In a coast to coast
effort, parent and citizen groups, resisting the national and federal takeover
of standards, testing, curriculum, and student data collection via Race to the
Top and Common Core standards, are loudly voicing their concerns and opposition
to the conference committee report being written for the reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left
Behind (NCLB).
This letter strongly
urges suspension of work on this bill “until a new administration is elected
that, we hope, will follow the rule of law and the Constitution regarding the
proper federal role in education.” This request is being made because: “…for a
conference report to be acceptable to this President, given the
administration’s dangerous record in so many aspects of the ESEA and related
statutes and programs, the report would be completely unacceptable to us and
our membership – the millions of families, students, and in many cases
teachers, such as the majority of those surveyed from Tennessee that oppose
implementation of Common Core, of this nation who are affected by these
policies.”
It was sent to
congressional education leaders responsible for crafting the bill – House
Education Chairman John Kline (R-MN), Ranking Member Robert Scott (D-VA),
Senate Education Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Ranking Member Patty
Murray (D-WA) and is signed by more than 180 different state and
local groups, education activists or local and state officials in 45 states
including more than 15 national organizations and activists in addition to
state and local chapters of several other national organizations.
The thoroughly
referenced letter lays out fatal flaws with both the House Student Success Act
(HR 5) and the Senate Every Child Achieves Act (S 1177) in extensive detail in
the following areas, for all of which federal statutory or constitutional
authority is extremely questionable or non-existent: Federal Involvement in
Standards Development,
Federally Mandated Testing, Federal Curriculum, Student Data and Psychological Privacy, Preschool, Full Service Community Schools & Safe, Healthy & Supportive Schools
Federally Mandated Testing, Federal Curriculum, Student Data and Psychological Privacy, Preschool, Full Service Community Schools & Safe, Healthy & Supportive Schools
“The overwhelming
response to this effort to protect the hearts and minds of our children and
rein in federal overreach is extremely gratifying,” said Karen R. Effrem, MD,
president of Education Liberty Watch, executive director of the Florida Stop
Common Core Coalition, and one of the letter’s primary authors. “The
unconstitutional federal overreach in education that is so damaging to our
children and our future as a nation needs to end now, and stopping this
legislation is a critical first step.”
The letter concludes: “We
know that you are hearing from many well-financed and powerful special-interest
groups demanding completion of this bill in this Congress, but please hear the
voices of those who are the closest to these precious children. Our
children must not be trained to have arbitrarily determined “college and career
ready” skills and be placed on paths chosen for them by government and
corporate interests. The American public-education system must provide a
well-rounded academic education to allow students to choose their future course
and perpetuate the heritage of freedom that has made this nation the freest,
most generous, most prosperous nation in the history of the world.”
Karen R. Effrem, MD, 866-376-5550
(office)
Please read and act on this information from Jane Robbins
on the re-authorization of ESEA/NCLB. This letter went to congressional
leadership yesterday and will be sent to all members of Congress:
http://www.flstopcccoalition.org/…/congressional-esea-lette…
Here is the press release that accompanied it:
http://edlibertywatch.org/…/for-immediate-release-national…/
This is a powerful statement from grassroots
organizations across the nation that we demand the elimination of federal
control over education.
We have to make the conservative congressmen understand
that the federal bills reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(No Child Left Behind) are wolves in sheep's clothing, designed to cement
federal control rather than reduce it. It is madness to send President Obama a
bill he finds acceptable, but that's what Sen. Lamar Alexander wants to do. The
only sane course is to wait until we have a President who believes in the
Constitution and who will sign a constitutional bill.
Please call your senators and House members and tell them
to vote NO on the ESEA reauthorization: 202.224.3121.
Thanks.
flstopcccoalition.org
Comments
The passage of the Education Bill is an act of treason against the US
Constitution. Hitler wanted good little
German NAZIs. Obama wants good little UN
Muslim Communists.
Norb Leahy Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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