Alabama sues Joe Biden administration over school, work LGBT protections
Attorneys general from 20 states sued President Joe Biden’s administration Monday seeking to halt directives that extend federal sex discrimination protections to LGBTQ people, ranging from transgender girls participating in school sports to the use of school and workplace bathrooms that align with a person’s gender identity. Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Knoxville, arguing that legal interpretations by the U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are based on a faulty view of U.S. Supreme Court case law. The Supreme Court ruled in June 2020 that a landmark civil rights law, under a provision called Title VII, protects gay, lesbian, and transgender people from discrimination in employment. This June, the Department of Education said discrimination based on a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity will be treated as a violation of Title IX, the 1972 federal law that protects against sex discrimination in education. A legal analysis by the department concluded there is “no persuasive or well-founded basis” to treat education differently than employment. Also, in June, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released guidance about what could constitute discrimination against LGBTQ people and advised the public about how to file a complaint. With its guidance, the Biden administration in part took a stand against laws and proposals in a growing number of states that aim to forbid transgender girls from participating in female sports teams. The state attorneys general contend that the authority over such policies “properly belongs to Congress, the States, and the people.” “The guidance purports to resolve highly controversial and localized issues such as whether employers and schools may maintain sex-separated showers and locker rooms, whether schools must allow biological males to compete on female athletic teams, and whether individuals may be compelled to use another person’s preferred pronouns,” the lawsuit states. “But the agencies have no authority to resolve those sensitive questions, let alone to do so by executive fiat without providing any opportunity for public participation.” Joining Tennessee in the lawsuit are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia. The lawsuit asks a judge for a number of declarations about Title IX in schools and Title VII in the workplace: that they don’t prohibit schools and employers from having showers, locker rooms, bathrooms, and other living facilities separated by “biological sex”; that they do not require employers, school employees or students to use a transgender person’s preferred pronouns; that they do not prohibit having school sports teams separated by “biological sex”; and that they do not prohibit workplace dress codes based on “biological sex.” The education policy carries the possibility of federal sanctions against schools and colleges that fail to protect gay and transgender students. The Department of Justice on Monday did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. The education directive reversed President Donald Trump-era policies that removed civil rights protections for transgender students. In 2017, the Trump administration lifted President Barack Obama-era guidance allowing transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identities. At the time, then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the issue was “best solved at the state and local level,” and the earlier guidance led to a spike in lawsuits seeking clarification. The new action does not reinstate the Obama-era policy but instead clarifies that the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights will investigate complaints of discrimination involving gay or transgender students. If the department finds evidence of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, it will pursue a resolution to “address the specific compliance concerns or violations.” The federal agencies noted that the workplace and education guidance documents do not carry the force of law. The state attorneys general argued they are at risk of the federal government enforcing the guidance, threatening their states’ sovereign authority, causing significant liability, and putting their federal education funding at risk. In June, the Department of Justice filed statements of interest in lawsuits that seek to overturn new laws in two states. In West Virginia, a law prohibits transgender athletes from competing in female sports. Arkansas became the first state to ban gender-confirming treatments or surgery for transgender youth. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Congressman Mo Brooks takes legislative action opposing Critical Race Theory
This week, Rep. Mo Brooks solidified multiple efforts to counter Critical Race Theory implementation among education programs and federal training programs alike. While the semantics of Critical Race Theory is nitpicked and debated, the universal premise of the theory advocates for re-education through a racial lens. Advocated for by UCLA law professor and renowned critical race theorist Cheryl Harris, proponents of the theory widely accept the suspension and redistribution of economic means and private property among race-based lines. The ideology has been institutionally adopted into hundreds of schools across the nation, in addition to public agencies and federally funded facilities. Supplying strong opposition to the budding institutional ideology, Brooks cosponsored Rep. Chip Roy’s legislation, the Combatting Racist Training in Schools Act, this week. The act aims to prohibit American taxpayer