Updates: Common Core and government shutdown

President’s Day Updates from Ohio Tea Party Patriots’ Marianne G:

If you've been involved in the Common Core Opt Out Campaign, you are well aware of how crazy it was last week.

It started on Saturday with Heidi Huber from Ohioans Against Common Core, coming to Mansfield to give patriots the low down on the rights of parents to refuse the PARCC testing on behalf of their children.

Tuesday and Wednesday HB 7, the bill offering Safe Harbor to our children, passed unanimously through committee and the House, and from what I'm being told, it should pass through the Senate quickly also.

Then hit the tidal wave of parents opting out and refusing the PARCC testing for their children.  There were stories of bullying from administrators, lies, disciplinary threats to teachers, and even a deceptively worded letter from the ODE.

It would great if we could get a feel regarding how many people opted out, and hear their stories and successes.

Please take a moment to complete this quick survey.  Your name and email is not required.  Hopefully, this information will give us an idea of how many kids are not participating in the PARCC tests, what districts experienced the most opt outs, and how people were received by administrators.

Click Here to Complete the Survey

Heroes and Teachable Moments

The battle for the future of our children and their education has created heroes and teachable moments.

The Heroes are the parents that have showed up at School Board meetings and questioned administrators.  The parents who have exercised their right to direct the education of their children by refusing to allow them to participate in the useless and stressful PARCC testing.  The parents that refused to back down and have protected their children.

From those acts of heroism have come teachable moments. Moments that will teach children that you must be willing to stand for something, even if it means there are repercussions; that peaceful protests and freedom of speech are our rights, and no one can take that away, no matter how much they bully.

Kudos to all the hero parents who fought, and continue to fight, for their children.

Government “Shutdown” 

As expected, the media is already fear-mongering with the “government shutdown” threat related to DHS funding.

Three times the Senate Democrats have refused to invoke cloture and allow debate on HR 240, the House passed Homeland Security Funding bill.  One might call that being obstructionists. So where's the media now?

Democrats are opposing the amendments stripping funding from Obama's 2012 and 2014 executive orders lifting a deportation threat for millions of illegal immigrants.  Rather than allow debate, they are obstructing.  Speaker Boehner, believe or not, is standing his ground! Click Here to Read More

Regarding a “shutdown”, Congress has nothing to do with payroll or paying lenders - that's the job of the President and his Treasury Department.  When reporters or Democrats accuse the GOP of forcing a “shutdown,” turn them around and direct them to the executive branch, for it is the President who authorizes a “shutdown.”

Secondly, a government “shutdown” shuts down only  17% of the government.  That 17% is what’s considered to be “non-essential”.  If they're non-essential, why are they there to begin with?

In the case of DHS, 83% or their employees are classified as “essential” - they still work and still get paid. 

Doesn't seem so scary now.

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Common Core: Opt Out of Fall Testing

Art credit: Dailycaller.com and Edvard Munch

This just in from the Mansfield Tea Party:

Opt Out of Fall Testing Now!

Take the Pledge to Protect Your Child

 
The first round of fall tests starts October 6th, but did you know that you, as the parent, can opt-out your child?

These tests are used to "benchmark" your child for "Value Added Measures", but are not state mandated. Common sense would tell you that any student is going to perform better in the spring than they do in the beginning of the school year, but now we have to prove it by administering more tests, leaving less time for learning.

The state mandates that the schools administer one test per year.  In the past it has been the spring OGT's and the OAA's.  Unless we pass HB 597, and Common Core gets repealed, the data gathering replacement testing - PARCC - will add six weeks of testing to the school year this spring.

Don't subject your child to this scrutiny.  Exercise your right as a parent and opt-out your child. Click Here to Download OPT-OUT form and  Click Here to learn more about the assessing of your child.

Please note all forms must be submitted by October 3rd, 2014 to ensure your child's protection. 

• Print out Opt Out Form
• Fill out Child's Name (must do separate form for each child)
• Read and check all three boxes on opt out form
• Complete bottom portion of the form 
• Be sure to leave Received by, Signature, and Date Received blank (this is for school officials to fill out)
• Take the completed form to the school office. Request signatures.
• Request two copies. One for your records and one to mail to your State Representative

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