In an effort to manipulate parents to submit their children to harmful testing schemes and reforms, The CT State Department of Education has put forth SB 175. In this bill, SDE seeks to legislate to themselves unprecedented powers to coerce and punish parents, taxpayers, property owners, teachers and school districts.
Parents refuse SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortia) test because it puts their children in harms way. Pressuring children into danger is abusive and unacceptable.
SBAC is a scientifically invalid test that collects highly sensitive information to be analyzed by AIR (American Institute of Research). The information is not HIPPA protected, leaves the state and is provided access to the federal government, state agencies and third parties. SBAC is subjective and ‘rigged’ to fail with predetermined failure rates. These go on a child’s permanent record, are tied to teacher evaluations and district ratings.
As district ratings decline, state interventions ensue to potential school closure and being taken over as a charter school. Charters utilize property taxes meant for public schools having electoral representation of a board of education. Charters use taxes without proper elected representation while continuing to siphon funds away from the remaining public schools.
In 2015, over 260,000 parents nationally evoked their inalienable right to protect their child from these harms and to reject the system of detrimental reforms based on these tests.
In response to CT’s parents, SDE’s has launched deceptive marketing campaigns to maximize test participation. Their SB 175 is the pinnacle of offensives, threatening usurping and disassembling local representation, fiduciary control and manipulating taxes via privatization, manipulating property values via declining district ratings and withholding funds to schools.
CPRC finds these coercive tactics to engage children in harmful practices unacceptable. We urge the CT Educational Committee to stand unequivocally for the safety of the CT children and embrace the opportunity to set CT’s education on a path to success, free of intimidation and fear. CT Educational Committee-VOTE “NO” on HB 175
CPRC is the union of 11 citizen groups throughout CT, representing approximately 40,000 CT residents. The Coalition has worked with legislators by submitting research, evidence and expert counsel. We are committed to the safety of children and the rights of parents.