dollars towards funding any K-12 school or institution of higher education, which promotes racist-based theories. Federal funding would be barred from any institution promoting theories describing any race as inherently superior or inferior to another, the U.S. as a fundamentally racist country, or the Declaration of Independence or Constitution as fundamentally racist documents, among other progressive ideals. Additionally, Brooks supported Rep. Dan Bishop‘s bill, the Stop CRT Act, to ban Critical Race Theory in all federal government training in an effort to reduce the inappropriate usage of government resources. More recently, Brooks sent letters, along with his colleagues, to both President Joe Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. These letters condemn Critical Race Theory to the fullest extent and urge the Biden Administration to reject the Department of Education’s proposed rule to subsidize American History and Civics Education programs that support Critical Race Theory instruction. In a concluding statement from Brooks, “The American people must understand that Marxism and freedom cannot coexist. The two are anathemas to each other. America was built on freedom and liberty for all, and any movement toward Marxism in America is a threat to freedom and liberty. As such, I fight in Congress to stop the spread of Socialism and its underlying Marxist ideology.” I joined @RepBurgessOwens and 33 of my colleagues in sending a letter to @usedgov @SecCardona condemning Critical Race Theory indoctrination in our schools. Nobody should be taught to treat people differently because of biological traits that no one has any control over. pic.twitter.com/DMD2SOducx — Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) May 18, 2021
Besty DeVos confirmed as Education secretary as VP Mike Pence breaks tie
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed school choice advocate Betsy DeVos as Education secretary by the narrowest of margins, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking a 50-50 tie in a historic vote. Two Republicans joined Democrats in the unsuccessful effort to derail the nomination of the wealthy Republican donor. The Senate historian said Pence’s vote was the first by a vice president to break a tie on a Cabinet nomination. Democrats cited her lack of public school experience and financial interests in organizations pushing charter schools. DeVos has said she would divest herself from those organizations. Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska fear that DeVos’ focus on charter schools will undermine remote public schools in their states. Despite the win, DeVos emerges bruised from the highly divisive nomination process. She has faced criticism, even ridicule for her stumbles and confusion during her confirmation hearing and scathing criticism from teachers unions and civil rights activists over her support of charter schools and her conservative religious beliefs. But President Donald Trump remained uncompromising and accused Democrats for seeking to torpedo education progress. In a tweet before the vote, he wrote “Betsy DeVos is a reformer, and she is going to be a great Education Sec. for our kids!” After an all-night speaking marathon by Democrats, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee urged her Republican colleagues to vote against DeVos, calling her unqualified and saying that she will be a poor advocate for low income families and students with disabilities who rely on public education. “We are just within one vote of sending this nomination back and asking the president to send us a nominee that can be supported by members on both sides of the aisle, that can set a vision that can fight for public schools, that can be that champion,” Murray said. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said DeVos will seek to empower states, not federal bureaucrats, to make important education decisions. “I know that she is committed to improving our education system so that every child — every child — has a brighter future,” McConnell said ahead of the vote. Emotions ran high ahead of the vote as constituents jammed senators’ phone lines with calls and protesters gathered outside the Capitol, including one person in a grizzly bear costume to ridicule DeVos’ comment during her confirmation hearing that some schools might want guns to protect against grizzlies. Her opponents also charge that DeVos has no experience to run public schools, having never attended one or sent her children to a public school. DeVos has provided few details about her policy agenda, but she is sure to have a busy job. DeVos will have to weigh in on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act and possibly undo some of the previous administration’s regulation initiatives on school accountability and spending, which have been criticized by Republicans as federal overreach. Rules on such things as accountability already have been on hold. She will have to address several hot-button issues in higher education, such as rising tuition costs, growing student debt and the troubled for-profit colleges, many of which have closed down, leaving students with huge loans and without a good education or job prospects. Observers will pay close attention to how DeVos deals with sexual assault and freedom of speech on campuses. DeVos will also have to react to Trump’s campaign proposal of funneling $20 billion of public funds toward school vouchers. In addition to DeVos, Republicans hope to confirm a series of other divisive nominees this week: Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general, GOP Rep. Tom Price of Georgia as health secretary and