Charles E. Grassley: “During debate, Mr. President, on Goals 2000: Educate America Act, I introduced an amendment, which the Senate adopted…”

“During debate, Mr. President, on Goals 2000: Educate America Act, I introduced an amendment, which the Senate adopted, to address an issue of concern to many of my constituents. The amendment was a culmination of over 2 years of research on the invasion of student and family privacy that might be taking place and is taking place in schools around America. I have dealt with people in 25 States who feel that their family's privacy has been invaded by intrusive surveys, analyses, and other evaluations. These surveys ask very personal questions of children without their parents' knowledge or consent. During debate on the Goals 2000 bill, I came to this floor with such examples from 14 different States, some of which I discussed and the rest of which, Mr. President, I just placed in the Record for easy referral by people who are interested in pursuing this. Because the weight of evidence is so overwhelming, the Department of Education suggested a possible compromise to the amendment that I originally introduced. I pursued negotiations with the Department. We reached an agreement that, quite frankly, met many of my concerns. And since it met so many of my concerns and since the Department of Education and their representatives were so forthcoming and up front and honest in their negotiations. We put that compromise together, and that amendment was adopted 93 to zero before we passed Goals 2000.”