An excerpt of the The Michigan Revised School Code Act 451 of 1976 380.10 says,
Rights of parents and legal guardians; duties of public schools. [M.S.A. 15.4010 ] Sec. 10. It is the natural, fundamental right of parents and legal guardians to determine and direct the care, teaching, and education of their children. The public schools of this state serve the needs of the pupils by cooperating with the pupil’s parents and legal guardians to develop the pupil’s intellectual capabilities and vocational skills in a safe and positive environment. HistoryAdd. 1995, Act 289, Eff. July 1, 1996
Despite the law, Michigan hastily chose to adopt Common Core in 2010 without input from parents. Thanks to the Race to the Top, Michigan is now working in full cooperation with the federal government. Education in Michigan is now about chasing federal dollars and keeping Secretary of Education Arne Duncan happy so we don’t lose our NCLB waiver.
Here are just two recent headlines to help you understand just how much the feds control the MDE:
No Child Left Behind waiver in jeopardy if teacher evaluations not implemented, federal officials say
Michigan seeks 1-year extension to No Child Left Behind waiver
Where’s the headline that says “MDE seeks parental approval for new assessments?” Or “MDE faces loss of parental support if they continue with the federal takeover of education? ” Of course those stories are never written because DC holds the purse so they hold the power over Lansing. Superintendent Flanagan make it abundantly clear who calls the shots in his decisions.
“As we have said, if we aren’t allowed to continue with our planned assessment system for next school year, we are at serious risk of losing our federal flexibility waiver,” Flanagan said.
Losing the waiver could mean the loss of $1 billion for Michigan from the federal government, state officials said.”
Losing federal money is a concern but cooperating with parents and losing control over Michigan education should be a greater concern. Once Michigan loses control we’ll never get it back. Superintendent Flanagan and many state lawmakers do not appear to care about that at all.
It’s time for Michigan parents to stand up to the bullying and say no to the feds by opting out of Common Core assessments and voting pro-Common Core lawmakers out of office.