NYSUT leaders welcome Gov. Cuomo's veto last week of a bill requiring school officials to consider religion and other family background when deciding on school placement and tuition reimbursements for special education students.
Here's the Wall Street Journal report on the governor's veto.
NYSUT wrote to the governor urging him to veto the bill, saying it would introduce "non-educational criteria" into education decisions, violating federal policy that requires children with disabilities to be mainstreamed with their non-disabled classmates. The union also argued that the bill -- which passed late in the legislative session -- would create yet another financial hardship for school districts already struggling with limited resources by potentially increasing the number of taxpayer-supported private school placements.
"School districts are under considerable financial stress due to years of budget austerity and cannot afford the considerable expense of increased private placements when placements exists in a public setting appropriate to a child's educational needs," NYSUT wrote. The union said the legislation "would diminish available resources needed to provide the extra educational and support services all children with special needs require to meet rigorous learning standards."