House Bill 50, which would allow parent opt-out of the Smarter Balanced Assessment, will be on the floor of the Delaware House of Representatives either next week or the week after. And this is coming from the Delaware Speaker of the House Pete Schwartzkopf. I will certainly let you know once it is on any agenda. But I need your help!

Please email your Delaware State Representative, not once, but twice, or even a third time. Call them as well. They need to know you support this bill, because at the end of the day, it is the people of Delaware they serve, not the Governor, not the DOE, and not the many corporate business entities in our state that opposed the bill yesterday. Let your legislator know that WE ARE DELAWARE! Let them know you want your email to be a part of the public record. Let them know that parent rights are more important than test scores. Because at the end of the day, that is all your child is to those who would test them incessantly with the Smarter Balanced Assessment: they are a test score and data, and the scores and data they receive will NOT help your child. They won’t even get the data until after your child has left their grade level. And do not believe for one second the hollow threats about Federal funding cuts because there is no law or regulation in Delaware or on a Federal level which would allow any Federal funding to be cut in regards to parent opt-out.

Let these legislators know you believe in the right of parents to determine what is best for YOUR child. Your child is not owned by the state. I would not go into Mark Murphy or Governor Markell’s house and tell them what is best for their child, and I do not expect them to do the same with mine. Even if you think the Smarter Balanced Assessment is the best test in the world, this is about a parent’s right. If you believe in school choice for your child, that is also a parental right. WE ARE DELAWARE!

Delaware House of Representatives

District 1: Charles Potter Jr., email: Charles.Potter@state.de.us

District 2: Stephanie T. Bolden, email: StephanieT.Bolden@state.de.us

District 3: Helene M. Keeley, email: helene.keeley@state.de.us

District 4: Gerald L. Brady, email: gerald.brady@state.de.us

District 5: Melanie George Smith, email: melanie.g.smith@state.de.us

District 6: Debra J. Heffernan, email: debra.heffernan@state.de.us

District 7: Bryon H. Short, email: Bryon.Short@state.de.us

District 8: S. Quinton Johnson, email: Quinton.Johnson@state.de.us

District 9: Kevin S. Hensley, email: Kevin.Hensley@state.de.us

District 10: Sean Matthews, email: sean.matthews@state.de.us

District 11: Jeffrey N. Speigelman, email: jeff.speigelman@state.de.us

District 12: Deborah Hudson, email: Deborah.Hudson@state.de.us

District 13: John L. Mitchell, Jr., email: john.l.mitchell@state.de.us

District 14: Peter C. Schwartzkopf, email: Peter.Schwartzkopf@state.de.us

District 15: Valerie Longhurst, email: Valerie.Longhurst@state.de.us

District 16: James Johnson, email: jj.johnson@state.de.us

District 17: Michael P. Mulrooney, email: Michael.Mulrooney@state.de.us

District 18: Michael A. Barbieri, email: michael.barbieri@state.de.us

District 19: Kimberly Williams, email: kimberly.williams@state.de.us

District 20: Stephen T. Smyk, email: Steve.Smyk@state.de.us

District 21: Michael Ramone, email: Michael.Ramone@state.de.us

District 22: Joseph E. Miro, email: joseph.miro@state.de.us

District 23: Paul S. Baumbach, email: paul.baumbach@state.de.us

District 24: Edward S. Osienski, email: Edward.Osienski@state.de.us

District 25: John A. Kowalko Jr., email: john.kowalko@state.de.us

District 26: John J. Viola, email: John.Viola@state.de.us

District 27: Earl G. Jacques Jr., email: Earl.Jacques@state.de.us

District 28: William J. Carson, email: william.carson@state.de.us

District 29: W. Charles “Trey” Paradee III, email: trey.paradee@state.de.us

District 30: William R. “Bobby” Outten, email: bobby.outten@state.de.us

District 31: Sean M. Lynn, email: Sean.Lynn@state.de.us

District 32: Andria L. Bennett, email: andria.bennett@state.de.us

District 33: Harold J. Peterman, email: jack.peterman@state.de.us

District 34: Lyndon D. Yearick, email: Lyndon.Yearick@state.de.us

District 35: David L. Wilson, email: David.L.Wilson@state.de.us

District 36: Harvey R. Kenton, email: Harvey.Kenton@state.de.us

District 37: Ruth Briggs King, email: Ruth.BriggsKing@state.de.us

District 38: Ronald E. Gray, email: Ronald.Gray@state.de.us

District 39: Daniel B. Short, email: Daniel.Short@state.de.us

District 40: Timothy D. Dukes, email: Timothy.Dukes@state.de.us

District 41: Richard G. Collins, email: Richard.G.Collins@state.de.us

As well, please sign this petition, and this will be presented to every single Delaware State Representative prior to the meeting. The link says House Education Committee, but the wording has been changed to represent the FULL House vote. Please sign the petition!