ACLU of Wisconsin Says Court's Voucher Ruling Endorses False Choice
MEDIA RELEASE: June 27, 2002
Today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin expressed its
regret over the United States Supreme Court's 5-4 decision that declared
the religious school voucher program in Cleveland constitutional.
"Parents, students and educators in Milwaukee should be concerned with
today's United States Supreme Court decision that weakened religious liberty
and raised the possibility that other communities will follow Milwaukee
and Cleveland into a scheme that diverts attention from real educational
reform," said ACLU of Wisconsin Executive Director Christopher Ahmuty
"Today's decision will make it more difficult to get on with the serious
job of educating all our children. Resources and attention in Milwaukee
will continue to be diverted to the chosen few, while the vast majority
of students will remain in the Milwaukee Public Schools. Unfortunately,
the rest of the nation may now experience the ideology of vouchers. The
decision is a victory for consumerism and balkanization in education.
Society's need and obligation to educate all children are ignored, as
resources are diverted to a chosen few," Ahmuty added.
Ahmuty outlined a program to protect children who will go to voucher
schools: "Now that the Court has ruled, it is time for the Wisconsin Legislature
to require voucher schools to provide an adequate, fair and safe education
to all students. Voucher schools should be required to adopt real educational
standards. Vouchers schools should be required to do criminal background
checks to protect against sex abuse. And, they should be required to prohibit
discrimination. Other government funded schools, the public schools, already
are required to be fair to all comers."
"The ACLU of Wisconsin will continue to work to secure an adequate education
for all children in government-funded schools," Ahmuty concluded.
Link to decision:
If you agree with the ACLU and want to protect diversity in our schools
and metropolitan areas, please consider joining the hundreds of thousands
of patriotic Americans who are members of the ACLU.
|
