News

ALERT! Sign the Test Opt Out Petition & Attend the Lee County School Board Meeting 8/27

August, 2014

The movement to opt out of the Common Core aligned AIR tests are gathering tsunami-like force.  These data gathering, psychologically invasive, controversial and expensive tests are being particularly opposed in Lee County.  We recently reported that school board member Don Armstrong publicly declared that he was opting his own children out of the tests at a school board meeting.  The board has since agreed to investigate the possibility of opting the ENTIRE district out of the testing as discussed in this Naples Daily News report:


Board members unanimously expressed their disdain for standardized testing at the school board meeting Tuesday, pledging to research the possibility of "opting out" the entire district from standardized testing.

"There needs to be a come-to-Jesus meeting ... to talk about these issues point blank," Chairman Tom Scott said.
Board member Don Armstrong said the district cannot afford to continue testing at the current rate.

"A lot of our money is being poured out of this county to go to one company, I won't say names," he said. "But on this board or not on this board, I won't stand for it anymore."

Dozier asked the board to vote to "opt out" the entire district from testing. Some school districts have done this in Texas, but none in Florida.

"Why can't we be the first?" Dozier asked, prompting an applause in the audience.

Board members Mary Fischer and Cathleen Morgan voiced similar concerns.

"State assessments have been designed for kids to fail," Fischer said. "I've worked in school since 1960. Just follow the money, look it up on the Internet, it's about people making billions of dollars.

According to this report by WINK News,  "Superintendent Nancy Graham said the board should carefully research all the consequences opting out could cause. Right now, the board attorney says there are no penalties written into current law."

Board Chairman Tom Scott stated the obvious that it is very important for the public to be involved. It is critical that Lee County residents sign this PETITION and to come to the school board meeting  on August 27th where the board will actually vote on this policy. Here are the details:

6pm at the District Board Headquarters
2855 Colonial Blvd. Fort Myers, FL 33966
Phone: (239) 337-8303 or (239) 337-8304

It is also extremely important for EVERYONE to attend this FREE WEBINAR r to be led by former Estero assistant principal Kathleen Jasper of ConversationEd.com and We Will Not Conform at http://conversationed.com/2014/07/07/free-webinar-august-24-400pm/  Thank you!


Website Powered by Morphogine