financier Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary. In each case Democrats intend to use the maximum time allowed under the Senate’s arcane rules to debate the nominations, which may result in a late-night votes this week and delay Mnuchin’s approval until Saturday. Republicans complain that previous presidents have been able to put their Cabinets in place more quickly. Democrats say it’s Trump’s fault because many of his nominees have complicated financial arrangements and ethical entanglements they claim they have not had enough time to dissect. Thus far, six Cabinet and high-level officials have been confirmed, including the secretaries of state, defense, homeland security and transportation. The clash over nominees has created a toxic atmosphere in the Senate that mirrors the tense national mood since Trump’s election, with Democrats boycotting committee votes and Republicans unilaterally jamming nominees through committee without Democrats present. Yet there’s little suspense about the final outcome on any of the nominees because Democrats themselves changed Senate rules when they were in the majority several years ago so that Cabinet nominees can now be approved with a simple majority, not the 60 votes previously required. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump’s abortion flub shows risks of ‘winging it’ on policy
It was a question sure to come up at some point in the Republican primary campaign. “What should the law be on abortion?” asked MSNBC’s Chris Matthews to Donald Trump at a town hall event in Wisconsin. “Should the woman be punished for having an abortion?” Matthews pressed. “This is not something you can dodge.” Trump’s bungled response — an awkward, extended attempt to evade the question, followed by an answer that, yes, “there has to be some form of punishment” — prompted a backlash that managed to unite abortion rights activists and opponents. And it also brought an unprecedented reversal from the notoriously unapologetic candidate less than a week before Wisconsin’s important primary. The episode demonstrated the extent to which Trump has glossed over the rigorous policy preparation that is fundamental to most presidential campaigns, underscoring the risks of the billionaire businessman’s winging-it approach as he inches closer to the Republican nomination. “Well, bear in mind I don’t believe that he was warned that that question was coming” and didn’t have a chance to really think about it, said Ben Carson, a former Trump rival who has since endorsed him, in an interview with CNN. He should have, said political professionals. “When you’re just winging it, that’s what happens,” said Kevin Madden, a veteran of 2012 nominee Mitt Romney‘s campaign. “Running for president, it’s not a take-home exam.” And this wasn’t the first time Trump’s approach has gotten him in trouble. He raised eyebrows during a debate when he appeared unfamiliar with the concept of the nuclear triad, an oversight his opponents happily pointed out. At a town hall on CNN earlier this week, Trump appeared to falter when asked to name what he believed were the top three priorities of the federal government. Among his answers: health care and education. Trump has vowed to repeal President Barack Obama‘s landmark health care law and gut the budget of the Department of Education. The lack of preparation extends beyond policy. This week, Trump called into a series of radio stations in Wisconsin, apparently unaware the interviews were likely to be combative. At the end of a remarkable interview in which he compared Trump’s behavior to that of “a 12-year-old bully on the playground,” WTMJ-AM’s Charlie Sykes asked Trump if he was aware he’d called into someone unabashedly opposed to his candidacy. “That I didn’t know,” Trump said. During a recent rally in Vienna, Ohio, Trump delivered his usual indictment of the North American Free Trade Agreement and blasted American companies that have shipped jobs overseas. But he seemed unaware that Chevrolet, which builds the Chevy Cruze sedan in nearby Lordstown, had recently announced that it was planning to build its 2017 hatchback model in Mexico. It was the kind of local knowledge that requires research and legwork, and could have helped Trump connect with his audience and others in the state. For most presidential candidates, especially those new to it all, getting up to speed on the intricacies of domestic and foreign policy is a process that begins early. While Trump’s campaign did not respond Thursday to questions about the kind of briefings he receives, it’s clear he has done things differently. Who does he consult on foreign policy? “I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things,” Trump said on MSNBC this month. He’s also said he gets information about international affairs from “the shows” and newspapers. He announced members of his foreign policy team only this month and met with them Thursday as part of a series of appointments in Washington. Out on the trail, Trump largely skipped town hall events in the early-voting states that were the hallmarks of several rival campaigns. Chris Christie and John Kasich, for example, held dozens of the events, fielding hundreds of questions on every topic imaginable. Trump might well note that most of his GOP rivals are gone, and he’s still the front-runner. But what about his abortion comments? “None of the other candidates would have made that mistake,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which supports anti-abortion legislation and candidates. Michael Steel, an adviser to former Trump rival Jeb Bush, said that candidates and presidents have to be able to respond to issues as they arise, which