Scott Denounces Senate Move to Weaken Public Education
WASHINGTON – Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Senate voted 50-49 to undermine civil rights protections in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
“Faithful implementation of the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act should not be a partisan issue. States and school districts want the stability and consistency provided by the Department of Education’s consensus-driven regulations that Congressional Republicans have now used the Congressional Review Act to block. Thanks to thousands of public comments and months of review, the Department’s final regulation was praised by local superintendents and state school chiefs for honoring local flexibility and leadership. Use of the CRA was opposed by parents, teachers, labor unions, civil rights organizations, disability advocates, and the business community. Today’s Senate passage of H.J. Res 57 does nothing but endanger implementation of the law and harm our most disadvantaged students.
“Even if the regulations are overturned, the statutory provisions of ESSA are the law of the land and the protections in the law remain intact. The Department is still obligated to follow the law when considering the approval of state plans, providing oversight and enforcing local compliance. And the Committee on Education and the Workforce is still obligated to provide robust Congressional oversight to ensure that the Administration provides the guidance, regulation, and technical assistance necessary to ensure that ESSA implementation truly honors the law’s bipartisan intent and civil rights legacy. These obligations will be easier to fulfill, if the President vetoes this Resolution.”
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