular politically, but I still have misgivings.

WFTR
Bill
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Hi Bill,

Thank you for your patience.

I have been thinking a lot about what you wrote, and, frankly, I am still not quite sure how to respond.

I do agree with some points you make -- I too believe there are more labels put on kids these days. But I'm not certain that a program like this results in more labels, as the only students eligible for this program have already been identified as learning disabled in some way, and have already spent a year in a public school's special education program. So, this program here is dealing with kids already in the system, and does not extend to students not already in special education.

However, you make a valid point, which is that some students are wrongly labeled this way. They are not actually "special ed." The most famous example often given to teachers in training concerns the genius Albert Einstein, who was very slow to develop verbal skills, and did not evidence normal speech until the age of four. That is very late for language development. Did it mean he was "disabled"? Hardly.

As for extra expenses being paid by the parents -- well, yes, and no. Federal law requires public school special ed students to be educated in the least restrictive environment, so local educators do have the task of educating these kids.

With respect to getting an expert to label the student -- not exactly. A student in special ed already has an IEP (an Individualized Educational Plan) so that learning objectives for this student are clearly stated. This scholarship / voucher program only kicks in when there has not been progress toward meeting the objectives. And, a parent can then choose to place their child in a different public school through this program, if such an option does not exist in that school district. Or, a private school.

Since the law requires these students to be educated, and education involves progress and learning, I'm sure you can count this program as an "entitlement." Not everyone can be in it, and hiring an expert does not help one's case.

That doesn't mean I don't have misgivings about things as well. One concern I have is that special ed students who are disabled may also be gifted in some area, and this potential giftedness is not often explored or encouraged for these kids, since the emphasis is usually on learning basic skills. Had Albert Einstein been labeled "special ed" and grown to believe he was in some way disfunctional, would he have eventually become what he became? I don't know.

With matters like these, I tend to listen to people who have the first-hand experience, and as I previously mentioned in my editorial. And, I do know parents who have not been satisfied with their child's special ed situation in a public school. But, in my own mind, this may have to do with the organization of the school, or class size, than the special teacher, as these teachers tend to be the most dedicated professionals in the school. Also, I do appreciate that this program has options such as transferring within a school district, to another school.

Well, I don't think I convinced you of anything, but then again, I didn't set out to do that here. I just wanted you to know that I do share your concerns, but, I think it is a positive step to provide additional options to students when the current situation is not working, for whatever reason.

Thanks again for your thoughtful post. And, have a very Merrry Christmas, Bill!!!

I meant to write: I'm NOT sure you can count this program as an "entitlement."

Merrry = MERRY Christmas!

Bump for a read on the road.

Thanks, Trailer Trash! But, please don't drive and read, ok? :) A very Merry Christmas to you!

BTW, see post #23 for a new link that works -- as my "Source" link did not; and, see post #4 for a working link for Article #1.

Bttt!

Re: #3: Pictures tell a thousand words. Keep up the good work.

I'm up to # 81. Is anyone on this thread going to mention the agenda of the teacher's union and the communist-leaning NEA? I guess I'll have to keep reading. I thnk that until we break these unions, our children will be nothng but NWO shills, i.e. socialists. And poor.

Is anyone on this thread going to mention the agenda of the teacher's union and the communist-leaning NEA?

No, because this thread is really not about the NEA. It is about a new law signed by Gov. Bush, creating a scholarship / voucher program for students with disabilities.

Thanks for all your posts, and for taking the time to check out this thread, Concentrate! Merry Christmas! :)

Have a happy holiday, ChaseR!

evening bump to the top!

What a nice surprise -- thank you, goldilucky! :)

BTTT