requires a “tremendous amount” of work behind the scenes. It’s one reason major candidates from both parties typically have government experience. “I think we’ve seen in a variety of venues including the debates that he doesn’t seem to have the knowledge and background on important policy issues that you would expect from a presidential candidate,” Steel said. Bush spent the months after he announced his candidacy last summer developing a comprehensive domestic and foreign policy platform. Campaign employees assisted by more than 100 outside advisers briefed him in frequent sessions, said Justin Muzinich, the campaign’s policy director. “He took policy extraordinarily seriously,” Muzinich said. Dannenfelser, the abortion opponent, said there is still time for Trump. “The question is, will he be able to get to the point of confidently communicating his position to contrast with Hillary Clinton in a way that helps?” she said. “I think it’s possible.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
After 39 years of public service, State Superintendent Tommy Bice announces retirement
Tommy Bice, Alabama’s State Superintendent of Education, announced his retirement Tuesday morning after over 39 years of service to public education. Bice has held his current position since January 2012. Bice, 61, is the state’s chief executive officer of the state Department of Education and exercises general control and supervision over the public schools of the state. Bice said the trajectory of public education in Alabama is moving in the right direction and he is certain teachers and administrators will continue to do what they have always done, aggressively pursue quality education for the state’s greatest commodity: students. “I retire knowing that public education in our state is moving forward at an accelerated pace due to the dedicated teachers and leaders who have embraced the policy environment created by our State Board of Education,” Bice said. Bice’s retirement is effective March 31. After a short break, he plans to join the Mike and Gillian Goodrich Foundation as its education director later this spring. “While I may be retiring from formal public education, my work on behalf of students is far from over,” Bice said. “I will return to where my greatest passion lies – working with inner city students, their teachers and leaders to transform not only the educational opportunities for students, but the communities in which they live.”
Department of Education gives states ways to cut standardized testing
The Obama administration is offering states and local school districts a lesson plan of sorts to cut the amount of time that students spend on those fill-in-the-bubble and other standardized tests. The Education Department released guidance Tuesday to states and local school districts outlining different ways they can use existing federal money to reduce testing in the nation’s public schools. It follows a call by President Barack Obama last October to cap standardized testing and complaints by teachers, parents and others that that too many hours are spent “teaching to the test.” In a letter to state school officials, the department details how certain federal money can be used to cut tests. States and districts, for example, could use federal education dollars intended for the development of state assessments to instead conduct audits of their tests to see if they have redundant assessments or low-quality ones that could be eliminated. States also could use federal dollars to develop strategies to improve the quality of current tests or decrease the time students spend taking them, the letter said. “High-quality assessments give parents, educators and students useful information about whether students are developing the critical thinking and problem solving skills they need,” Acting Education Secretary John King Jr. said. “But there has to be a balance, and despite good intentions, there are too many places around the country where the balance still isn’t quite right.” The goal isn’t to do away with standardized tests. Obama, in October, said smart, strategic tests are needed to measure students’ learning and performance in school. But, he said, “we’re going to work with states, school districts, teachers and parents to make sure that we’re not obsessing about testing.” Students spend about 20 to 25 hours a school year taking standardized tests, according to a study last year of the nation’s 66 largest school districts by the Council of the Great City Schools. In all, between pre-K and 12th grade, students take about 112 standardized exams. The council said the testing amounts to 2.3 percent of classroom time for the average 8th grader. Obama has encouraged states to cap testing at 2 percent of classroom time. The 2002 No Child Left Behind education law ushered in a new era of testing in public schools. It required annual testing in reading and math in grades three to eight, and once in high school. Those tests would still be required under a new education law signed by Obama late last year, but states now have more flexibility on how best to assess teachers, schools and students — with measures that consider other factors beyond the test scores. The Education Department highlighted two areas where standardized testing has been eased in schools. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, the district has dramatically cut the overall time spent on district-mandated testing by reducing the frequency of some tests, eliminating one test entirely, and removing district requirements to implement others. Third-graders, for example, had been spending about 1,240 minutes on district-required tests and now will spend 660 minutes on such tests, the department said. Tennessee also is in the process of streamlining some of its state-mandated tests. The new guidance from the department was released via social media, on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYetlSQEBxw . Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Obama signs education law rewrite shifting power to states
