Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act. In my district and in districts across the country, our education system is a balance of public schools, private schools, charter schools, parochial schools, vocational schools, and home schools. My amendment would make clear this bill only applies to schools that take funds from the Department of Education and would ensure that non- public schools are able to determine their own curriculum and not have curriculum imposed on them by local school boards and States that disregard that right. In New York, for instance, this is of great concern as the current Governor and her administration have attempted to impose severe restrictions on private schools, including Catholic schools and yeshivas in school districts across the State. A key provision of this new State regulation was actually thrown out in court today. Parents choose to send their children to the school they feel best fits their needs and beliefs. It is not the role of any government to dictate to parents and children what they should believe or practice, and in my district, that certainly is a concern held by many parents. I have parents contact my office every day with concerns about their children's education and the State trying to force itself into the relationship between educators and students.…”