Parent trigger laws
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Parent trigger laws are laws that permit parents of students in local schools to initiate serious changes in school operations. This is usually done by signing a petition asking for a particular measure to be carried out by the school. If the majority of parents in a district sign the petition, the school is obligated to grant the request. Petitions are only drafted to improve schools that are experiencing performance shortcomings. Since the first parent trigger law was passed by California in 2010, there have been a handful of controversial events, with many school districts and parents for and against the practice.[1][2][3]
Trigger laws in the states
As of November 2014, seven states had, at some point, enacted parent trigger laws: California, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. With the exception of Connecticut, all of these states require that schools be underperforming or otherwise falling short of their educational responsibilities before accepting any petitions. Petitions must also be signed by over half of all parents in the school district in question.[4]
California
California's parent trigger law states that the school in question must fail to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) for at least three years, and be classified as "in corrective status" for at least one year under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). If these criteria are met, at least half of all parents with students, who are either in the school or will be progressing into that school, must sign a petition asking the school board to adopt a new strategy. California law describes several acceptable strategies, especially those listed as "corrective actions" in NCLB. This can include replacing low-performing staff, conversion to a charter school, or school closure. If none of those measures are selected, the school board may choose an alternate plan.[4]
In 2013 parent trigger laws in California garnered significant attention when the Adelanto school district approved the first parent-recommended measures to aid a failing school. These measures elected a local charter school operator to take control of the public school district. Parent Revolution, a separate nonprofit advocacy organization, organized efforts to pass these measures after failing to pass similar measures for another California school district.[5]
Connecticut
Connecticut passed a law in 2010 that gave parents legal grounds to recommend turnaround plans in low-performing schools. However, in 2012, an additional law was passed, giving the state's education commissioner the power to take direct control of those schools. Proponents of parent triggers believe that this law was passed to undermine parents' power in schools, while opponents feel the newer law helps prevent charter schools from gaining unearned ground.[2][6]
Indiana
Indiana's parent trigger law, passed in 2011, only permits parents to propose that a school be converted into a charter school. The petition proposing such actions can only be recognized if 51 percent of all parents in the district sign the petition within 90 days of its first signature. If these signatures are gathered, the school board of the district in question must still approve the conversion. A school can only be recommended for conversion if it has been classified as "low-performing" for at least two years, but is not already scheduled for closure.[2]
Louisiana
In 2012 Louisiana passed its parent trigger law. This law allows parents to draft a petition which, if signed by the majority of parents in the district, can recommend a school be transferred into the state's "recovery school district," or RSD. This district is a state-run school district that works towards improving low-performing schools. As in Indiana, the school board of the district in question must still approve the petition, regardless of how many signatures it receives. A school district can only be recommended for this transfer if it receives a "D" or "F" grade from the state's school ranking system for three consecutive years. One concern about this law is that it does not allow parents to make petitions to move charter schools into the RSD. This is a great concern for many in Louisiana, as it doesn't give parents any power to help charter schools that receive "D" or "F" grades.[2][7]
Mississippi
Mississippi passed its parent trigger law in 2012. This law grants parents the power to draft a petition that, if signed by the majority of parents in the district, can recommend a school be converted into a charter school. A school can only be considered for this plan if it has been graded as "low-performing" for three consecutive years. The conversion plan must be created at the time of the petition's creation, and must be submitted alongside the petition when completed. The law does not give the state any other options if the conversion proposal is rejected.[2]
Ohio
Ohio's 2011 parent trigger law gives parents the ability to draft petitions recommending changes for schools in the lowest 5 percent performance rankings for three consecutive years in the Columbus school district. The petition must be signed by the majority of parents with students who are either in the school, or who will likely be entering into the school soon. The law allows for one of the following measures to be recommended, should the petition be granted:
- Conversion to a charter school.
- Replacement of up to 70 percent of a school's faculty if that faculty is related to the school's low performance.
- Control of school operations may be given over to the state department.
- The school may partner with another school district, nonprofit or for-profit charter management organization to receive guidance.[2]
The state board must approve all proposals. However, if parents choose to give control of school operations to the state, the state may refuse and propose an alternate plan. If the state does not approve the first proposal, parents may also appeal with an alternative plan. The state must also review the school's progress each year, recommending improvements as the plan progresses.[2]
Texas
In 2011, Texas passed its parent trigger law. This law gives parents in a given school district the ability to draft a petition with the intent of improving a low-performing school. The school in question must be classified as "low-performing" for a minimum of three consecutive years. If the majority of parents with students in that school sign the petition, one of three plans can be proposed: conversion to a charter school, replacement of that school's administrative officers, or school closure. Once the plan is proposed, the local school board can agree and submit that plan to the state education commissioner. If the school board does not agree, its officials may propose an alternative plan. The commissioner must order the action proposed by the parents unless the school board offers a different measure. In that case, the commissioner may choose whichever seems to serve the school best.[2]
See also
External link
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. News Debate Club, "Is there a need for parent trigger laws," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 National Conference of State Legislatures, "State parent trigger laws," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Parent trigger law at LAUSD," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "State parent trigger laws (2012)," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "High desert charter school first success for parent trigger law," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ EAGNews.org, "Connecticut’s new education reform law leaving parents out in the cold," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑ NOLA.com, "Bobby Jindal signs RSD parent trigger bill into law," accessed November 19, 2014
