Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Veto Threat of Rollback to Education Law

WASHINGTON –Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president and director of policy at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after President Obama threatened to veto the Republican rollback of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act:

“The President should absolutely veto any education reauthorization that strips protections from vulnerable students. 

The House proposal rolls back ESEA’s most effective provisions and would thrust us back to a time when schools could freely choose to ignore students of color, students with disabilities, and English language learners.

We know that when states and school districts collaborate with the federal government, achievement rates go up and students are better served.  But instead of building on what we know works – like state accountability, annual assessments, and transparency – the Kline bill throws the baby out with the bathwater. 

The civil rights community applauds President Obama’s resolve to veto a detrimental education bill.”

Nancy Zirkin is the executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference, visit www.civilrights.org.