Chaos in Colorado: Voucher Proposal Comes Under Fire

New law could expand power of the state, create chaos in classrooms

Photo by Daniel Norris on Unsplash

An attempt to amend the Colorado Constitution to allow public funds to be spent on private schools by way of vouchers appears to be running into some trouble.

Specifically, the wording of the amendment is problematic, as it enshrines a specific right:

THAT PARENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO DIRECT THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN

This specific line is raising a lot of questions.

Colorado Jumps Aboard the Voucher Madness Train

Peter Greene explores some of them:

Wouldn't this amendment also allow parents to intrude into every classroom? If I have a constitutional right to direct my child's education, does that not mean that I can tell my child's science teacher to stop teaching evolution? Or start teaching evolution? Can I demand a different approach to teaching American history? How about prepositions? And how will a classroom teacher even function if every child in the classroom comes with a parent who has a constitutional right to direct their education?

And, this right would extend to all schools in the state - so, rather than simply allowing parents to “choose” to use state funds to send their kids to private schools, it would also create a right for that parent to direct how their child is taught.

Essentially: I want my child to go to this private school AND I want that school (and individual teachers) to teach only in ways I prescribe.

A representative of the Colorado Parent Teacher Association says this amounts to creating chaos in schools:

“It basically throws our entire system into chaos and it takes away school boards’ rights to be able to oversee curriculum and to be able to implement a guaranteed and viable curriculum,” Prichard said. “It takes away our State Board of Education’s rights to be able to pass and implement standards. It takes away all of the things, the pillars that our education system stands on and implements chaos. And chaos is just never good for schools. It’s never good for kids.”

Kevin Welner, director of the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado says:

“It’s easy to foresee a lot of troubling demands,” said Welner, who also is a professor in the CU School of Education in Boulder. “At what point can the school tell the parent to stop directing their child’s education?”

Welner suggests schools might be subject to lawsuits if parents don’t like certain homework assignments, for example. A parental right to “direct” their child’s education could also create a right to choose individual teachers for their child.

It seems there are a range of potential unintended consequences. And, as Welner notes, until the Colorado courts sort any lawsuits out, schools may be left in a state of confusion.

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