Parent Group Plans Action on Vouchers

On the heels of a call by some teachers in Tennessee for a sick out to protest bad education policy in the state, a group of parents is planning a major announcement at an event on Tuesday, April 9th in Nashville.

Here’s more from a press release from the group, calling itself Tennessee Strong and comprised of parent advocates from across the state:

On Tuesday, April 9th at NOON parents of public school students will be joined by teachers, clergy, and advocates to protest Gov. Lee’s voucher proposal making its way through the Tennessee legislature.

Gov. Lee’s proposal has advanced only in Tennessee’s House of Representatives, the chamber where a voucher bill has never before cleared all the hurdles necessary to become law. Tennessee Strong believes public education is in the fight for its life and seeks to raise awareness of the urgency and declare solidarity with teachers who choose to strike.

“Vouchers are a failed experiment and rife with fraud in other states. At a time when Tennessee is ranked 45th in the nation in education investment, we need to be robustly investing in public schools so as not to fall further behind. Instead our governor and lawmakers want to divert money away from our school districts into a venture under the auspices of “choice” which only further weakens public schools and disenfranchises our most vulnerable populations,” said Beckie Mostello, Williamson County public school parent.

The event will be held on the Beth Harwell Plaza adjacent to the Cordell Hull legislative office building in Nashville.

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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