As I remember Martin Luther King Junior, I remember that he
was a great supporter of voting rights and of public education.
I know it in my heart that where he still with us that King
would look at the 41.6% Virginia turnout of registered voters in November’s
elections, and he would remind us that people died so that we could vote. He would admonish us to go to the polls for
each and every election.
Further, were King to see today’s disparity in educational
opportunity between localities in Virginia and across the nation, he would
speak up for equal opportunity for all children.
His struggle continues.
The Public Education Subcommittee of Senate Education and
Health incorporated SB 897 and SB 757 into SB 874, which “Directs the Board of Education to
promulgate regulations to provide the same criteria for eligibility for an
expedited retake of any Standards of Learning assessment in reading or
mathematics to each student regardless of grade level.” This bill was reported to the full committee
on a bipartisan 3-2 vote. Voting in
favor of expedited retake were Howell, Locke and Carrico. Cosgrove and Smith voted NO.
At this same
meeting, Lobby Cadre member Cheri James voice VEA’s concerns regarding Senator
Favola’s SB 782, which, “Requires the Board of Education to adopt regulations
on the use of seclusion and restraint in public elementary and secondary
schools in the Commonwealth. The bill requires that such regulations incorporate
certain existing guidance documents; include definitions of terms, criteria for
use, restrictions for use, training requirements, notification requirements,
reporting requirements, and follow-up requirements; and address distinctions
between certain student populations.”
VEA’s concern is that there are times when restraint must be used to
maintain order in our schools. VSBA also
raised concerns regarding the bill, and the language of the bill was tweaked a
bit. Should this bill pass, public
school educators are going to need to become involved in the development of the
regulations by the Board of Education.