Calling it a “Christmas miracle,” President Barack Obama signed a sweeping overhaul of the No Child Left Behind education law on Thursday, ushering in a new approach to accountability, teacher evaluations and the way the most poorly performing schools are pushed to improve. Joined by lawmakers, students and teachers in a White House auditorium, Obama praised the George W. Bush-era No Child Left Behind for having the right goals. He said that in practice, it fell short or applied a cookie-cutter approach that failed to produce desired results. Under the new law, the federal government will shift more decision-making powers back to states. “With this bill, we reaffirm that fundamentally American ideal that every child- regardless of race, gender, background, zip code – deserves the chance to make out of their lives what they want,” Obama said. “This is a big step in the right direction.” The overhaul ends more than a decade of what critics have derided as one-size-fits-all federal policies dictating accountability and improvement for the nation’s 100,000 or so public schools. But one key feature remains: Students will still take federally required statewide reading and math exams. Still, the new law encourages states to limit the time students spend on testing and diminishes the high stakes for underperforming schools. The long-awaited bill to replace the 2002 law easily passed the Senate on Wednesday and the House last week, in a rare example of the Republican-controlled Congress and Obama finding common ground on major legislation. Obama help it up as an “example of how bipartisanship should work,” noting that opposing sides had compromised to reach a deal. “That’s something that you don’t always see here in Washington,” Obama said. “There wasn’t a lot of grandstanding, a lot of posturing, just a lot of good, hard work.” Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., who chairs the House’s education panel, said under the new approach, American classrooms will no longer be “micromanaged” by the Education Department in Washington. “Instead, parents, teachers, and state and local education leaders will regain control of their schools,” said Kline, part of the bipartisan quartet that spearheaded the bill. Here’s how the major stakeholders fare: — TEACHERS The legislation eliminates the federal mandate that teacher evaluations be tied to student performance on the statewide tests. Teachers’ unions hated that idea, saying the high stakes associated with the tests were creating a culture of over-testing and detracting from the learning environment. States and districts will still be able to link scores or consider them as a factor in teacher performance reviews, but they will not be required to do so. “We will continue to be vigilant as work shifts to the states to fix accountability systems and develop teacher evaluation systems that are fair and aimed at improving and supporting good instruction,” Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a statement. — STUDENTS Don’t start applauding yet, kids. The nation’s 50 million students in public schools will still have to take the federally mandated statewide reading and math exams in grades three to eight and once in high school – so parents, teachers and others can see how they are doing against a common measuring stick. But the legislation also encourages states to set caps on the amount of time students spend on testing. More children from low- and moderate-income families will have access to preschool through a new grant program that is to use existing funding to support state efforts. — SCHOOLS No more Common Core – maybe. The bill says the federal government may not mandate or give states incentives to adopt or maintain any particular set of academic standards, such as Common Core. The college and career-ready curriculum guidelines were created by the states but became a flashpoint for those critical of Washington’s influence in schools. The administration offered grants through its Race to the Top program for states that adopted strong academic standards for students. Already, some states have begun backing away from the Common Core standards. — PARENTS The bill provides for more transparency about test scores, meaning parents and others in the community will get a better look at how students in their states and in local schools are doing. The legislation requires that test scores be broken down by race, family income and disability status. Parents also will be able to see how per-pupil funding breaks down by state, district and school. — STATES It’s now up to the states. States and districts will now be responsible for coming up with their own goals for schools, designing their own measures of achievement and progress, and deciding independently how to turn around struggling schools. Testing will be one factor considered, but other measures of success or failure could include graduation rates and education atmosphere. To make sure all children get a fair shot at a quality education, states will be required to intervene in the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools, in high schools with high dropout rates and in schools with stubborn achievement gaps. — DIMINISHED FEDERAL ROLE The measure would substantially limit the federal government’s role, barring the Education Department from telling states and local districts how to assess school and teacher performance. The measure also ends the waivers the Obama administration has given to more than 40 states – exemptions granted around the more onerous parts of No Child when it became clear that requirements such as having all students proficient in reading and math by 2014 would not be met. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Martha Roby: Patience pays off in defending state authority over education
