On Friday afternoon, House
Bill 2238 reported from the House Appropriations Committee. This
legislation, sponsored by Delegate LaRock, would allow parents of certain
students with disabilities to remove their children from the public schools and
to receive 90% of the state SOQ per pupil funding which would be placed in a
Parental Choice Education Savings Account. Those state funds could then be used
by the parent to send the student to private school or to pay for certain other
services for the child. While the supporters of the bill argue that the bill
will not have any cost to local school divisions, the way this bill is drafted
and the interplay between this bill and the federal Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act could result in substantial liability to local
school divisions.
HB2238 will be debated on the floor on tomorrow with a final vote on Tuesday.
We ask that you please contact your Delegates and urge them to vote NO on HB2238. You can find the contact
information for your Delegate here.
Thank you for your
attention to this urgent action alert.
