Opt out courage, threats and cowardice. |
I was proud that my newly elected State Representative Will Guzzardi’s first bill was one that clarified and supported the right of parents to opt their children out of high-stakes tests like PARCC.
With Will Guzzardi working with his Springfield colleagues and pressure from parents around the state, HB306 got out of committee. It appears to be headed for a floor vote in the House in next couple of days before going over to the Senate side.
Greg Hinz is reporting today that the Governor has threatened to veto the bill.
Guzzardi, in an interview, said children nationwide are balking at tests “and will continue to do so” whether officials like it or not. Rather than creating “chaos in the classroom “—and “bullying” students by forcing them to sit in an empty classroom for a day if they refuse the test—officials should recognize reality and let parents have the final say, Guzzardi said.
But Rauner has a different take. His secretary of education, Beth Purvis, late today sent lawmakers a memo saying that the state could lose $1 billion a year in federal aid and control over federal anti-poverty funding if more than 5 Opt out courage, threats and cowardice. | Fred Klonsky:
