Monday, March 30, 2009

CAP: AZ Supreme Court Pulls the Rug Out from Disabled Students

In a very disappointing and heartbreaking ruling from the Arizona Supreme Court this week, parents of 473 students with special needs who were participating in two school choice programs will now be faced with disrupting their children's education. The CAP-supported programs provided parents with the opportunity to choose the public or private school that best suited their children's educational needs. For many students with disabilities, the opportunity to attend specialized private schools has breathed new life into their abilities to learn and function. Now, parents of these students will either have to find a way to pay the tuition for these specialized schools - often costing tens of thousands of dollars - or face returning their children to public schools that have already proved inadequate. This is a very sad ruling for these students, but it is not hopeless. The Court allowed the programs to continue until the end of this school year, and CAP and our school choice allies are considering all of our legal and policy options to help these and other students with special needs. It's not the end of the road for these students or school choice programs in Arizona. Stay tuned!
Condoms at Your Local Junior High?
That's right, the Kyrene School District is considering a sex-education curriculum change that would bring condoms into junior high classrooms. If you live in the Kyrene district and want to join the fight against this irresponsible idea, please email info@azpolicy.org.
End of Life "Choices" and Your Faith

A recently published American Medical Association study shows that a patient's faith significantly affects his or her decisions about life-sustaining medical treatment. The study found that most doctors were not discussing patients' religious beliefs with their patients, even though the patients were basing their decisions very heavily on their faith. The message from the study: speak up to your doctor about your faith and how it influences your medical decisions. Doctors, hospitals, and judges have their own value systems - increasingly based on economic factors related to end of life treatment, but the patient's wishes should be the ultimate basis for medical decisions. That is why we are working at the Arizona Legislature to pass Jesse's Law, Part 2, which helps protect a patient's wishes when he or she cannot communicate.
Help Hurting Women

Due to tough financial situations, there are tragic reports of more women considering abortions. No human life - no matter how small - should be ended solely to ease or avoid financial struggle. Now is the time for us to step up and reach out to those around us who are hurting - especially women facing a crisis pregnancy. Contact your local pregnancy resource center to find out how you can help. For those in the Phoenix area, I hope to see you at the Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Greater Phoenix Gala next Saturday, April 4.

Budget Battles Continue at the Capitol

This week at the Capitol, more questions are being raised about when the Senate will start hearing bills. Work on the budget continues, but no one is certain when it will be finished. CAP is also keeping a close watch on anti-school choice groups that would like to see scholarship tax credits end as part of the budget negotiations. These tax credits are saving the state money, in addition to allowing parents to choose which education is best for their children.

Survey Says ...

The Tohono O'odham Indian tribe released a poll showing supposed public support for its proposed casino in Glendale. Remarkably, the release does not describe the poll's questions or methods, so there is no basis on which to judge the validity of the results. The tribe is attempting to build public support on the false notion that the casino will help the area economy, even though studies have repeatedly shown that the costs of gambling far outweigh the benefits - financially and socially.

Truth Project in Northern Arizona

Register now for Truth Project Training in Prescott and Flagstaff.

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