The House and the Senate hearings yesterday made great headway into improving education and truly helping those children with special needs. Both the House and the Senate spent several hours hearing arguments for and against the special needs tax credit scholarship program, which is covered by three separate yet similar bills.
There were many witnesses testifying against the bills, however, it was evident their arguments were either unfounded or too weak to force a vote against the bill. Testimonies from parents moved the audience as well as the legislators. While every witness's testimony got to me, there was one mother that testified in both hearings that moved me the most. Her and her 11 year old son have gone through 6 six in St. Louis and are still not happy with the education. Most of his teachers were only trying to work on behavior issues, thereby ignoring the reading, writing, and math These bills, if passed, would allow children to go to another school, private or public, with a scholarship. aspects of school. One classroom he was in had no actual books in it! If he were properly educated, his mother explained, the the behavior would correct itself. It is no secret that many children act out when they are frustrated or not understanding things; you can see this behavior emerge in children as young as one year old. The fact is, it only gets worse.
Another mother, for the sake of her son, moved away from her husband to Ohio in order to enroll her son in a costly specialized school for two and a half years. Now, he has returned to Missouri schools and is flourishing. But without those two years with specialized attention and treatments, he most likely would not be where he is today. Unfortunately, not all parents can make this type of move, and they should not have to.
The House Committee passed this bill now it is up to the full House to debate.
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