Progress takes patience sometimes, I suppose. Two-and-a-half years ago, I introduced the “Defending State Authority Over Education Act” to stop once and for all the inappropriate federal coercion of states into adopting the Obama Administration’s “pet” policies, standards or curricula, including Common Core. I strongly support local control of education, and I said then my true goal was to build support for getting my “State Authority” language included in the overall rewrite of the badly-flawed “No Child Left Behind” law, which Congress has been working on for years. Initially we had success in the House, but the Democratic Senate wouldn’t touch it. With a change in Senate leadership after the last election, this year looked much more promising. We kept pushing and, this week, I’m pleased to confirm the good news: at long last, the final bill replacing “No Child Left Behind” does include our “State Authority” language strictly prohibiting the federal Department of Education from using funding grants, rule waivers or other means to coerce states or local boards in education decisions. This is a big win for parents, teachers, administrators and anyone who has been frustrated by the federal intrusion in education policy. The “Every Student Succeeds Act” replaces the nation’s current law with policies that reflect a more conservative, state-driven approach to education. The bill: Places new, unprecedented restrictions on the U.S. Secretary of Education, including my “State Authority” language prohibiting the Secretary and his agents from using money and rule waivers to coerce policy decisions; Eliminates the “Adequate Yearly Progress,” or “AYP” metric and return the responsibility for proficiency systems to the states where they belong; Eliminates or consolidates 49 ineffective, duplicative, and unnecessary programs, replacing them with the simple grants that providing states and school districts with more flexibility; Supports the start-up, replication and expansion of high-quality public charter schools, which Alabama can now access to support its recently-enacted charter school program. Of course, I would prefer that the bill go much further in severing ties between federal and state governments in education, and voted to support amendments doing just that. However, it would be foolish to sacrifice all the many good, important gains made in this bill simply because it doesn’t have everything I want. The Wall Street Journal calls this bill “the largest devolution of federal control to the states in a quarter-century.” As someone who has long fought for a more conservative approach, that’s exciting. Yes, it took a lot of time and effort to build support for this idea. But, I’m proud to have kept fighting despite initial setbacks. And, I’ll be even prouder when our “Defending State Authority” language is finally part of the nation’s new, conservative education law. Martha Roby represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama with her husband, Riley and their two children.
Federal probe underway over racist allegations at Trussville City Schools
A federal complaint has triggered an investigation over racially-tinged allegations at Trussville City Schools in Jefferson and St. Cloud counties. The complaint – recently obtained by the Trussville Tribune – alleges a “pattern of ignoring minority persons of this city and school system,” including racist language graffitied in public school bathrooms and hallways, and the use of slurs by school officials and athletics coaches. “Situations where teachers / bus drivers would ignore complaints of racism / bullying from employees as well as students. This includes making black students sit in the back of the school bus” are specifically cited in the complaint. “African American students have been called slurs such as ‘monkey’ consistently on the Trussville City School buses,” the allegations read. While Trussville Principal Dr. Pattie Neill has not confirmed the probe, an investigation into the enumerated incidents have apparently been ongoing for some time. Trussville teacher and basketball Jim Sanderson was placed on administrative leave over a month ago amid allegations of misconduct, though his attorney Donald Jackson says the formal rebuke was baseless and that Sanderson should be reinstated. The bottom line is, these allegations are baseless,” said Jackson. “They’re entirely without merit. This is a select group of African-American parents who are engaging in the worst form of reverse racial discrimination that I think I’ve ever seen in a public school environment.” The investigation, involving the federal Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, lists multiple witnesses to the allegations that have either retracted their claims or did not know they were included in the complaint. ”If I had a complaint, I don’t know what it is. I don’t consider what I expressed with an individual a complaint, I considered that a concern. Honestly, to put my name on something like (the document) would not be a discredit to anybody. It would be I had a concern or an issue I expressed, and it was rectified immediately,” said Davella Malone, who is listed as a “parent with complaints.”
