Voucher schools can’t have it both ways

The growth of taxpayer-funded voucher schools continues in Wisconsin. Private schools in all corners of the state, including La Crosse, receive tax money to provide students who apply a private education. We continue to pay for these students to receive a private education, despite the fact that the schools that teach them aren’t subject to the same standards as public schools. Teachers aren’t automatically subject to background checks, and don’t have to even be licensed by teachers. Now some want to remove even more restrictions on Wisconsin’s voucher schools. U.S. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is introducing legislation which would prevent the federal Department of Justice from enforcing the Americans With Disabilities Act at schools which accept voucher students. He argues that these are private schools, even though they accept taxpayer money in the form of vouchers. But isn’t the goal of a school, any school, to educate all students equally, in a safe environment? How does not enforcing ADA laws do anything to help students learn, or keep them safe? What would even be the motivation for removing protections for disabled students being educated at taxpayer expense? The fact is, those who support voucher schools seem to want it both ways. They want us to pay for a student’s education, even if the schools that teach them aren’t subject to the same rules as public schools. Any school which receives taxpayer funding should be required to follow the same rules, regardless of what kind of school it is.