Attack on Parental Rights and Home Education – Immediate Action Needed, Time is of the Essence

House Bill PCB H SCRG3 passed the Select Committee on Government Reorganization today

House Bill PCB H SCRG3 passed the Select Committee on Government Reorganization today. Our efforts worked. It is not over, but we are in a much better place than last week.

Now the bill goes to the House Floor. It will be passed and go to the Conference committee to negotiate the differences between House and Senate bills. We must continue to educate the Senate on our preferences. I will walk the halls and meet with Senate Offices. When the Senate conferees are appointed I will let you know if you can help.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS! It made the difference in turning this around.

————— Yesterday’s post —————–

A Government Take Over of Private Education and an Attack on Your Parental Rights is Occurring Now

Instructions for this update:
1. Read the document in its entirety
2. Thank the House (see The Florida House Position section)
3. Call Senate leadership and Governor’s office (See Senate Action Needed section below)
The Florida Senate Position
The Senate is poised to pass SB 2156 which poses a serious threat to private education and parental rights in Florida. There must be a public outcry to stop this attack on our parental rights. See “Senate Action Needed” section below on how you can help stop it.

The Florida House Position
The House has taken a strong stance in The Select Committee on Government Reorganization to protect private education and parental rights. The House Bill PCB H SCRG3 will protect your rights! We must let the members of The Select Committee on Government Reorganization and House Leadership know that we appreciate the courage they have shown to protect parental rights and private education in the face of extreme pressure from children’s advocacy groups who want to monitor ALL children from birth on.

IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS A PARENT, NOT A HOME SCHOOLER!!
This is a bigger issue than home schooling and should be a parental rights issue.

Contact all the members of the Select Committee on Government Reorganization listed below and the Speaker of the House with the following message IN YOUR OWN words. Do NOT send this Alert to legislators and Do Not just copy the bullets. Please make it sound personal.

Thank you for not putting control over babies under the DOE
Thank you for not creating a Division of Early Learning as it would have been an assault on parental rights, choice and private education.
Please hold firm to the house position on the reorganization of the Agency of Workforce Innovation (AWI) Office of Early Learning.
(Read about why SB 2156 is a THREAT to your parental rights below the Senate Action Needed)

The Select Committee on Government Reorganization:
Legg, John (R) Chair 850-488-5522 or Fax: 727-861-5229
Aubuchon, Gary (R) Vice Chair 850-488-7433 or Fax: 239-344-4901
Adkins, Janet H. (R) 850-488-6920 or Fax: 904-491-3666
Albritton, Ben (R) 850-488-9465 or Fax: 863-534-0075
Bembry, Leonard L. (D) 850-488-7870 or Fax: 850-9735632
Clarke-Reed, Gwyndolen (D) 850-488-0880 or Fax: 954-786-4850
Corcoran, Richard (R) 850-488-8528 or Fax: 727-816-1582
Dorworth, Chris (R) 850-488-5843 or Fax: 407-333-1817
Holder, Doug (R) 850-488-1171 or Fax: 941-918-4030
Horner, Mike (R) 850-488-8992 or Fax: 407-943-3078
Hudson, Matt (R) 850-488-1028 or Fax: 239-417-6272
Ingram, Clay (R) 850-488-8278 or Fax: 888-284-8390
Jenne, Evan (D) 850-488-0245 or Fax: 954-321-2762
Julien, John Patrick (D) 850-488-7088 or Fax: 305-650-0024
Mayfield, Debbie (R) 850-488-0952 or Fax: 772-778-5077
Rehwinkel Vasilinda, Michelle (D) 850-488-0965 or Fax: 850-488-3336
Roberson, Kenneth L. (R) 850-488-0060 or Fax: 941-613-0916
Taylor, Dwayne L. (D) 850-488-0580 or Fax: 386-239-6204
Thurston, Jr., Perry E. (D) 850-488-1084 or Fax: 954-762-3748
Trujillo, Carlos (R) 850-488-5047 or Fax: 305-596-3032
Williams, Alan B. (D) 850-488-1798 or Fax: 850-922-2096
Wood, John (R) 850-488-2721 or Fax: 863-419-3472
Young, Dana D. (R) 850-488-2770 or Fax: 813-835-2272

House Speaker Dean Cannon 407-623-5740 or Fax 407-623-5742

SENATE ACTION NEEDED
Please Fax or Call Senate President Mike Haridopolos, Senate Budget Chair JD Alexander and Governor Rick Scott with the following message:

Senate Bill 2156 poses a serious threat to private education and parental rights in Florida;
Do Not to put babies under the DOE;
Do Not to create a Division of Early Learning. It is an assault on parental rights, choice and private education.
Please take the House position on the reorganization of the Agency of Workforce Innovation (AWI) Office of Early Learning.
A public outcry is needed to stop this government takeover. Please pass this on
to your friends and family. Don’t let this happen on the Republican watch.

