FL, AZ already turn public school money over to parents. Other states ready to do so. Choice is

[tkmorris]

24. Florida doesn't work QUITE that way AFAIK

These benefits (It's called a PLSA here) are only available to students who would, generally, not fare well in a normal public school setting or for whom a normal public school is poorly equipped to educate properly. In short, everyone is not eligible for the program, only those who have special needs requiring non-standard educational approaches. The eligibility requirements are:

Is your child eligible? This scholarship is for Florida students in kindergarten through 12th grade with one of the following disabilities: autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Spina bifida, Williams syndrome or Intellectual Disability (severe cognitive impairment). Also, students who are deemed “high risk” due to developmental delays and who are not older than 5 on Sept. 1 may be eligible for the year they are applying... linky

I'm not so certain this is a terrible idea, at least administered as described. Most of these students would be forced to seek out alternative education solutions in any case; this merely allows them to use some of the monies the state would be spending to send them to public schools to fund those alternatives.

Of course the problem here is that Rick Scott is our Governor and he can be relied on to use ANY idea, no matter how well intentioned, to loot public systems and privatize the smoking remains.