Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I thank Senator Collins, the cosponsor of this amendment, who has worked with me because of the very example that she…”

“I thank Senator Collins, the cosponsor of this amendment, who has worked with me because of the very example that she just gave. She has the situation in her State where this actually has curbed the creativity of public schools in offering more options for parents who believe their adolescent boys or their young girls would do better in a single-sex setting. In fact, in Detroit, MI, there is a boys school that has the same success that Senator Collins has just mentioned about a girls class in Maine; the boys are able to have a single-sex atmosphere. And sometimes it is shown by studies that adolescent boys do better in that atmosphere. We want public schools to have the same options and the Federal help that are available in parochial and private schools for creative approaches and solutions to our education problems. We want options, not mandates. But we want every child in this country to reach his or her full potential. We want that child to be given opportunities in a way that best fit that child's needs. That is why I think this amendment is going to be overwhelmingly accepted in the Senate--just as these amendments have been in the past. It will give the guidance to the Department of Education that will clarify the issue once and for all; that we want absolutely every option available in our public schools that will give every child in this country the ability to succeed. Thank you, Mr. President.”