US News
Students with disabilities face barriers using state private school vouchers
Families return disability voucher funds at disproportionate rates as private schools reject applicants, ProPublica reports.
The short version
- Private school voucher programs are seeing higher rates of unused, returned funds among students with disabilities compared to general applicants.[ProPublica]
- Unlike public schools, private institutions are generally not legally mandated to admit or accommodate students with disabilities.[ProPublica]
- Data reveals severe geographic shortages, with over half of Utah counties and 71% of Georgia counties lacking private schools accepting disability vouchers.[ProPublica]
Key facts
- Private schools generally are not required by law to educate students with disabilities and often deny them admission.[ProPublica]
- About 8% of the $1.7 billion Florida awarded for disabled students was returned due to recipients staying in public schools, compared to 1% in the universal program.[ProPublica]
- In Louisiana, families returned 30% of education savings account funds designated for students with disabilities, versus 6% returned overall.[ProPublica]
- Over half of Utah counties and 71% of Georgia counties lack any private school that accepts state disability vouchers.[ProPublica]
- More than half of Florida's private schools report that they do not serve students with any type of disability.[ProPublica]
What remains uncertain
- Whether participating states plan to implement accommodation requirements or expand private school capacity for special education remains unspecified.[ProPublica]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.