Following in the footsteps of Houston ISD, which hastily admitted its error, the Denton Independent School District has started sending notices to parents of children who did not pass the 5th grade STAAR reading informing those parents that their children will be required to attend summer school if they do not pass the second administration […]
TPERN Responds to Houston ISD Warning Letter
The Houston Chronicle recently published an article noting that Houston ISD had sent a warning letter to parents who opted out of STAAR assessment. The letter was full of legal and factual errors, but was also notable for its blatant declaration that mandatory summer school awaits all kids who have opted out of STAAR. This […]
TPERN Chair Interviewed on KLBJ-AM
Five Responses When The School Says 26.010 Means You Can’t Opt Out
It’s that time of year. Schools are sending around copies of Tex. Ed. Code sec. 26.010, accusing Opt Out groups of misleading parents, and trying to coerce people into subjecting their kids to assessments. Don’t be a sheep. The TEA’s interpretation of Tex. Education Code sec. 26.010 has never been affirmed by any court. This is […]
Ten Common Mistakes Parents Make During the IEP Meeting
. . . It is important that parents become informed and involved in their child’s education. There are many sources of information and support in your state. However, the more skills you have and the more information you learn, the better you can advocate for your child. Over the past few years we have found that […]
Was Your Child Forcibly Tested?
We have received a disturbing number of reports of students being forced to complete the makeup STAAR via lies and coercion. We know that schools are required to offer the assessment to the child, but several reports have come in that the child refused the assessment and was told “you can’t write refused on it.” […]
Principal Issues Threats Contrary to Law
The hypocrisy of the schools in their campaign to intimidate parents into subjecting their kids to the STAAR assessment is truly remarkable. Any outside observers would have to be left scratching their heads. On the one hand, schools tell parents, sometimes in forceful, nasty letters, that the law does not let parents refuse the STAAR, […]
TEA Responds to Letter re Social Media Monitoring
In response to TPERN’s inquiry, the Texas Education Agency has provided the following information. It is reprinted below, but Pearson is not required to monitor social media by contract, and the TEA does not ask them to do so. The TEA does monitor public social media. The TEA did not disclose whether Pearson engages in […]
Schools: STOP THE LIES
I’ve had it. I am tired of parents reporting threats and intimidation tactics by schools that are nothing but lies. At first I tried to give the teachers and administrators the benefit of the doubt and think they must just be misinformed. But the reports are coming so hot and so heavy that I am […]
A Great Refusal Letter
Here is refusal letter a mom from GPISD shared with us! I’d love to see how the school responds to this! Dear (school name protected) Administrators and Teachers: My name is [parent name]. I’m a mother of a 5th grader in GPISD. It was suggested to me that I contact you to discuss my concerns […]