March 28, 2024

The House bill 610 was introduced on January 23 2017 by Republican Representative Steve King.

 

Rep Steve King (R)

and what it does is sacrifice  public education on the altar of the school voucher system…

House Bill 610 makes some large changes.

The bill establishes an education voucher program, through which each state shall distribute block grant funds among local educational agencies (LEAs) based on the number of eligible children within each LEA’s geographical area. From these amounts, each LEA shall: (1) distribute a portion of funds to parents who elect to enroll their child in a private school or to home-school their child, and (2) do so in a manner that ensures that such payments will be used for appropriate educational expenses.

To be eligible to receive a block grant, a state must: (1) comply with education voucher program requirements, and (2) make it lawful for parents of an eligible child to elect to enroll their child in any public or private elementary or secondary school in the state or to home-school their child. What this means is that the bill will begin the defunding process of public schools in the country.

In addition 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, 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 breakfast and lunch. The bill has no wording whatsoever protecting Special Needs kids, no mention of Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE, the educational right of children with disabilities in the United States that is guaranteed by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) or of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Some things ESSA does for Children with Disabilities:

-Ensures access to the general education curriculum

-Ensures access to accommodations on assessments

-Ensures concepts of Universal Design for Learning

-Includes provisions that require local education agencies to provide evidence-based interventions in schools with consistently underperforming subgroups

-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 discipline practices and reduce the use of aversive behavioral interventions (such as restraints and seclusion)

Please Inform yourselves on the contents of this bill, and call your representative and ask him/her to vote NO on House Bill 610 (HR 610).” Also contact Rep King and urge him to withdraw this harmful bill.

His website is https://steveking.house.gov/ and his office address and phone number is 2210 Rayburn House Office Building (202 225-4426)

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  • It’s about time someone starts to fix this broken education system. Vouchers are a great idea. Speaking for myself and my 3 kids, and the public school system that has failed out kids I am glad you are fighting for this…

    We had really bad experiences with public schools and live in a nice neighborhood. I can’t imagine kids that don’t live in good neighborhoods what type of education they are getting. There are teachers in the system that don’t belong teaching. My kids had those teachers and they were awful!!

    Choices is what parents need and this voucher system allows parents those choices. As for the nutrition/meal program… I don’t see that it’s eliminated but just amended and for the better.

  • As a teacher I have a few points. 1 there are no charter schools within 50 miles of our school, are you really going to send your kids on a 100 mile trip everyday?
    2. Parents are the problem. I had 4 parent meetings scheduled last week and only 1 showed up!!! Parents are failing their kids!
    3 If all kids are eligible to go to a charter school what do they do if their first choice says they are full? Or there are no more schools? Who gets to go to the school then?
    4 when…. yes when the charter school fails , who will be held accountable for education then???

  • I see nothing in the bill abolishing the no hungry kids act, I see an ammendment but it is not clear exactly what they want to do instead,as I read it, they want to change the standards of nutrition provided. Also, as a member of public schools there should be more compilation to succeed. It appears as tho all children enrolled in school are eligible to receive this grant, and no mention of special education does not mean that is being completely cut. From my understanding they are trying to put the responsibility back on parents to decide what environment is best for their child. It appears this is to get federal government out of matters they need not be involved in. A thing I hope personally to see more of. States should have more involvement in education, a more personal involvement so our children can strive to succeed. Currently we have students who do not care, because they see no end gane. With the insentive of going to a school of choice, possibly more competitive maybe we will see children pushing themselves to do their best. Parents need to be forced in to involvement because they aren’t involved and don’t have to be. School is a daycare currently. Time for some changes. It couldn’t hurt us anymore then we already are.

Newshound

I do what I do.