Summary of Senate Bill 2156
The Senate Bill 2156 creates a new Division of Early Learning in the DOE, which includes a Chancellor who will oversee and direct education for children birth through 5 years. This is a complete philosophical shift from “no governmental control over private education” to “complete control of private education”. Historically, child care and early learning have been delivered by the private sector. 100% of child care providers are private. 85% of the voluntary pre-kindergarten (VPK) are in the private sector. At the present time, VPK is voluntary on the part of the parent and voluntary on the part of the provider. Creating a Division of Early Learning will allow advocates, who want to monitor and control the education of ALL CHILDREN from birth to 5 years, to take the control away from parents. We don’t want babies under the control of the DOE.

“Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.”
-Vladimir Lenin

Please Fax, if at all possible, or call with the Senate Message above:

Governor Rick Scott
Capital Number: 850-488-4441

—————-Yesterdays Update—————–

ALERT UPDATE: IMPORTANT!!

Yesterday the bill number for PCB 7202 CHANGED to SB 2156 and will be brought up on the Senate Floor tomorrow. (Wednesday, April, 6th)

CALL YOUR SENATOR IMMEDIATELY.

On SB 2156, ask your Senator to:

AMEND OUT THE DIVISION OF EARLY LEARNING AT THE DOE
DO NOT PUT BABIES UNDER DOE
DO NOT GIVE DOE AUTHORITY OVER PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

—————-Original Post——————-

THE LEGISLATURE IS MOVING TOWARD CREATING A DIVISION OF EARLY LEARNING AT THE DOE WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY CONTROL HOME EDUCATION.

April 1, 2011, was a very busy day, but the plan that came out of the Senate was no April Fool’s Joke. The Senate is serious about creating a “Nanny-State” for birth through five year olds at the Department of Education to monitor and measure a child’s learning gains from birth.

Senate
The Senate Budget Committee heard SB 7202, an 800-page bill, which is the Senate’s economic development plan for creating jobs in Florida. A tiny part of that bill was the relocation of the Agency for Workforce Innovation Office of Early Learning to the Department of Education.

SB 7202 also creates a new division of early learning with a chancellor at DOE equal to the Division of Public Schools.

Control is the hidden agenda. The children’s advocates want to elevate their control over ALL children in a Division of Early Learning.
The problem is that all child care centers and 85% of the VPK providers are PRIVATE. If this plan is passed ALL private providers, including home educators, would come under the control of the Department of Education!

Sen. Stephen Wise introduced several amendments that would have split the AWI Office of Early Learning, relocating the administration of VPK to DOE while sending the Federal dollars for child care to the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The Budget Committee discussed these amendments, but there were not enough votes to pass them. Sen Wise withdrew the amendments, however he plans to bring them up on the Senate Floor for discussion.

House
The House Select Committee on Government Reorganization met Friday afternoon and looked at the staff’s recommendation for the economic development plan and the reorganization of several departments including AWI. The recommendation moved the AWI Office of Early Learning intact to DOE. The committee took public testimony. The Committee Chair, Rep. John Legg, said that the members would receive a Proposed Committee Bill (PCB) on Wednesday. The Committee will vote on this PCB on Friday, April 8.

CALL TO ACTION
We must take immediate action to inform the legislators of our concerns before the PCB is finalized or independent education (private school and home education) as we know it now will no longer exist. The State will control education from birth on.

Please ACT quickly and get this message to your friends if you live in the district of one of the members of the Select Committee on Government Reorganization. Legislators are being bombarded by groups who believe the government can raise your children better than you. These groups are busing in parents from all over the state Tuesday and Wednesday to bring their message to Tallahassee. You need to let your legislators know that you don’t agree.

****DO NOT IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS A HOME EDUCATOR.****

MAKE SURE YOU ONLY IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS A PARENT WHO SUPPORTS PRIVATE EDUCATION

Message to the Senate
Ask Your Senator to amend the Division of Early Learning out of SB 7202 on the Senate Floor
Ask Your Senator: NOT to put BABIES under DOE.
Find your Senator http://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/Find

Message to the House
BE POLITE. This committee has not made their decision yet. We want to appeal to them to protect the independence and autonomy of private education.

If your legislator is on the Select Committee (listed below), fax or call him/her this message:

PLEASE DO NOT CREATE A DIVISION OF EARLY LEARNING AT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
PLEASE DO NOT PUT BABIES UNDER DOE.
PLEASE MOVE ONLY THE ADMINSTRATION OF VPK SCHOLARSHIP to DOE because:
VPK is a scholarship program.
The VPK standards and assessments are already housed in the DOE.
DOE is currently administering other scholarship programs very successfully and efficiently. VPK belongs in the Choice Office at DOE.
We need calls coming in through Friday.
Fax is better, but if you can’t fax, CALL the House Select Committee on Government Reorganization.

If you can show up in Tallahassee on Friday, April 8, to speak to the Select Committee, please come. The meeting is from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm in 212 Knott Bldg.

