Personnel note: Eagle Forum of Alabama names Becky Gerritson Executive Director
The Eagle Forum of Alabama has named a new executive director. On Thursday, Eagle Forum of Alabama President Eunie Smith and Foundation President Jim Cooper announced Becky Gerritson announced Becky Gerriston will fill the vacancy left by Deborah Love, who was the past Executive Director through Sept. 2018. Gerritson,the fiery Wetumpka Tea Party co-founder and President, exploded on to the political scene in 2013 garnering national attention when she testified before Congress having been politically targeted by the IRS. In 2016, she received Heritage Action Sentinel’s Firewall for Freedom Award, was named in Yellowhammer’s 2017 Power and Influence List, and was on AL.com Twenty Most Influential List in 2015. She was also a Republican candidate for Congress in Alabama’s 2nd U.S. District in 2016. “It is an honor to welcome Becky Gerritson as our Executive Director,” Smith said. “Becky is an effective conservative leader with a long history of championing the values that Eagle Forum exists to preserve. I have every confidence in Becky’s leadership abilities, and I believe that as Eagle Forum of Alabama Executive Director she will continue to be a bold and respected voice of conviction, principle, and informed policy in Alabama.” Gerritson said she is thrilled to join the group. “Eagle Forum has been an influential powerhouse of principled conservative thought and grassroots activism for decades,” Gerritson said Thursday. “I am thrilled to be on the leadership team of this incredible organization. As Alabama moves into 2019 and beyond, it is crucial that our principled conservative voice be stronger and more compelling than ever. I look forward to continuing the fight for our future and our republic with Eagle Forum of Alabama.” Conservative icon Phyllis Schafly, who founded the Eagle Forum PAC, a conservative public policy organization that supports candidates who are committed to a conservative philosophy of limited government, national sovereignty and traditional values and served as chairman of its board until her death, in 2016 wrote a glowing endorsement of Gerritson during her Congressional run. “Becky Gerritson is a proven leader. She understands that sound governance doesn’t mean just passing bills that the president will sign, as the current Congress continues to do,” said Schafly. “She knows that sound governance means upholding and defending the Constitution, protecting the security of the American people, and defending the values that have made our country great. Her dedication and passion for the conservative cause has been seen not only by Alabamians but by the nation as she has fearlessly and tirelessly fought against the progressive agenda and big government.”
National Day of Prayer events scheduled across Alabama
The 67th Annual National Day of Prayer will be observed Thursday. Across the country and the Yellowhammer State, people will unite in prayer for their community and country. Over 50 prayer gatherings will take place across Alabama. In addition to the events taking place across the state, more than 35,000 prayer gatherings will be conducted by about 40,000 volunteers across the country. The National Day of Prayer originated in 1952 after Congress passed a joint resolution and President Harry Truman signed a bill to establish an official celebration. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan designated the first Thursday of May as the annual observance for the National Day of Prayer, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. According to its website, the day “exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families.” The theme for this year’s observance is ‘Pray for America – UNITY’ — based upon Ephesians 4:3 which reads, “Making every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” “We hope that you will join us in prayer and reflection this week for our nation and state. We will be praying for a renewed birth of spiritual awaking in our nation collectively and individually,” said the Eagle Forum of Alabama, which will join in celebrations across the state.
Bill to appoint county school superintendents to be considered by State House
Alabamians may soon lose their say in county school superintendents, as a bill in the state legislature takes the power away from voters and puts it into the hands of local boards of education. Sponsored by Montgomery-Republican state Sen. Dick Brewbaker, SB280 would require all county superintendents to be appointed by the county board of education rather than elected by local residents. Currently, 37 — Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, DeKalb, Dale, Elmore, Fayette, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Tallapoosa, Walker, Washington, and Winston — of the state’s 137 superintendents are elected. Eagle Forum of Alabama has come out in opposition to the bill. “This legislation will have two horrible impacts on local education. First SB280 will force over fifty percent of the Alabama counties to stop holding free elections,” the group said online. “Counties that hold elections for County Superintendent of Education will be forced to have the local board of education handpick the County Superintendent. SB280 removes current rights from local education leaders and parents who live in the county.” Despite the opposition, Brewbaker’s legislation isn’t coming from out of left field. Aside from Alabama, only Mississippi and Florida allow school superintendents to be elected. The Senate passed the legislation on March 3. The bill is on the proposed special order calendar in the State House for Tuesday.
