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Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act

Floor Speech

Date: May 6, 2016
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Education

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Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act.

Plenty of members have raised legitimate concerns with this bill, not the least of which is that students, teachers, parents, administrators, and the community in D.C. did not ask for this system to be forced on them.

A specific concern: The lack of protections for students with disabilities, arguably those who need protections the most.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act--colloquially known as IDEA--has ensured for decades that children with disabilities throughout the nation receive the services and accommodations they need. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

Voucher schools should not get a free pass because of accounting gimmicks allowed under the voucher program.

When IDEA was passed, it did not have a clause that said ``protect all students with disabilities except those students who choose to go to voucher schools.'' I urge my colleagues to reject this bill and stand up for the civil rights that we all agreed every student deserves.

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