Bill Calls for Vouchers for Disabled Military Children

Surrounded by his mother, Karen Driscoll, left, his sister, and his therapist, Paul Driscoll, a 12-year-old with autism, takes a break after becoming overstimulated from playing with neighborhood children in San Diego, Calif. Behavior challenges, a symptom of autism, impact an individual’s ability to function in all areas of life.

—Sandy Huffaker for Education Week

By Christina A. Samuels

A proposed $5 million voucher program for military families who have children with special education needs is part of the defense-spending bill that Congress will take up in its post-election lame-duck session.

The pilot program would start in the 2011-12 school year and provide up to $7,500 per year for school costs. The U.S. Department of Defense would be required to evaluate the success of the program in a report to be completed no later than 2015.

The pilot program is only one of several provisions tucked into the $726 billion defense bill that are intended to improve schooling for military children who require special education services. The proposed amendment, which was sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., would also direct the secretaries of defense and education to collaborate on issues such as expedited due process resolution for military families and creation of individualized education programs that are...