Texarkana Gazette

It was still dark when Liz Piñón loaded her triplets into the family’s red van and set off for Austin. The children scrolled their phones as they made the four-hour drive from Crowley to the Capitol. Piñón glanced at her set of 12-year-olds: There was Santiago, her philosopher. Frida, her artist. And Felicita, her advocate. “All three of them are very different,” Piñón said. The Piñóns trekked down Interstate 35 to show lawmakers the faces of kids who could be left behind by a billion-dollar voucher-style program. Families such as the Piñóns, who are trying to educate children with disabilities, occupy a central yet complex position in this fight. Texas has a history of failing to adequately fund or provide special education in public schools — yet private schools are not required to admit all children with disabilities. The private campuses that exist solely to serve children with special needs have limited space. How the state would prioritize children with special needs remains one of the sticking points in the broader debate.