ols Act
Several legislative alerts have been circulating concerning a piece of fede=
ral legislation, H.R. 4247, Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in S=
chools Act. Currently the bill has been voted out of full committee and re=
portedly will be ready for floor action on the House next week (March 1, 20=
10).
This bill, in its amended version would still impose a new mandate on priva=
te schools that have traditionally been excluded from such Washington requi=
rements. The NAIS Government and Community Relations team has been worki=
ng with Capitol Hill staff to amend most of the harmful and intrusive legis=
lative language. Although the amended bill is better than the original bil=
l, this legislation will still impose a significant new mandate on private =
schools who participate (in whole or in part) in federal programs administe=
red by the U.S. Department of Education. (This affects a fraction of the to=
tal NAIS membership.)
The Senate companion bill is stalled at the moment, and we do not expect th=
is legislation to be moving forward in the Senate. For that reason, NAIS is=
not issuing an action alert to its members but, if the legislative climate=
changes, NAIS will send an update on the situation. NAIS supports CAPE's p=
osition on this bill and leaves the decision to send a letter via the CAPE =
legislative alert center up to each member school.
Including private schools in this bill seems both unnecessary and intrusive=
. This bill would have an adverse effect and unintended consequences for ou=
r member schools, their faculties and staffs, and their school environments=
, if they participate in federal programs. Private schools should be on ale=
rt! This may be a sign of things to come from this Congress in the reautho=
rization of ESEA (NCLB).
Nonetheless, at this time, the NAIS Government and Community Relations team=
advises me to save our alerts for other urgent matters that may arise in t=
he upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary School Act (or =
NCLB).
Cheers.
PFB
Patrick F. Bassett, President
N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F I N D E P E N D E N T S C H O=
O L S
1620 L St., NW, Washington, DC 20036
202.973.9710 (Office)
202.746.5444 (Cell)
202-247-9667 (Fax)
bassett@nais.org<mailto:bassett@nais.org> www.nais.org<http://www.nais.or=
g>
www.twitter.com/PatBassett<http://www.twitter.com/PatBassett>
www.facebook.com/NAISnetwork<http://www.facebook.com/NAISnetwork>
This email is to be considered a confidential communication not to be forwa=
rded or shared unless otherwise explicitly noted.
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