As Doug Krinsky mentioned in his post, there’s no reason that the type of scholarship that students with autism enjoy in Ohio couldn’t be extended to students with other disabilities.
Below, a legislator who has been a stalwart of support for school choice shares his vision for a comprehensive Special Education Scholarship.
State Senator Jon Husted
First off, thank you for allowing me to participate in such a wonderful occasion as Autism Awareness Month; I salute all of you that work tirelessly on this important cause.
While the awareness and detection of Autism has come a long way, there is no denying that we still have a long way to go, especially in the area of educating children who have Autism. Not every child learns in the traditional way and that is why I have continued to fight to ensure that parents have a choice on where their child is educated. I believe parents are best suited to determine the educational needs of their child, not teachers unions or bureaucrats in Columbus.
During my time in the legislature, I am most proud of the tremendous gains we have made in the area of school choice. During my time as Speaker of the House, I was proud to work along side then-Representative Jon Peterson, to implement the Autism Scholarship Program. Today, there are nearly 1,500 students taking advantage of this scholarship program which enables them to attend schools that best fit their educational needs.
For the last several years, I have been trying to win approval of the Special Education Scholarship Program. My goal in creating this program is to allow students that have been identified as having a special education needs, to apply for a scholarship to pay the expenses of an alternative public or private special education program. Even though this has yet to become law, I can assure you I will continue to fight for this important educational choice for Ohio’s children and parents.
We still have a long way to go in Ohio, and I look forward to working with each and every one of you to ensure that all of Ohio’s children receive the education they deserve.
We stand alongside Senator Husted in support of this important legislation. To voice your support for the Special Education Scholarship proposal and learn more, visit www.scohio.org/specialeducation.
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