Polis Lauds Senate for Introduction of Strong Reforms to Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Statement

Representative Polis (D-CO) issued the following statement in response to the Senate introduction of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act:

"I applaud Senator Harkin's introduction of a strong comprehensive bill to reform the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) today. In particular, I am pleased that the bill sets strong accountability standards that include measuring student growth and focuses on supporting states and districts in turning around low-performing schools and closing achievement gaps. I also wholeheartedly support the bill's commitment to maximizing the impact of every federal dollar spent by expanding investment in high-quality charter schools that are serving students and families. There are 600,000 students on charter school wait lists nationally who cannot wait for access to high quality schools, and this bill is a step in the right direction. I am also excited that the Student Non-Discrimination Act as introduced by Senator Franken today is also included in the Senate's Early Childhood Education Act (ESEA) for the first time, which would ensure that LGBT students are protected against bullying and harassment in schools. I look forward to working with the House Education and Workforce Committee to include similar provisions, as well as to adopt the president's universal prekindergarten initiative, as we move towards a much-overdue bipartisan reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act."

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