School Vouchers for Kids with Special Needs

I wasn't aware of this development in special education, analyzed in this article by Wendy Hensel:

Vouchers for Students with Disabilities:  The Future of Special Education?

Abstract:
Many voices over the last decade have called for reform in special education in American public schools. As the number of those receiving services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”) has grown, scholars and pundits have increasingly argued that the system not only is failing to meet the needs of many children with disabilities, but in some cases is actively causing harm to those it is intended to serve.

Over the last several years, an increasing number of state legislatures have proposed or have passed laws that give children with disabilities public money to attend a private school. Rather than trying to fix the perceived deficiencies within the existing system, these states instead facilitate the exit of unhappy parents and students from public schools altogether. The evidence suggests that some voucher supporters have focused on children with disabilities because of the political viability of using vulnerable children as the first step towards universal school choice.

The momentum toward vouchers has the potential to make a significant and lasting impact on the manner in which children with disabilities are educated in the United States. Because most states require students receiving vouchers to waive their rights under the IDEA as a condition precedent to receiving state money, this impact will be felt not only at the state level, but also on federal policy going forward.

This article explores the impetus behind the voucher movement, the parameters of existing legislation, the legality of voucher programs, and the corresponding public policy consequences which follow their adoption.

This sounds to me like an excellent development for Catholic schools that feel that their mission calls them to serve kids with special needs, but their budgets don't permit them to answer that call.  There are some fascinating findings in the article, among them the fact that the largest proportion of minority students in parts of Florida using these vouchers are attending religious schools.  Hensel writes:  "This may be explained by the fact that minorities are disproportionately represented in low socio-economic households, and that religious schools can be among the most affordably-priced private school, particularly in urban areas."  (Go, Catholic schools!)

A quick look at the article indicates that Hensel concludes that this development overall is troubling for the special needs student population, because (1) many of the kids using the vouchers won't be well-served in the private schools to which they go, because those schools don't have good enough programs for them; and (2)  the vouchers will mainly be used for kids from well-off families with less complicated special needs, leaving behind in the public schools the more complicated cases, which will eventually lead to more segregation of kids with special needs in the public schools.  But objection #1 seems unduly speculative, and #2 seems to be contradicted by the statistics like those found in Florida, and seems to ignore the other side of the equation -- the increased integration of special needs kids into all sorts of educational settings other than the public schools.

Though Hensel acknowledges that the move for these special needs vouchers was parent-driven, and that the overwhelming majority of parents receiving these vouchers are pleased with them, she argues that: "Beyond this support, however, there is no question that a number of interest groups and individual legislators have stepped on the bandwagon of the special needs vouchers as the pathway to meeting other legislative agendas.  the most common of these is a desire for universal school choice.  For these advocacy organizations, children with disabilities may be elected as the poster children for the voucher movement because it is difficult politically to argue against benefits that will serve this vulnerable group."

Well, SHOULDN'T it be difficult politically to argue against benefits that will serve this vulnerable group?  Why shouldn't this group have the same access to school choice as nondisabled children?  

Rick, am I missing something here?