Two Cheers for S. 1 : The Safe and Affordable Schools Act of 1997. Issue Bulletin Number 232 / Nina H. Shokraii and John S. Barry.

This paper discusses the benefits of the Safe and Affordable Schools Act (S. 1), a major education-reform bill. S. 1 will make tuition vouchers available to parents to help them transfer their children to safer schools. It is the first program to offer federal assistance to any state or locality interested in designing a school-choice demonstration project for public, private, and religious schools. The plan would also help parents create tax-free higher education savings accounts. The text outlines the three school-choice provisions in S. 1 which would: (1) give children who attend violent schools vouchers to transfer to a safer school of their choice; (2) allow poor children to switch schools if they have been the victims of violent crime in schools; and (3) provide parents with scholarships or vouchers that would enable them to choose a public, private, or religious school for their children. Such choices would offer children a safe school environment, would provide opportunities to improve their academic performance, and would funnel dollars directly into the classroom. S. 1 would also allow government intrusion in local education, and this component of the act is criticized. Ways in which S. 1 would modify the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are likewise discussed. (Contains 42 references and notes.) (RJM)

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