WASHINGTON, D.C. - Arguing that all
students deserve the opportunity to attend safe and sound schools,
Congressman John Boehner (R-OH) today announced his support for an
amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that
would allow the nation's governors to declare "academic disaster areas"
and empower parents to help students trapped in failing or dangerous
schools.
The Department of Education each year
lists the most troubled schools in America. Nationwide, more than 100
schools have been on the list for 10 years or more. While
Washington has spent billions in Title I funds and other resources to
change this, millions of students have remained trapped in schools
marked by danger and despair.
"These parents and students don't need
another federal mandate or Washington-based program. What they
need is a chance to escape from a nightmare," Boehner said. "This
amendment challenges the status quo and gives these parents the freedom
to choose a school that offers real hope for their children's
future."
The Safe and Sound Schools Amendment,
offered by House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas, would establish a
5-year pilot program to create a national school choice option for
elementary school children (grades 1-5) trapped in failing public
schools. The amendment would give governors the authority to
declare "academic emergencies" in chronically-failing schools in their
states, much as they can currently declare a state of emergency when
natural disaster strikes. Students and their parents in these
schools would immediately be eligible to apply for $3,500 academic
relief scholarships which would pay for tuition at any public, private,
or parochial school.
Victims of school violence would also
gain new freedom and flexibility under the Safe and Sound Schools
Amendment. Students in Title I schools in grades K-12 would
immediately be eligible to apply for the $3,500 scholarship funds to
transfer to a different public, private, or parochial school if they
were the victims of a violent criminal act at school.
"This amendment offers a life-preserver
to [students] drowning in a sea of violence and failure," said
Armey. "This initiative puts parents in the driver's seat.
After all, parents should be empowered, not discouraged, to do what is
best for their children."
The academic emergency program would be
initiated, administered, and managed by governors and their state
education officials in cooperation with the U.S. Secretary of
Education. State participation in the academic emergency program
would be voluntary and control and decision-making at the state and
local level would be protected.
Boehner is a member of the House
Education and the Workforce Committee.
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