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In reply to the discussion: A 13-Year-Old's Slavery Analogy Raises Some Uncomfortable Truths in School [View all]HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)While Tim Louis Macaluso writes about parent groups pushing for the "legal muscle to significantly change a district's policy," he failed to provide the backstory needed to truly understand the Parent Trigger Law. Mr. Macaluso may have left the impression that all parents are in favor of such legislation. This is not true.
The idea for "parent trigger" laws came from California under the 2010 Parent Empowerment in Education Act (2010). This act was promoted by the organization Parent Revolution - a group founded by charter-school operators and backed financially by venture philanthropists. Parent trigger allows a majority of parents at a low-performing school to sign a petition to "trigger" one of a narrow set of options (e.g., firing some of the staff or turning the school over to a charter school).
Rochester parents need to pay heed. If enacted, the drive for a "parent trigger" could result in a simple majority of parents being able to close a school, convert a school to a charter school, or contract with a private organization to run a school. Here's the danger: The Assembly and Senate bills have no special provision for returning a school building to the local school district if a charter school or private enterprise takes over and fails. Our taxpayer dollars paid for these schools; this is not the way to empower parents.
http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/news/letters/2012/04/Pull-the-trigger-on-trigger-law/
Groups push parent trigger law
New York has joined a dozen other states considering trigger legislation. A bill created last year for Buffalo's school system is being amended to include the Rochester school district, says Hannya Boulos, director of the education activist group Buffalo ReformED. The bill is sponsored in the Senate by Mark Grisanti and in the Assembly by Crystal Peoples-Stokes....
The bill would allow 51 percent of parents at any Rochester or Buffalo school that the state has identified as persistently in need of improvement to sign a petition that triggers dramatic changes. For instance, parents would have the ability to convert a low-achieving school to a charter school, or they could push to remove staff.
Trigger laws have passed in California, Texas, and Connecticut.
http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/news/articles/2012/03/EDUCATION-Groups-push-parent-trigger-law/
The "Parents United" group supporting Jada Williams also supports "Parent Trigger"
Rochester Parents United, an education advocacy group, is taking a different approach. Unlike mayoral control advocates, they haven't said they want to eliminate the school board. But parents, they say, should have more control over the decisions board members make.
The group is trying to build support for a "parent trigger" law. They say parents in Rochester and Buffalo support the idea. And they say they have the support of Assemblyman David Gantt, who also supports mayoral control of Rochester's schools.
http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/news/blog/2012/03/Parents-pulling-the-trigger/