Conservative group Eagle Forum weighs in on childcare bill
Conservative group Eagle Forum of Alabama is taking a stand for families across Alabama — opposing a bill that would require church day cares to be licensed and regulated by the Alabama Department of Human Resources, which they say encroaches on religious freedom. Currently, faith-based daycares are exempt from state regulations and standards. But HB277, the Child Care Safety Act, endeavors to change that. “HB 277 removes religious liberty protections and requires state regulation of religious institutions,” said Deborah Love, executive director of Eagle Forum of Alabama. “HB 277 will reduce positive options for Alabama’s families who rely on these institutions every day. “HB 277 at its core is government overreach into the most important private institutions in our state.” According to Eagle Forum, licensed exempt day care providers are not exempt from child safety laws and regulations. All child care providers in Alabama are either licensed exempt or licensed. To become licensed exempt the provider must file appropriate paperwork with DHR including immunization records. “Opposition to HB277 is about protecting children by protecting some of the best, safe, and positive child care options for children in Alabama,” said Eagle Forum Alabama. “If hard working Alabamians no longer have high quality and low cost options, it harms children. Many families will no longer have the opportunities and options they rely on for their families.” Under current law, DHR provides the following list of requirements for license exempt facilities: Notice that the child care program is an integral part of a local church Notice that intent to operate a child care program has been given to the appropriate health departments so that facilities will be inspected to meet standards Inspection by fire department at least once a year Inspection by the Alabama Department of Public Health at least twice a year Notice to the department certifying health inspection reports, immunizations, and medical forms for all staff and children. Notice to parents of staff qualifications, pupil-student ratio, discipline policies, type of curriculum, religious teachings, and type of lunch program. Parents required to sign affidavits about licensed-exempt status Church/facility must submit affidavits of notification to DHR Must follow all state and federal laws The bill’s bipartisan sponsors Tuskegee-Democrat Rep. Pebblin Warren and Jacksonville-Republican Rep. K.L. Brown, along with 18 republican and 14 democratic colleagues, think the bill is necessary saying some exempt childcare centers have violated legal standards of care. But Eagle Forum says rather than punishing everyone, the state should focus on punishing bad actors who are breaking current law. “The government has an interest in protecting safety of all Alabamians but that does not mean the government should control private religious institutions,” said Eagle Forum. “Reasonable regulations and criminal laws already punish bad actors. State agencies already retain the ability to regulate and inspect in needed situations.” Alabama is one of only seven states in the nation that has a religious exemption for childcare facilities.