Unsure if the Members below are your Representative or not? Use this link to find out. http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/representatives.aspx

The members of the Select Committee on Government Reorganization:
Legg, John (R) Chair 850-488-5522 or Fax: 727-861-5229
Aubuchon, Gary (R) Vice Chair 850-488-7433 or Fax: 239-344-4901
Adkins, Janet H. (R) 850-488-6920 or Fax: 904-491-3666
Albritton, Ben (R) 850-488-9465 or Fax: 863-534-0075
Bembry, Leonard L. (D) 850-488-7870 or Fax: 850-9735632
Clarke-Reed, Gwyndolen (D) 850-488-0880 or Fax: 954-786-4850
Corcoran, Richard (R) 850-488-8528 or Fax: 727-816-1582
Dorworth, Chris (R) 850-488-5843 or Fax: 407-333-1817
Holder, Doug (R) 850-488-1171 or Fax: 941-918-4030
Horner, Mike (R) 850-488-8992 or Fax: 407-943-3078
Hudson, Matt (R) 850-488-1028 or Fax: 239-417-6272
Ingram, Clay (R) 850-488-8278 or Fax: 888-284-8390
Jenne, Evan (D) 850-488-0245 or Fax: 954-321-2762
Julien, John Patrick (D) 850-488-7088 or Fax: 305-650-0024
Mayfield, Debbie (R) 850-488-0952 or Fax: 772-778-5077
Rehwinkel Vasilinda, Michelle (D) 850-488-0965 or Fax: 850-488-3336
Roberson, Kenneth L. (R) 850-488-0060 or Fax: 941-613-0916
Taylor, Dwayne L. (D) 850-488-0580 or Fax: 386-239-6204
Thurston, Jr., Perry E. (D) 850-488-1084 or Fax: 954-762-3748
Trujillo, Carlos (R) 850-488-5047 or Fax: 305-596-3032
Williams, Alan B. (D) 850-488-1798 or Fax: 850-922-2096
Wood, John (R) 850-488-2721 or Fax: 863-419-3472
Young, Dana D. (R) 850-488-2770 or Fax: 813-835-2272

Call Governor Rick Scott: 850-488-4441

Additional Background Information:
The State has never regulated private schools or home education in the history of Florida, yet some providers and many taxpayer-funded advocates are lobbying to put private education under the DOE.

The new Division of Early Learning would be equal to the Division of Public Schools and Division of State Colleges with a Deputy Chancellor who would report to the Commissioner of Education and the State Board of Education.

This new Division would represent children, not private schools, and the Commissioner would be the voice at the table on Monday morning when the Chancellors gather. He will also be the recognized voice before the State Board of Education for Children.

VPK is a PROGRAM which can easily be administered by the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice. There is no need for a Division of Early Learning. However, the children’s advocates see this as an opportunity to gain more power and control.

If private schools are considered part of the public system of education, which they could be if there is a Division Early Learning, the courts could apply the Blaine amendment and rule out any faith-based curriculum.

Once the Division is created, it will be almost impossible to get rid of it, especially if the power over private providers has been given over to the State.

The mission of David Lawrence, Jr., Chair of the Children’s Movement in Florida, and his advocates is to ensure (control) ALL children from birth through 5 and make sure they are educated.

In a recent high profile case involving the murder of one child and severe injury to another child , the Barahona twins, David Lawrence, Jr., Chair of the Independent Investigation Panel, pointed out the lack of formal requirements for monitoring of students being home educated and the Panel recommended that the state provide more money for Superintendents to monitor home education programs.

The children’s advocates and the Early Learning Coalitions have pushed legislation for over 3 years to create the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). If the Division of Early Learning is created at the DOE, these are the advocates who will help chose the Chancellor and replace private accreditation with QRIS. QRIS, a national movement, is part of the New America Foundation. http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/stimulus_second_generation_qris

Once the advocates get the State’s system of accreditation in place, they will not stop. Next, the DOE will approve accrediting associations for private schools or require that all private schools be accredited by the State. CONTROL IS THE HIDDEN AGENDA. The children’s advocates want to elevate their control over ALL children in a Division of Early Learning, including private school children. There is already an Office of Early Learning at DOE. Why would they need a Division unless they want more power and control over ALL children?
Since the creation of the McKay Scholarship Program in 1999 and the VPK program in 2004, we have been fighting to prevent regulation of private schools. But, with all our collective efforts, schools that participate in these programs have more accountability to the State than those that do not. Initially, the accountability did not include reporting assessments on the scholarship students, but last year the schools agreed to report the students’ test results to the State so that the schools could be graded. Because the schools were promised more money, they willingly agreed to more intrusion and oversight by the State.

Private school freedom is essential to keeping home education free. Once the State regulates private schools and measures learning gains of private school students, they will seek to further regulate home education.

We must act now – private and home education is under attack!