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Private Schools Can Give Students With Disabilities the Flexibility They Need

Peshek: School choice programs provide students and families with new opportunities while taking no existing options away.

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As a father of a son with autism and an education advocate for nearly two decades, I’ve spent much of my life navigating the complexities of education systems. That’s why I was troubled by a recent op-ed in The 74 arguing that, with the “push to expand publicly-funded private school choice, students with disabilities have a great deal to lose.” 

This argument misses a critical point: These policies provide families with new opportunities while taking no existing options away.

The commentary by Lauren Morando Rhim at the Center for Learning Equity expresses concerns that private schools are not bound by the same rules, regulations, and processes as public schools. But that’s precisely the point of alternatives. As Rhim herself noted in a previous interview for Vox, “The system can be very large and rigid,” often leaving students with disabilities marginalized by a one-size-fits-all approach. 

I’m hard pressed to find more compelling reasons to support giving families more options.

Public schools work well for many students with disabilities. But for families seeking something different, what’s the harm in allowing them to use their funds to choose a private alternative they believe will better serve their child? 

Public schools are governed by laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which was enacted at a time when 1 million students with disabilities were denied access to public schools. However, IDEA’s aspirational goals have not always translated into effective implementation across the nation’s 13,000-plus school districts. Many families face endless battles for evaluations, services, and compliance. For every success story, there are countless examples of parents left frustrated by the system.

It’s tedious that I must point this out, because there are just as many stories of parents satisfied with what their public school offers their child. But the world doesn’t run on generalities—it runs on the lived experiences of individuals. Some schools do better than others, and some adults do better than others. 

Florida passed the first statewide voucher program in 1999 specifically for students with disabilities. Today, over 90,000 students in Florida benefit from these programs, which cover tuition, therapies, tutoring, and other expenses.

Research supports their effectiveness. A 2021 study from Boston University and the University of Arkansas found 93% satisfaction rates among families participating in Florida’s Gardiner Scholarship Program, an education savings account specifically for students with disabilities, compared to 85% satisfaction among families who are not participating. (The program is now part of the state’s newer Family Empowerment Scholarships for Students with Unique Abilities program.)

Participating parents reported significantly higher satisfaction rates in terms of the services and accommodations their private school provided compared to parents in public schools. These families valued the ability to choose schools and services that met their children’s specific needs—freedom that is often unavailable in public systems.

Unlike public schools, private school programs don’t necessarily have public meeting requirements, standardized test score reporting and federal disability law protections. Yet parents in these programs overwhelmingly report higher satisfaction. Why? These programs give families a right they don’t have elsewhere: the ability to control their educational funds and choose what works best for their child. 

One parent in the Florida study put it best, saying the option “opened up a whole avenue of feeling like I didn’t have to have him stay in a setting that I felt like he wasn’t going to be successful in. And without it, I don’t think he’d be where he is today.”

I won’t pretend every program is perfect. Bureaucratic red tape can make them harder to navigate, and experiences vary. But expanding options that outperform the status quo in parent satisfaction does not harm families of students with disabilities – it helps them. 

I have a son with autism. I’m motivated to find him a school where he’s welcomed, supported, understood, and loved. I want him to grow academically, socially, and cognitively. I hope he’ll make friends and be able to share highlights of his day. These basic human needs are obvious to any parent, yet they’re rarely mentioned in debates about regulations and government processes. 

With over 55 million schoolchildren in the United States, why dismiss choice and alternatives because they are not bound by a federal regulatory apparatus? That is often the very reason parents seek alternatives. Expanding options empowers families to find solutions that work for them—solutions that no one can dictate better than a parent.

Adam Peshek is senior director and senior fellow of Stand Together Trust.

Disclosure: Stand Together Trust provides financial support to The 74.

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