Yippee! Hip-Hip-Hooray!!! (Sarc ON!)

Yippee!  Hip-Hip-Hooray!!!

Today, your Kansas Senate moves to GROW GOVERNMENT!!!

Today, your Kansas Senate moves to INFUSE MORE GOVERNMENT into more private entities!

Today, your Kansas Senate moves to INFUSE MORE GOVERNMENT into the individual lives of kids!

Awesome!!!

Led by Chair Sen. Molly Baumgardner and Vice Chair Sen. Renee Erickson, the Senate Education committee feeling it “necessary” to get as many bills passed out of Committee as soon as possible got their part done!  SB61 was moved quickly through and passed out of committee; recommended to be passed by the Senate!

Isn’t it wonderful?!

Those things and people that are “necessary” get such attention!

Those things and people that are “necessary” get rushed handling!

All the while, the legislature HAS NOT felt the “necessity” of moving quickly to unchain your life from all its mandated restrictions and government tracking!

And, WAIT, your Kansas House will also be moving to GROW GOVERNMENT!!!

Led by Chair Rep. Kristey Williams, the House K-12 Education Budget committee has ALSO recommended passage of SB61’s counterpart, bill HB2068!  The House Education committee is working hard as well to GROW GOVERNMENT!

MORE GOVERNMENT REGULATION of private schools!!!

MORE KIDS being included in GOVERNMENT accountability reports and achievement reports!!!

Congratulations, Kansas legislature!

The people of Kansas cannot THANK YOU enough for RUSHING to EXTEND the SHUTDOWN of our lives – AND – GROW more GOVERNMENT!

We can’t wait to see how quickly the Rep. Kristey William’s K-12 Education Budget committee can pass HB2119.  It’s even MORE GOVERNMENT!

CALL TO ACTION ON HB2159

CALL the CHAIR Phone: 785-296-7488
Email: brenda.landwehr@house.ks.gov

and VICE-CHAIR Phone: 785 296-8621
Email: John.Eplee@house.ks.gov

of the Health and Human Services committee and express your high displeasure with their hearing of HB2159 – a bill SPONSORED BY the committee.

Once again, PARENT AUTHORITY and the PROTECTION OF CHILDREN’S DATA is being ATTACKED.

HB2159 — AN ACT concerning schools; relating to the student data privacy act; certain tests, questionnaires, surveys and examinations; permitting the administration thereof on an opt-out basis; providing conditions therefor; amending K.S.A. 72-6316 and repealing the existing section.  hb2159_00_0000.pdf (kslegislature.org)

Sponsored by the committee on Health and Human Services.

Chaired by Rep Brenda Landwehr

Vice Chaired by Rep John Eplee

Two years ago, in 2019, this EXACT bill (HB2361) to DIMINISH parent authority and EXPAND counselling and mental health personnel authority was heard by the Committee on Children and Seniors, chaired by Rep Susan Concannon and vice-chaired by Rep Susan Humphries.  In 2018, a very similar bill (SB389) was heard in the Senate Education committee chaired by Sen Molly Baumgardner.

HB2159:

·        Seeks to CHANGE the authority to administer surveys FROM an affirmative consent on the part of the parent TO a parent only being able to opt out.

·        Seeks to CHANGE the complete authority for the decision to participate in the survey FROM the parent TO an innate assumption of participation, UNLESS a student having been notified that participation is voluntary elects to not participate, OR a parent, upon notification elects to opt out.

·        Seeks to EXPAND the authority of school employees to provide services (which automatically include the administration of tests and forms) to a student WITHOUT the KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT of the parent, via the ADDED INCLUSION of the services of SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS with those of counselors.

·        Promotes and END-RUN AROUND PARENT AUTHORITY.

The provisions in this bill would allow for the administration of the Kansas Communities That Care (KCTC) Student Survey.  Sec 1.(a)(1) of HB2159 provides that a survey does not “record, request or solicit a student to provide any personally identifiable student data.”  If you look an actual copy of the KCTC survey, you will find numerous personally identifying points of data.  And, especially when these data points are considered in combination with one another, you most certainly do have the ability to personally identify survey participants.

ü  This bill DIMINISHES PARENT AUTHORITY

ü  This bill removes strong reverence and respect for parent authority and replaces it with a weakened nod to parent authority; replaces ACTIVE parent authority with PASSIVE parent authority.

ü  There is NO provision in this bill requiring an ACTUAL COPY of the test, questionnaire, or survey be provided to the parent as a part of the initial notification.

ü  This bill allows an END-RUN around parent authority via school counseling services.

ü  This bill does not represent, affirm, or protect the personal private intellectual data of students.

ü  This bill SUBJUGATES INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS to the purported premise of the benefit or need of THE COMMUNITY.

