Press Releases
Currently showing results related to K-12 Education
National Education Groups to Congress: Pass the American Rescue Plan
02.24.21 WASHINGTON - Today, 19 national education groups sent a joint letter to Congressional leadership expressing their support for the American Rescue Plan, which would provide $128 billion to help school districts reopen safely, protect students and staff, and make up for lost time in the classroom. "Declines in state and local revenues that are outpacing the Great Recession a decade ago, have made educator job loss among the hardest-hit sectors during the COVID-fueled economic crisis," the groups… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Celebrates Public Schools Week
02.22.21 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement to celebrate the start of Public Schools Week. "As we begin Public Schools Week, I want to share my profound appreciation for the commitment and resolve that our students, parents, educators, and school staff have demonstrated over the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for our education system and provided a constant reminder of the critical role public schools have in o… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Urges Yes Vote on FY21 Budget Resolution
02.03.21 WASHINGTON – Today, Chairman Scott delivered the following remarks during floor debate on H.Con.Res. 11, a budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2021. “Thank, Mr. Speaker. The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to inflict widespread harm across our communities. In addition to the thousands of people who are dying every day from this virus, millions of workers remain unemployed, students are falling further behind, and an unprecedented number of American familie… Continue Reading
Scott, Jones Introduce Legislation to Support School Desegregation, Fulfill Promise of Brown v. Board
02.02.21 WASHINGTON – Today, Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Congressman Mondaire Jones (NY-17) led House Democrats in introducing the Strength in Diversity Act, a bold proposal to help fulfill the promise of equity in education by supporting schools districts that are developing, implementing, or expanding voluntary school diversity initiatives. “Last year the House of Representatives made history by passing the first… Continue Reading
Education Leaders Introduce Bills to Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools, Save Education Jobs, and Recover Lost Time in the Classroom
01.28.21 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) joined Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), and Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (CNMI-at Large) to introduce a package of education bills to reopen and rebuild our schools, save educators' jobs, and help students recover lost time in the classroom. The Rebuild and Reopen America's Schools Act, introduced with Congressman Norcross, the Save Ed… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Requests Education Department Investigation into Florida Sheriff’s Use of Student Records to Identify Students “Destined for a Life of Crime”
01.19.21 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) sent a letter to the Department of Education seeking an investigation into reports that a Florida public school district transmitted student records to the local sheriff's office so that the sheriff's office could develop a list of students "destined for a life of crime." In the letter, Chairman Scott notes that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) explicitly prohibits schools from disclo… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on 5th Anniversary of the Every Student Succeeds Act
12.10.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). "Five years ago, we came together to pass the Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) with the intent of bringing our country one step closer to achieving equity in education - the promise enshrined in the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. The decision declared that: 'In these days, it … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott to GSA: Delayed Support for Biden Transition Team Will Have “Devastating Consequences”
11.23.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) sent a letter to the General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Emily Murphy urging the GSA to grant the Biden-Harris Transition Team access to critical information, services, and resources. "Our country is facing an unprecedented global pandemic that is killing 2,000 Americans per day, and any further delay in an effective government response will have devastating consequences," wrote Chairman … Continue Reading
New Government Watchdog Report: Students Impacted by Disasters Hurt More by Pandemic
10.14.20 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Chairman Gregorio Kilili Sablan (Mariana Islands) issued the following statement after the Government Accountability Office released a report finding that the COVID-19 pandemic has hampered and worsened K-12 schools' recovery from recent natural disasters across the country. "The GAO's new report confirms that the failed response to the … Continue Reading
Scott, Clyburn Request Answers on South Carolina’s Misuse of CARES Act Education Funding
10.05.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Chairman James E. Clyburn (SC-06) sent a letter to Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos expressing deep concern regarding South Carolina's misuse of CARES Act education funds to develop a voucher program. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which established the Governor Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund t… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Education Department Finally Agreeing to Comply with the CARES Act
09.25.20 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education said it would not appeal three federal court rulings that found its formula for distributing CARES Act emergency education aid violated the law. “For more than four months, the Department of Education ignored the clear text of CARES Act in an attempt to unlawfully divert funding away from low-income students in … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Urges Yes Vote on Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act
09.16.20 "Madam Speaker, today I rise in support of the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act-this legislation will restore the right of students and parents to address racial inequities in public education. "This legislation comes over 66 years after the Supreme Court ruled in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case that "in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." "And this comes four years after the G… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Urges Yes Vote on Strength in Diversity Act
09.15.20 "Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Strength in Diversity Act. "It has been 66 years since the Supreme Court unanimously struck down public school segregation in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education. In that case, the Court declared that public education, 'where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.' "The Court went on to say that 'in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place… Continue Reading
What People Are Saying: Strength in Diversity Act of 2020
09.15.20 WASHINGTON - More than 66 years after the landmark Supreme court decision in Brown v. Board, we have yet to fulfill the promise of equity in education. The Strength in Diversity Act of 2020 (H.R. 2639) provides funding and expertise to support school districts that are voluntarily developing, implementing, or expanding school diversity initiatives. Here's what the leading education and civil rights groups are saying about the bill: American Federation of Teachers (AFT): "As our country reckons … Continue Reading
Pelosi Statement on Amicus Brief in District Court Case Protecting Education Funding for Students
09.10.20 WASHINGTON- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the House of Representatives filed an amicus brief in the case of Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. v. Betsy DeVos, opposing the Department of Education's illegal attempt to divert CARES Act money from public schools to private schools: "Across the country, families have great angst about the health and well-being of their children, as students are going back to school and the coronavirus continues to rage. In the sprin… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott: Assessments and Funding Are Needed to Address Achievement Gaps
09.03.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after Education Department Secretary Betsy DeVos sent a letter to states regarding their obligation to administer statewide assessments of students' academic progress for the 2020-2021 school year. "I appreciate the Education Department's decision to preserve the responsibility of all schools to conduct statewide assessments of students' progress during the 2020-21 school year, as the law requires. There… Continue Reading
Scott, Norton Demand Support for Local Schools to Keep Kids Safe and Learning
09.03.20 WASHINGTON - Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large) hosted a press call for regional reporters today demanding the Senate act to support local schools and provide the resources they need to keep students safe and protect against potentially devastating cuts to state education budgets. The House passed funding to support local schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic more than 100 days ago. But the Republican Senate Leader Mit… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott: PPP Reports Show Disturbing Imbalance Between Private and Public School Emergency Funding
09.01.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement following a pair of reports produced that found private schools received billions of dollars through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the CARES Act. A report by Covid Stimulus Watch found that private schools received as much as $4.5 billion under PPP, and a separate report by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budgetprojected that roughly $6 billion went to private and charter schools. "These… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Remarks at Joint COVID-19 Oversight Press Conference
08.06.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, delivered the following remarks during a press conference to discuss a joint Committee analysis on the Trump Administration's disastrous response to the coronavirus crisis and the urgent need for a national comprehensive plan. Chairman Scott was joined by Rep. James E. Clyburn, Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Comm… Continue Reading
House, Senate Education Leaders to DeVos: Stop Robbing Public School Students of COVID-19 Relief Funding
07.31.20 WASHINGTON - Today, in a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, House and Senate education leaders called on the Education Department to rescind its "equitable service" interim final rule, which would redirect COVID-19 relief funding away from students in public schools to fund services for students in private schools, regardless of their wealth or residence. In the letter, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ran… Continue Reading