Alabama governor signs pro-life bills into law
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed two pro-life bills into law Thursday, one of which could wind up closing multiple abortion clinics in the state. The first, sponsored by Republican Senator Paul Sanford, bans abortion clinics from within 2,000 feet of any K-8 public school. “It’s a real milestone not only in Alabama but across the country because, to our knowledge, this is the first time this approach has been used,” said Reverend James Henderson, an Alabama pro-life activist. “And now that it’s successful in Alabama, we believe it will be a template or pattern for other states in the future to follow with the strong prospect of it holding up in federal court.” Henderson believes proponents of the ban have a good chance of fighting off challenges to the law in court. He added that groups like the ACLU, who promised to fight the measure, will be “exposed” for “what they are as far as their pattern of standing against basic morality and Christian values.” The second bill signed by the governor, with little fanfare, is the “Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act,” sponsored by Rainbow City Republicans Sen. Phil Williams and Rep. Mack Butler. The new law prohibits dilation and evacuation “D&E” abortions, which account for approximately 95 percent of all abortions in the second trimester. The new law allows exceptions only in the event of a “serious health risk to the mother.” “Dismemberment abortions are a heinous practice, and I am glad the Alabama Senate has taken this step to promote and protect a culture of life by outlawing these procedures,” Williams said following the bill’s passage in the Senate. “The abortion of unborn children through violent dismemberment is something all right-thinking Americans should condemn.” “Eagle Forum of Alabama is proud to stand with the women who have been harmed physically and emotionally by dismemberment abortions and the children whose lives are destroyed by this practice,” Eagle Forum of Alabama Executive Director Deborah Love told Alabama Today. “We are proud to stand for fundamental human rights. All of the world’s major religions, as well as a secular ethic informed by science or humanism, reject inflicting harm on innocent human beings. Respecting fundamental human rights is foundational to being human. It is what unites all human beings.” Alabama is the fifth state to ban dismemberment abortion, joining Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Mississippi.
Arnold Mooney introduces bill to protect education privacy
On Wednesday, Alabama Rep. Arnold Mooney of Birmingham held a news conference at Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham to announce a bill aimed at protecting the privacy of parents and students across the state. Mooney worked hand-in-hand with a number of organizations to create the bill, including the Eagle Forum of Alabama, the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, the Southeast Law Institute, and Education Liberty Watch. The bill sets limits on what data may be collected and shared, what data may be used on a local level for specific academic purposes and on state government and data collection systems in order to “protect students and parents from invasive practices.” “It protects the civil liberties of students and parents, which are foundational to strong academics, freedom of speech and progress,” Mooney said during his announcement. “It limits the collection of certain sensitive information and the disclosure of personally identifiable student information to third parties and provides for enforcement and penalties.” Mooney noted that there’s a lack of sufficient privacy protections for students in Alabama’s public schools on the state and federal level. As technology has progressed at a rapid pace, legislation has not kept up in order top protect the privacy of vulnerable users. “Students are being used as pawns in experimental programs, tracked by the government and tracked by corporations tracking these students to sell and research their products,” Mooney said. “Parents who send their children to public school should not have to give up their privacy rights to receive an education in Alabama’s public schools.” The Student and Parent Privacy Protection Act seeks to keep data and student information on the local level, prohibit the broad sharing of personal data, prohibit the collection of “highly sensitive information” and the “invasive overreach of outside parties,” provides parents and students access to monitor their personal records. “Our houses of learning should be places where freedom of thought and creativity are celebrated to the highest degree,” said Deborah Love, executive director for the Eagle Forum of Alabama. “This liberty and creativity in education cannot be respected and maintained today without privacy protections.” “Every person should have the right to decide who they want to share personal, private information with,” said Susan Watson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama. “Privacy is not about keeping secrets, it is about maintaining control over our own lives.”
