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April 20, 2017

This is a sad day for public education. We knew this was coming. The Trump Administration wasn’t kidding. Take action today. Call your representative and ask him/her to Vote NO on House Bill 610 (HR 610). Read how this Republican bill effects our children.

The U.S. House of Representatives has introduced Bill 610 which starts a school voucher system to de-funding public schools. The bill will eliminate the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESSA) of 1965 which provides equal opportunity in education.

HR 610 is a comprehensive program that covers programs for struggling learners, Advanced Placement classes, English As a Second Language classes, classes for minorities such as Native Americans, Rural Education, Education for the Homeless, School Safety (Gun-Free schools), Monitoring and Compliance and Federal Accountability Programs.

The bill also abolishes the Nutritional Act of 2012 (No Hungry Kids Act) which provides nutritional standards in school breakfasts and lunches. For our most vulnerable children, this may be the ONLY nutritious food they have in a day.

Further, the bill has NO wording whatsoever protecting special needs kids. There is no mention of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a four part (A-D) piece of American legislation that ensures students with a disability are provided with Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is tailored to their individual needs.

Here are some things the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESSA) of 1965 currently does for children with disabilities:

  1. ensures access to the general education curriculum
  2. ensures access to accommodations on assessments
  3. ensures concepts of Universal Design for Learning
  4. includes provisions that require local education agencies to provide evidence-based interventions in schools with consistently underperforming subgroups
  5. requires states in Title I plans to address how they will improve conditions for learning including reducing incidents of bullying and harassment in schools, overuse of disciplinary practices and reduce the use of aversive behavioral interventions (such as restraints and seclusion).

Kudos to our Education Group for bringing us up to date on this very important action.