I got this on my FB feed from someone who works in education.
Betsy Devos has begun her catastrophic destruction of public schools.
Please call your US House Representative now and ask them to vote NO on House Bill 610 the Choices in Education Act. This bill will effectively start the defunding process of public schools, in hand with eliminating student rights and programs that address poverty, etc. It also takes away nutritional standards for school lunches.
The bill will eliminate the Elementary and Education Act of 1965, which is the nation's educational law and provides equal opportunity in education. ESSA is a big comprehensive program that covers programs for struggling learners, AP classes, ESL programs, programs for students of color including Native Americans; as well as Rural Education, Education for Students who are Homeless, School Safety (Gun-Free schools), Monitoring and Compliance and Federal Accountability for these and other Programs. The bill also abolishes the Nutritional Act of 2012 (No Hungry Kids Act) which provides nutritional standards and funding to states for in-school breakfast and lunch.
Some things ESSA does for Children with Disabilities:
-Ensures access to the general education curriculum
-Ensures access to needed accommodations ( e.g. larger print, additional time) on assessments
-Ensures use of principles of "Universal Design for Learning" in materials and instruction so that all have curriculum access and ability to learn
-Includes provisions that require school districts to use research-based instruction and curriculum in schools, especially with students who represent groups that have been consistently “underperforming" or underachieving.
-ESSA also requires that states write Title I (ESSA granted federal funds to assist students and schools in poverty) plans to address how they will improve conditions for learning including: reducing incidents of bullying and harassment in schools, reducing overuse of punitive discipline practices and reducing the use of aversive behavioral interventions (such as restraints and seclusion).
All of this goes away if ESSA does.
The bill also repeals the nutritional standards for school breakfast and lunches that include providing fruit, low fat milk, less fats, more whole grains, etc.
Call and keep it simple; just state your name, your zip code, and then say "I'm calling to oppose House Bill 610, The Choices in Education Act"
Please copy and paste!