New York Legislature Considering Common Core Parent Refusal Act

A bill was filed in both the New York Assembly and New York Senate if passed would require school districts to notify the parents of students in grades 3rd through 8th either by mail, email or a letter sent home with the child that the student may refuse all state testing provided by Pearson or any testing based on Common Core.

The bill called the Common Core Parent Refusal Act was authored A06025 was authored by Assemblyman James Tedisco (R-Glenville).  It currently has 25 co-sponsors.  An identical companion bill S04161 was filed in the New York Senate by State Senator Terrence Murphy (R-Yorktown) which has six co-sponsors.

Here is the summary of the bill:

Amends Section 305 of the Education Law by adding a new subdivision 51-a which calls upon the Commissioner to ensure that school districts notify parents of students in grades three through eight, either by mail and/or mailed letter, that such students may refuse to participate in all state testing provided by Pearson or any other state testing based on common core standards. Such notification shall
be given no sooner than fourteen days and no later than seven days before the scheduled administration of such testing.

Ensures and outlines a universal notification method be posted on school district websites as well as a universal method for parental response.

Prohibits punitive measures for test refusal against:

• A particular district in the form of withheld state aid.
• A particular school within a district for low participation rates.
• A teacher or consideration when evaluating a teacher’s performance.
• A student, nor a reward for those students who do participate in such
  exams.

Moreover, those students not participating in such exams will be provided alternate educational activity at such times these tests are being administered by virtue of this subdivision.