This document is from October of 2016, filed by the New Hampshire Dept. of Education under the prior Hassan administration.

ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) requires State Departments of Education to submit plans that must be approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education.  Those who supported ESSA didn’t pay attention to the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution because this power is reserved to the states.

In fact we were told that ESSA returned power to the states after going through the disastrous No Child Left Behind era.  In New Hampshire former Representative Frank Guinta was the only New Hampshire Representative who listened to the people and voted against this federal overreach.  Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Kelly Ayotte and Representative Annie Kuster all voted for ESSA.

The feds make it clear what they want states to do and instead of pushing back and saying NO, state Commissioners follow along in order to secure federal $$$$$$$$$$.  It’s always about the money and never about your kids.

This is no exception.  As you read through the document, you can see how it lines up with the federal education agenda in education.

Former NH Commissioner Virginia Barry promises:
Universal pre-K (because full day kindergarten isn’t enough) 25
Data points need to be included in activities for justification 26
Full Day Kindergarten (something being debated in the state budget and in local communities) 30
Social Emotional Screenings (psychological evaluations on your children without your knowledge or consent) 31
Nellie Mae (Community organizing group funded by Gates & the Feds who then tell your schools how to teach with methods that lower literacy rates) 31
Fund school Climate Surveys CDC YRBS (Fund invasive surveys on your child) 31
One database to collect all information 31
Project Based Learning (now we are going to tell teachers how to teach) 32
Mental Health Services in Schools (watch for upcoming information on that) 32
Universal Design for Learning (mapping your child’s brain)
Using more technology to gather student data (exactly what parents do not want) 32
Engage NY and ELA (who decided this? not local communities) 32

The list goes on and on and it’s not good.
Remember, these are the people who tell us they support local control in education.  When did New Hampshire parents push for these kinds of education reforms? NEVER.

The feds prescribe what they want, the former Commissioner worked to ensure all of their requirements are met, and local parents and school board members never realize their control was sold to a federal bureaucracy.   The New Hampshire state bureaucracy under Governor Hassan cared more about federal $$ than what’s best for your children.
Ann Marie Banfield currently volunteers as the Education Liaison for Cornerstone Action in New Hampshire. She has been researching education reform for over a decade and actively supports parental rights, literacy and academic excellence in k-12 schools. You can contact her at: abanfield@nhcornerstone.org