Those who read The Examiner’s July 16 cover story, “DCPS forcing special needs kids into unfit public schools,” might not realize that approximately the same number of students in D.C. attend private schools using school vouchers as attend private schools through placements due to a severe learning disability.

Both programs ostensibly serve the same goals — allowing private providers to meet the needs of D.C. students whom the public sector cannot educate to the standards of parents or federal law. Yet these two programs could not be treated more differently.