LIBERAL HOUSE AND SENATE REPUBLICANS USURP
PARENTAL AUTHORITY
AND SUBJECT YOUR CHILDREN TO MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING
AND INVASIVE SURVEYS
Minnesota House Education Finance Committee Chairwoman Barb Sykora and
Representative Doug Meslow completely undermined the parental authority
and student privacy rights of Minnesota citizens while composing the
omnibus education finance bill this week. The bill includes every element
of the radical Nanny State that we have warned you about these past
weeks. It includes: the radical, non-academic, Department diversity
training standards (curriculum); screening based on these standards,
including mental health screening of 3 year olds and a data tracking ID
number for three year olds; a big government rating system of childcare
centers; and using tax dollars to put unaccountable private groups in
charge of Minnesotas childcare policy. In addition, one of the few
freedom-affirming provisions to require opt-in parental consent for
invasive, non-academic student surveys was stripped out of the
bill.
The lynchpin of the Nanny State system is the controversial Early
Learning Indicators (curriculum) that define for all parents in Minnesota
what their infants and toddlers -- birth through fiveshould be taught. This de facto curriculum puts the government in
charge of what is normal mental health for babies and toddlers through
social and emotional learning. It indoctrinates kids into the political
agendas of gender identity, diversity training, vocations,
environmentalism, and social activism. This state-defined curriculum for
toddlers and infants will be used for evaluating all Minnesota
kids beginning at three, including their social and emotional (mental)
health. The state will use this curriculum to rate private, religious,
and public child care centers, all early learning programs, and to train
parents in what they should teach their children.
The bill is Article 7 of the House K-12 Omnibus Education Finance and
Policy Bill, HF 872. HF 872 passed out of the Finance
Committee this week, and it goes on to the Ways and Means Committee and
the Tax Committee.
We would expect the liberal-controlled Senate to produce an Early
Childhood bill (SF 1879) that Ready4K and the education
establishment would swoon over. (Wow! This is the first major ray of
hope since Arne Carlson was Governor, Todd Otis from Ready4K gushed in
his testimony last week.) More distressing was their being joined by
Republican Senator Bob Kierlin of Winona to include every element of the
Nanny State: testing, standards, child ID, private and public childcare
rating system, and putting unaccountable private groups in charge
of Minnesotas childcare policy. The Senate, however, thanks to Senators
Betsy Wergin and Sean Nienow, however did include the safeguard of
written, informed parental consent before children can be screened for
mental health. An attempt to remove that safeguard failed in committee
last Friday. ACTION
Please contact:
Rep. Barb Sykora
651-296-4315, House Ed Finance Chair
Rep. Doug Meslow
651-296-5363
Speaker Steve Sviggum
651-296-2273
Sen. Bob Kierlin
651-296-5649
These legislators are supported by voters who expect limited government,
protections of personal and parental authority and family privacy, and
limited taxes. HF 872 and SF 1879 violate all of those principles.
Tell them to remove the Minnesota Department diversity training
standards, the tracking ID number at age 3, and the big government
oversight of childcare centers through a state rating system. Tell them
to remove private groups with a vested interest, such as Ready4K, from
being authorized to create and oversee Minnesotas childcare policy.
Ready4K is funded by wealthy foundations pushing a Nanny State over kids
in states all over the country. Tell them to restore parental consent for
invasive, non-academic student surveys that do mental health screening
and that have children report on the attitudes and habits of their
parents..
Contact Governor Tim Pawlenty, 651- 651-2089. Tell him to insist
on a bill that protects parents, children and families from intrusive
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