The New Hampshire House of Representatives will have a chance to overturn Governor Maggie Hassan’s veto of HB 603, a crucial bill that would write parents’ rights to refuse their child’s participation in the statewide assessments into state statute. They will reconvene on Wednesday, September 16th, and vote on this critical issue.
It is more important than ever to empower parents with this choice. The NH Department of Education intends to make refusing even more difficult this year, and is creating an alternative assessment, the integrated PACE program, that will essentially require participation.
Governor Hassan and the NH Department of Education are more concerned with appeasing the United States Department of Education instead of respecting parents’ rights. The Supreme Court of the United States has consistently upheld the rights of parents to direct their children’s education. However, Gov. Hassan and the NH DOE are willing to obstruct those rights although no state or school district has lost federal funding due to lower participation rates.
Tell your elected Representatives and Senators that they should respect parents’ rights to direct their children’s education. Parents must have the ability to refuse the Common Core aligned assessments.
Please share this information with your friends, and ask them to do the same. We must let the legislature know that concerned parents and citizens value our children’s education more than chasing federal money.
Our petition will send a mass email to all Representatives and Senators; it’s an easy way to make a difference. Also brief phone calls are very effective, and direct emails to your legislators are good when you indicate you are a constituent. To find your Representative, go to Who’s My Legislator. To find your Senator, check the senate roster.
For more information about HB 603 and refusing statewide assessments, read the following:
Demand Parents’ Rights — Overturn Hassan’s Veto on HB 603
Starting the Year Right
Parents’ Rights Vetoed by Governor Hassan
Update on HB 603, the Parental Refusal Bill
Writing Parent’s Rights into Statute
Parents Can Refuse