Email Insights: Alabama dead last in national math testing
Fourth-graders and eighth-graders across Alabama slipped on mathematics tests this year, nationally ranking dead last. Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, released last month show Alabama Fourth-graders ranked 51st and eighth-graders 50th place in mathematics testing. The state’s Reading scores were not much better. There, fourth-graders came in 40th place, meanwhile eighth-graders an abysmal 46th out of 51. Administered every two years, the NAEP is considered by many to be the country’s most consistent measure of K-12 progress, because it has been around since the early 1990’s and offers insight into the effects of demographic and policy changes. The Eagle Forum of Alabama has taken notice, drawing the correlation between Common Core standards and the testing results in their latest statewide email: Open Letter to ALABAMA SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS From: Eunie Smith, President Leslie Whitcomb, Education Chairman Sadly, the latest NAEP results place Alabama dead last on Math and English, a significant decline from where we were before Common Core when Alabama had been trending upward. The 2011 Alabama State Department of Education document here touted: “In 2011 Alabama moved from near last to 25th in the nation in overall grades and scores [Education Week assessment] … 12th in the nation for standards, assessments and accountability… data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed a historic gain of eight points in fourth grade Reading for Alabama public school students – the … highest gain ever in NAEP recorded history. Since then, Alabama has maintained its progress in NAEP assessments.” But that was before common core implementation in 2012 in Math and 2013 in English. See graphs and charts below. According to PARCA, “The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) is a battery of tests given every two years to a representative sample of students in all 50 states. The test is designed to serve as a national scorecard, allowing comparison of educational performance across the states. The 2015 results are out. They’re disappointing for the nation at large, and for Alabama, in particular. In 2015, Alabama’s average math score, in both 4th and 8th grade, was the lowest of any state. Between 2013 and 2015, Alabama’s average score declined in both grades. Among U.S. states, Alabama had the lowest percentage of students scoring proficient in 4th and 8th grade. Only 26 percent of 4th graders and 17 percent of 8th graders scored high enough on the NAEP to be considered grade-level proficient in math. While Alabama’s higher poverty rate puts it at something of a competitive disadvantage in national comparisons, a deeper look shows it’s not Alabama’s demographics skewing the results. Name the group – black, white, Hispanic, poverty and non-poverty – all perform worse than their peers in all other states.” (The PARCA Perspective, October 2015) According to nationally recognized standards expert Sandra Stotsky, “NAEP scores nationally did not go down because (1) Common Core standards are more demanding and (2) teachers need more professional development. They went down because Common Core is dumbed down math, and NAEP still includes test items based on what we expected kids to be taught by/in grade 4 only 10 years ago. Today, our kids can’t get these tests right because their classroom curriculum (based on CC math standards) has been dumbed down, [confuses, and neglects the basics]. Nor can our upper elementary grades do well on NAEP test items in reading when their language arts curriculum has eliminated the great children’s literature that got them to read – especially boys.” Dr. Stotsky, in a 2011 press conference in Montgomery, advised Alabama to continue with its standards upon which success was building instead of adopting the unproven and flawed common core regimen. State Board members Betty Peters and Stephanie Bell listened and voted against common core. Again, more than half of Common Core states showed historic declines on 2015 NAEP – declines that have not been seen since the early 90s when the NAEP began, but Non-Common Core States showed NO decline on NAEP!!!! It’s not just NAEP scores that confirm the inferiority of Common Core. ACT scores of Alabama students as shown in The Condition of College and Career Readiness 2015 Alabama report shows that only 16% of Alabama students meet the benchmark in all four subjects. Further, the percentage is down five percentage points from 2014. See report here. For Alabama students, clearly Common Core is a Failure with a capital F! Will school board members rescue students from further failure now? According to Math Standards expert Dr. James Milgram’s research, 4 years of common core type math in California beginning in 1992 resulted in irreparable damage. California then ditched those standards and returned to what works. Alabama is in its 4th year, as we have pointed out to you before. When will you ditch the flawed regimen that is common core? But what would you use? Just like Alabama has done for years, a committee of professionals and parents could convene. They could use as a template for Math the pre-common core standards that put California first in the nation; and for English, the acknowledged best were pre-common core Massachusetts. There are other proven sound standard sets upon which to build. There is no limit to what our teachers could do for their students if they were no longer constrained by common core and were equipped with the basics that have worked for generations. You will surely agree with us that it is unfair to our students not to address this ASAP and reverse course before it gets any worse. All NAEP Scores for Alabama eighth grade students fell since the implementation of Common Core with the exception of eighth grade ELA. In this instance, the white and black student scores were basically flat with Hispanic scores up 6 points, which raising the overall score by 2 points. Impact of Common Core on Alabama education: Alabama Accomplishments 2011 prior to impact of Common Core Average Mathematics grade 4 public schools all students: By jurisdiction Average Reading grade 4 public schools all students: By jurisdiction Average Mathematics
