More States Consider 'Parent Trigger' Laws
New state-level bills prove no less divisive
The push for the "parent trigger" option for turning around struggling schools continues, with new laws under consideration in about a dozen states' legislative sessions, even as such laws already on the books remain unused in all but one of the seven states that have them.
Many education advocates opposed to what they view as efforts to privatize and corporatize public schools are watching with trepidation as lawmakers in Florida, Oklahoma, and elsewhere review parent-trigger bills. Opponents argue that the mechanism ultimately hurts schools and ruptures communities.
In some cases, however, detractors have succeeded in stopping parent-trigger bills dead in their tracks. A measure that had appeared headed for approval in the Georgia state legislature faltered late last week when GOP lawmakers raised concerns that it could pit teachers—who would be able to petition a school board for a takeover by a charter operator or initiate another turnaround intervention—against their own principals. The legislation had the backing of top state lawmakers, but was opposed by a variety of public education groups, including...
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