��������

Colorado School District Facing Outrage Over Voucher Program

School choice has been an ongoing debate in districts nationwide, but one Colorado district has been getting plenty of attention on this subject lately. Douglas County, located in the southern part of the Denver metro area, has unanimously approved a voucher program that provides state funding to parents who want to enroll their children in private schools. The Douglas County school board approved the measure in March of this year, but the fight is just beginning over the constitutionality of such a move. We’ll look at both sides of this potentially explosive issue to determine whether using taxpayer dollars to fund private schooling should be allowed under the law.

The History of the Voucher Program

The “Choice Scholarship” pilot program, due to launch in Douglas County during the 2011-2012 school year, was the brainchild of Milton and Rose Friedman. These two economists established the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation in 1996 to advance an education system based on free choice. This couple firmly believes that the most effective way to raise the bar on the quality of education in this country is to provide free choice to parents and students that promotes healthy competition within the educational framework.

The Friedmans state on their , “This foundation is the culmination of what has been one of our main interests for more than four decades: improvement in the quality of education available to children of all

Buckling under the performance pressures placed by some standardized test scores, teachers and administrators are allegedly backed into corners where they either alter test results or lose funding for their schools. The problem has been seen in Washington D.C., and now Atlanta schools may be joining the ranks of school districts caught in the act. Allegations of widespread cheating that have plagued the Atlanta school system for the past year are not showing any signs of going away, as new accusations have recently come to light from a former school district official. The latest news suggests that the former superintendent for Atlanta Public Schools may have known about the problem – and even taken steps of her own to cover up possible indiscretions.

A History of the Atlanta Cheating Scandal

During the summer of 2008, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution launched its own investigation into the validity of standardized test results from some of the schools in the district. Of particular interest was Deerwood Academy, which showed “suspiciously large gains,” according to a later report in the . When the publication questioned school officials about the improvements made at Deerwood, as well as a handful of other school districts, reporters were assured that the gains were “valid and defensible.” School officials saw no reason to pursue an investigation of test results at that time.

However, questions about Deerwood began brewing again a few months later, when a state investigation was initiated in response

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” This amendment has protected the right of young American students to express themselves throughout history, even if what they have to say is not complimentary or even popular.

However, free speech has become muddied waters since the advent of online forms of expression. A court in Pennsylvania has proven that fact with two rulings that suggest the discussion is not over in regards to off-campus speech conducted over the Internet. We’ll take a look at both of these cases that have garnered much publicity in recent months, as well as the most recent rulings by the court. We’ll also consider the questions that were not answered by these landmark cases that leave schools and students unsure of how to move forward in the era of online expression.

What the 3^rd U.S. Court of Appeals Decided

According to a report in , the Philadelphia-based 3^rd U.S. Court of Appeals heard two long-running cases this month involving the freedom of students to express their opinions online. Both of the students involved in these cases posted content on MySpace that mocked their principals. The students were both suspended by their schools for the content and

Gay-straight student alliances have been formed in schools for more than two decades. Still, many students face seemingly insurmountable odds in getting their extracurricular organizations accepted in the public school system. Schools across the country have tried to keep these clubs from forming despite an act that clearly states the rights of students of all types of sexual orientation. Recently, Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent a “Dear Colleagues” letter to school districts, reminding them of a law passed by the Reagan administration that allows LGBT students to organize clubs and alliances on school property. We will examine that letter, as well as the 1984 legislation that requires schools to treat all extracurricular activities equally regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation.

The Problem for Gay-Straight Student Support Groups

According to an article in the , the problem with gay-straight support groups in public schools came to the forefront of public policy in 2006 when White County High School in Georgia tried to ban a gay-straight alliance student club from forming at the school. The argument was taken to court, where Federal District Judge William C. O’Kelley wrote a 35-page decision that issued a permanent injunction requiring the school to allow the group to meet on its campus. However, this is not the first time a situation involving a gay-straight club was taken to court.

In 2000, Colin vs. Orange Unified School District also resulted in a ruling that required a school