Marco Rubio says nation doesn’t need U.S. Education Department
Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio says the U.S. doesn’t need a federal Education Department. The Florida senator spoke at a town hall meeting of about 200 people on Tuesday in Carson City. He’s on a multi-stop tour of northern Nevada. Rubio says the department starts out by making suggestions, then turns them into mandates and forces schools to implement them in order to receive federal money. He says some of the department’s duties could be divided among other agencies. Rubio drew applause and cheers when he told his audience he doesn’t support the Common Core education standards. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
U.S. Department of Education approves state tweaks to No Child Left Behind
The federal Department of Education on Thursday approved petitions by seven states – including Alabama – for increased state-level flexibility in implementing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, better known as the “No Child Left Behind” law approved by Congress in 2001 under then-President George W. Bush. The department said their decision reflected both the success of the federal law overall – which in part has been aided by innovations from states and local districts – as well as a growing desire for autonomy in many states. “The last six years have seen dramatic progress for America’s school children. The high school dropout rate is down, and graduation rates are higher than they have ever been,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a news release. “As a result of our partnerships with state and district leaders to couple flexibility with reform, we are seeing remarkable strides and bold actions to improve student outcomes. States, districts, principals and teachers are showing incredible creativity in using different means to achieve the same goal — getting every student in America college- and career-ready,” added Duncan, a former CEO of Chicago Public Schools district. Alabama’s specific increases in flexibility were as follows: Alabama created a Principal Leadership Network to ensure that principals in its lowest-performing, or priority, schools have the support to be effective leaders in these schools, as measured by the state’s principal evaluation and support system. Through this program, regional cohorts of principals gather regularly to discuss strategies for school improvement, participate in professional development, and visit to model classrooms and schools throughout the state. The state has identified exemplar schools and classrooms that have shown progress in closing achievement gaps for students with disabilities. School leaders and teachers from across the State can visit these classrooms to observe strong practices. The education department used the occasion – which critics may cite as a setback for the federal government, which devolves some power back to the states – to boast about the improvements the Obama administration has brought to the now 15-year-old legislation. Since this flexibility was first granted in 2012, read the announcement, the Department has partnered with state and district leaders to provide relief from some provisions of NCLB in exchange for taking bold actions to improve student outcomes and ensure equity for all students. Under NCLB, schools were given “many ways to fail but very few opportunities to succeed,” foisting one-size-fits-all solutions upon a vast menagerie of states with very different student populations. Today’s announcement added three years of increased flexibility to Alabama’s addendums to the law. The other states that successfully petitioned for more legal wiggle room were Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Wisconsin.
Ann Eubank: Flag flap
There is no explaining what causes men’s passion to ignite. But much to my surprise, I find that the thing that has electrified many of the people of Alabama is a “Flag;” a simple square piece of cloth that represents an era long gone, a piece of history that cannot be rewritten. BUT, THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE FLAG. Unfortunately, this is about erasing America’s past, and we have again been sidetracked by a media diversion. It is a ruse to occupy the right hand of the citizens while the left hand is taking away our freedoms. In the past few years much has been done to rewrite American history, making it fit their agenda and destroy our “Present” and “Future.” Governor Bentley’s knee jerk reaction and removal of the “Flag” and kowtowing to the left wing agenda, defines his lack of courage. This is who Governor Robert Bentley is. He announced he “has taxes to raise” on every Alabamian, has not spoken out about Speaker Mike Hubbard, being allowed to keep his leadership office after he was indicted for criminal corruption, and of course, gave Dr. Bice a 25% raise and continues to allow Common Core to be taught in our schools. All of these issues are about CONTROL and the stripping of Liberties from the Individual. They will never be able pass enough laws to end offending someone. They have removed God and Christianity from our schools, workplace, and the public square. The President granted illegal aliens the rights of a citizen, the Supreme Court overruled the states, and a majority of the people, to grant special status and marriage rights to same sex couples. They rewrote the law to save Obamacare again. All is about control and the “Fundamental Transformation of America.” Congress has allowed the federal government to control your freedom of religion, personal politics, healthcare, property, gun rights, and freedom of speech; A Congress that was elected to represent YOU. So why has this “Flag Flap” enraged the hearts of Southerners and become an important event? They will tell you “it represents the loss of States Rights.” “It’s the death of the 10th Amendment.” “They want to destroy our history and take away our heritage.” Good and valid points that I agree with as a descendent of those who fought in both the American Revolution and the War of Northern Aggression, as well as died at the Alamo. I have always revered being born a Southerner, and yes, the “Flag” is part of that heritage. I believe the Northern Virginia Battle Flag, commonly known as the “Battle Flag,” should be allowed to fly and not be completely eradicated from our history. It is a First Amendment Right. Now that you have been awakened over the “Flag Flap,” we need to get more engaged against the things that are destroying America now? The “Present” and “Future” of America are the reasons we should be marching in the streets. Ann Eubank is the statewide co-chair of Rainy Day Patriots, and the legislative chair of the Alabama Legislative Watchdogs. Ann is a frequent visitor of the Statehouse and has bridged the gap between strong advocate and respected resource for members. She is also a member of the Alabamians United for Excellence in Education Taskforce and several other Stop Common Core groups.
