Press conference information updated 3-11-14
Conference Call Alert: Tuesday, March 11 at 8:00 p.m.
The House Education Committee today released a potential substitute bill for SB 167 in advance of its upcoming Wednesday committee meeting. Sen. Ligon has indicated to Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Georgia and American Principles in Action (APIA) that he cannot support this House substitute. He would like the opportunity to let all grassroots supporters of SB 167 know his reasons for being unable to support this House version. Sen. Ligon is inviting the entire grassroots team to join him on a conference call hosted by CWA of Georgia and APIA Tuesday evening. Here are the details:
Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Conference Dial-in Number: (530) 881-1000
Participant Access Code: 632867#
Action Alert: Phone call needed to OPPOSE SB 167
On Sunday, March 9, an e-mail was sent asking you to make calls to members of the House Education Committee urging them to support SB 167. That was before the gutted version of SB 167 was released. We no longer support this bill and need for you to make calls again. Please call the Governor, the members of the House Education Committee, and your own representatives to ask them to support the stronger Senate version of SB 167, not the weakened House substitute version.
Click here for the House Education Contact information.
Press Conference Alert: Wednesday, March 12
Please plan to attend the press conference at the State Capitol on Wednesday, March 12, to show your opposition to SB 167. At the press conference, CWA of Georgia and American Principles in Action will join Sen. William Ligon to discuss our reasons why we can no longer support SB 167 in the form presented by the House Education Committee.
Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Senate Press Office- located on the second floor of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building. Make a right after going through security.
Plan to stay and attend the House Education Committee meeting at 3:00 P.M. in room 606 in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building.
Why We Oppose SB 167
Contrary to the Senate version, the substitute 167 no longer prohibits Georgia from signing on to national standards; no longer expressly grants local districts the flexibility to return to the superior Georgia Performance Standards during the transition to newly developed standards; no longer gives parents (who have always been shut out of the standards-review process) a majority voice on the newly created Advisory Council; and no longer reins in data-tracking and data-sharing functions of the student longitudinal database. In addition, it allows corporate vendors to collect personally identifiable data on students through “free” educational apps and to use that information for non-education purposes. While the substitute bill is a step forward for student privacy, it is not what children need and parents want.
In other words, the authors and backers of the substitute bill yielded to the pressures of the powerful education and corporate establishments, who don’t want to upset the status quo. And the substitute proponents accomplished this turnaround with record speed — during the 24 hours since we sent out the last email alert asking for your help in getting SB 167 over the finish line.
We are grateful for all the help you’ve provided to propel SB 167 to victory in the Senate. Without you, the issue would have died last year. Again, we ask you (if you have any energy left!) to contact the Governor, the members of the House Education Committee, and your own representatives to ask them to support the Senate version of SB 167, not the House substitute version. This is the last push we can make to reclaim a bill that truly restores Georgia educational sovereignty and student privacy.
SB 167- Senate version
SB167_LC344241- House Substitute 3-10-14