Terrible Bill–HB2119–Read More Here

Have we had enough GOVERNMENT intrusion in and control of our lives in this last year?

Did Kansans not show up and elect people to the legislature who campaigned on reducing the government’s stranglehold on our lives?

Have Kansas parents not shown up numerous times to demand schools be fully open?

Well, thus far, the legislature has managed to EXTEND the “state of emergency.”  How many days did it take for newly elected legislators to walk back their campaign rhetoric and VOTE to continue the infringements of our individual rights?  “Just two more months” of your life.  No problem!  Right?

Instead … legislators have been busy rushing hearings on bills to GROW GOVERNMENT.

Instead of – first and foremost – doing everything they could to end the attack on our lives and livelihoods.

Instead of – first and foremost – doing everything they could to fulfill their oath to uphold the Constitution, protecting and defending our individual liberties.

Instead … legislators FIRST ACTED to tell the people they could continue on in the same “shut down” “emergency” mode, while ….

Instead … legislators have been busy AS USUAL bringing all their lobbyist bills to continue GROWING GOVERNMENT, “managing” our little lives.

The legislature has done nothing to “fix” the schools it funds – apparently the schools at which kids are “failing.”

Parents and kids are TIRED of the “choices” many have been forced to make.

–        Remote / Hybrid / In-person

–        All the on-line time

–        Masks / screening protocols

–        Quarantining

–        Contact tracing invasion of privacy

–        Reduced or eliminated activities

–        Restrictions on families being able to enter schools and attend activities

So, instead of fixing their own public school mess, legislators are working hard to allow GOVERNMENT funding to be moved from public schools (along with the strings – SHACKLES – that GOVERNMENT monies have afforded the “failing” public schools) to homeschools and private schools.

The legislators have done such a terrific job with public schools that they fund, they want to see what they can do with their GOVERNMENT money “attached to/following” a child.

“Money following the child” = the GOVERNMENT following the child.

“Money following the child” = the GOVERNMENT’s DIRECT ATTACHMENT to your child.

“Money following the child” = the GOVERNMENT directly ENJOINED to your child.

Every kid that is “eligible:”

–        “Gets” his very own GOVERNMENT account, set up and monitored by the GOVERNMENT

–        “Gets” his account funded by the GOVERNMENT

o   Welfare check?

o   Why not have a “base” state housing allowance for EVERYONE?

o   Why not a “living wage” for all?

–        “Gets” a “base” government education allowance to “choose” where he “gets” his government education.

–        “Gets” to have reports regarding his ESA “bank” account prepared for state agencies.

“Money following the child” = the GOVERNMENT’s DIRECT ATTACHMENT to your child.

Even non-“eligible” kids in nonpublic schools accepting “eligible” kids “gets” the same GOVERNMENT education.  With the school having to comply with GOVERNMENT guidelines, programming, reporting,, and oversight, they will correspondingly be included.  Your “non-eligible” child will be nonetheless entangled in the same strings.  Sorry, parents.  Some of you who made the TRUE CHOICE and financial sacrifice to send your child to a privately funded nonpublic school will just have to understand.

AND, schools “win” too!                                                                                                         

–        Homeschoolers and nonpublic schools “get” access to GOVERNMENT monies

–        Homeschoolers and nonpublic schools “get” to comply with GOVERNMENT guidelines

–        Homeschoolers and nonpublic schools “get” to meet GOVERNMENT education qualifications

–        Homeschoolers and nonpublic schools “get” access to special program monies

–        Homeschoolers and nonpublic schools “get” to report to the GOVERNMENT

–        Homeschoolers and nonpublic schools “get” to be overseen by GOVERNMENT

–        Homeschoolers and nonpublic schools “get” to be audited by the GOVERNMENT

–        Homeschoolers and nonpublic schools “get” to defend themselves against any ways they don’t comply with GOVERNMENT directives

This bill is NOT free market.  It POISONS the market.  The “coupon”/account with the GOVERNMENT money for the child becomes the NEW NORMAL – permanent government education.  The GOVERNMENT  “coupon”/account offers vast powers of control over the entire education system.  It COMPROMISES homeschools and private schools, and UNDERCUTS public schools.

This bill brings more kids under ONE-TO-ONE GOVERNMENT monitoring and control.

This is confirmed by legislators stating, we have to give kids and option, “even if it has strings.”

Two see just how many STRINGS and “freedom” the legislature is rushing to “give” you, look at this 20-PAGE! “school choice” bill (HB2119).  hb2119_00_0000.pdf (kslegislature.org)  It’s being heard today in the House K-12 Education Budget committee meeting at 3:30pm.

20 PAGES of “FREEDOM”!!!!  Not!

We’ve also conveniently started parsing the details of HB2119.  Go here to see where the legislature you worked hard to elect is focusing its energy.  You know … rather than ending things like “states of emergency.”