No Time to Wait for CSAs

by Austin Hein

Child Safety Accounts (CSA) would undoubtedly help protect Wyoming's children from bullying and harassment in their schools. A CSA program would provide funds to families of bullied children to allow them to escape harmful environments in their schools. CSAs give them enough financial flexibility to even attend different schools. All this is possible with no additional cost to the taxpayer. Why, then, has there been no movement in the legislature to adopt this potentially life-saving program?

Wyoming's legislators are moving into a budget session, meaning that the threshold for passing legislation is higher than non-budget sessions. That said, that threshold should not stop something as critical as CSAs from passing. Legislators use budget sessions as an excuse for inaction. These excuses do not hold water.

The safety of Wyoming's youth is of the utmost importance, and there is zero need to wait until 2021 to address bullying. The Wyoming legislature can and should address Wyoming's bullying problems in this session. CSAs should be supported by every legislator, Republican or Democrat. This is especially true of the Republicans who claim to support education choice and who say they are fiscal conservatives. This policy is a no-brainer. Give resources to Wyoming's vulnerable students to better their lives. This should not be a controversy.

Legislators cannot hide behind the budget session or the politics of the legislature. Do the right thing and pass CSAs this session. Anything short, is inaction and compliance with dangerous school environments. If you are a Wyoming citizen, concerned about child safety in schools, call your legislator and demand they publicly support a Child Safety Account program.