US SENATOR JOHN KENNEDY, GOV-ELECT JEFF LANDRY, AND KEY LEGISLATORS DENOUNCE EDUCATION SWAMP LEADERS ON RULE CHANGES TO DESTROY LOUISIANA’S GRADUATION STANDARDS
“The people behind this should hold their head in a bag.” Those were the words spoken by U.S. Senator John Kennedy on the floor of the Senate earlier this week in reference to a rule change proposed by education swamp leaders back in Louisiana to give graduation diplomas to high school students—even if they failed the required graduation exit exam.
Kennedy condemns proposal to lower graduation standards for Louisiana students.
“This rule change represents what President George Bush called the soft bigotry of low expectations. It’s got no place in this country, and no place in my state,” Kennedy continued.
“I am embarrassed by this. I am embarrassed that people who are a part of the education establishment in Louisiana are telling the rest of the world, ‘Our kids aren’t good enough. They can’t learn, so we’re going to give them a diploma that’s not really a diploma’…. We’re going to turn this rule back. We’re going to put our kids first, not the adults,” he concluded.
As it turns out, Senator Kennedy was not alone in his criticism of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary (BESE), the government body made up of elected and appointed officials, that championed the ridiculous rule change.
Governor-elect Jeff Landry also took issue with the proposed watering down of Louisiana’s graduation requirements. In an op-ed published in newspapers across the state, he wrote, “[E]very time we lower standards for our children, we harm them. And I am willing to wager that if a student is able to graduate without being able to reach the most basic levels of proficiency in reading and arithmetic, they will fail in their career endeavors — resulting in many inevitably falling into a life of crime or addiction.”
In addition, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley issued a statement declaring, “[This] policy bad for Louisiana. At its core, it signals that our education system is incapable of providing—and students are unable to attain—a minimum standard of proficiency in required subjects. We should continue the exploration and expansion of academic support options for students, not impose a government-sanctioned excuse for mediocrity.”
Dr. Erin Bendily with the Pelican Institute, Brian Davis with the LA Association of Business and Industry, and Kelli Bottger with the education advocacy group Yes. Every kid. testify before the House Education Committee to oppose BESE’s rule change to gut Louisiana’s graduation standards.
Finally, today, the Louisiana House Education Committee held a rare oversight hearing to consider the issue.
During public testimony, Dr. Erin Bendily, Vice President of Policy with the Pelican Institute, summed up the issue perfectly, “This rule change signals to our students that we don’t believe in them or believe they’re worth our time or energy to help them truly succeed, said. “With this policy, many students who have not been able to demonstrate learning above a middle school level of education would be deemed ‘college and career ready’ and awarded a diploma based on a teacher assigned subjectively-graded project… This is not the way to help our students, and it’s certainly not the way to move Louisiana’s economy forward.”
Indeed, watering down Louisiana’s already very lax graduation standards is not the way forward. Fortunately, common sense ruled the room today.
After nearly five hours of public testimony from outraged parents, teachers, and policy experts, the committee voted 8-3 to overturn it. Now it’s up to Governor John Bel Edwards, who is on his way out the door, to decide what happens next.
For the sake of Louisiana and its future, let’s pray he was listening today and will do the right thing.