Milking the Public for the “Disabled” Rich

Andrea Peyser had an interesting column this weekend in The New York Post about how wealthy parents are billing the public for their children to attend extremely expensive private schools using the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.  Using the Act’s broad and elastic definition of “disabled,” they claim that their kids are “learning disabled,” and then bill the public schools for a gold-plated private education that costs from $30,000 to over $100,000 per year.

The Supreme Court currently has on its docket the case Freston v. New York City, which will decide how far school systems’ duty to pay for private schooling for disabled students extends.  The New York Post comments on the case here.

In other news, the House of Representatives is on the verge of voting to radically expand the definition of “disability” so that most Americans, including everyone who wears eyeglasses, will be considered “disabled” and entitled to special accommodations on the job.  The proposed ADA Restoration Act of 2007 has around 200 co-sponsors in the House, including members of both parties.  If enacted, it may become one of the most expensive government mandates imposed on private employers in American history.