Tag Archives: HB542

NH? Hate Common Core? Here’s a Solution

Common Core Math

Everyone has now seen examples of this kind of nonsense showing up in Common Core math homework. Either they’ve seen this on the Internet or maybe in their child’s backpack.

IF your children are suffering through Common Core because Governor Hassan is ignoring parents, there is another option for you. REPLACE the text book your school is using, with a better one.

HB542 was passed a few years ago giving parents the option of replacing objectionable materials assigned to their children. Your local school should have a policy in place.

You can replace objectionable materials at your expense. A good used math text book online will cost about $10 and it will be the best $10 you ever spent. We already have parents in New Hampshire doing this.

Parents have purchased traditional math text books for their children after seeing the garbage coming home that is now aligned to Common Core. They know this nonsense is killing any chance of their children learning math. Some parents have turned to tutoring services but there is another solution and that’s to replace the materials.

Check your local policy and then check with home-schoolers on what they use. Since home-school moms know how to choose quality materials for their kids, they could be your best resource. Yes, that means moms often times do a better job of choosing math and grammar books than the Curriculum Coordinators earning six figure salaries in your local public school.

Take your traditional text book to your teacher and let them know you are exercising your right to replace the Common Core book with a quality textbook based on HB542. Ask that your child work on real math problems during math class while the rest of the kids are wasting time on Common Core nonsense.

What are some good suggestions for a quality text book?
Saxon Math (the OLD series)
Singapore Math (the real Singapore not the fake one called Math in Focus)
Algebra : Any text book written by Mary Dolciani
Geometry: Jurgensen or Jacobs
Shurley Grammar
Look for a Great Books List for quality classical literature

Parents should be able to help their kids but if they do need additional help, there are online resources like Khan Academy they can use for free.

The best thing to do is to look at what home-school parents are using. You will see a difference. Their materials are relatively inexpensive and you can often times find used textbooks online for a nominal amount.

Parental RIGHTS Under Attack By Nashua Teacher

A Nashua teacher wants to undermine PARENTAL RIGHTS and eliminate the OPT OUT of objectionable materials in public school law. She’s working with the AFT union to ELIMINATE a law which protects parental rights.

Ultimately, these decisions should come from the parents. We’ve seen enough examples where teachers and schools exchange real science instruction for political indoctrination.

We encourage parents to engage their school administrators and teachers in an honest discussion on all subject material, however the decision still needs to be made by the parents.

In this case, the student remained in the class but the teacher still wants to remove the rights of the parents to be the one who makes this decision. That’s WRONG.

RSA 186-11 IX-c. Requires school districts to adopt a policy allowing an exception to specific course material based on a parent’s or legal guardian’s determination that the MATERIAL is OBJECTIONABLE. Such policy shall include a provision requiring the parent or legal guardian to notify the school principal or designee in writing of the specific material to which they object and a provision requiring an alternative agreed upon by the school district and the parent, at the parent’s expense, sufficient to enable the child to meet state requirements for education in the particular subject area. The name of the parent or legal guardian and ANY SPECIFIC REASONS disclosed to school officials for the objection to the material SHALL NOT BE PUBLIC INFORMATION and shall be excluded from access under RSA 91-A.

Maybe it’s time for a PARENTS UNION? Please reach out Ms. Miller and tell her parents rights trump hers. millera@nashua.edu

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1061171-469/focus-on-evolution-climate-change-earn-nashua.html

Focus on evolution, climate change earn Nashua teacher adventure trip through Grand Canyon

By TINA FORBES

Staff Writer

NASHUA – A focus on teaching evolution helped a Nashua High School North science teacher win one of two scholarships in the country for an eight-day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon.

Alyson Miller was awarded the scholarship by the National Center for Science Education along with a teacher in Fresno, Calif.

Miller said she was motivated last year after she had a student whose parents wanted her to opt out of learning about evolution in a high school biology class.

“Taking out evolution is like taking the tree trunk out of a tree,” Miller said. “You’re just left with a pile of leaves.”

Although the student ultimately didn’t leave her class, the policy allowing parents to opt students out of lessons they deem objectionable is state law: Chapter 186:11 IX-C.

“I couldn’t believe this law existed,” said Miller, who said she started looking into the law. She said although it appeared to be prompted by parental objection to sex education in health class, the language allows it to be applied to any course material if parents consider it objectionable.

This year, Miller secured the American Federation of Teacher-Leader grant designed to help teachers make policy changes and began working on finding a way to repeal the law. She’s working with an AFT lawyer to explore how to amend the law now.

“I’m looking to see if the policy has been used, how many times and if it’s been used in a science classroom,” she said.

Miller connected with the NCSE while researching the opt-out policy.

“The National Center for Science Education is kind of a ‘go to’ place for science leaders when you have a question on evolution or climate change,” Miller said. “They were so helpful. They sent back a whole lot of information.”

Miller noticed a posting for the Grand Canyon scholarship.

“I thought that would be really motivating, and a win-win. If I didn’t win the trip, I’d have a lesson plan really finely tuned,” she said, referring to the lesson plan she developed for the application.

Miller has been brushing up on geology in preparation for the trip, although she said experiencing science through nature is the best lesson.

“I’m thrilled to be learning about it,” she said. “I just really would like to bring back to my students something interesting.”

Read the rest of the article by clicking here

NH Parents, You Can Request Replacing Common Core Curriculum

HB 542 was passed a few years ago in New Hampshire.  Below is the law parents can cite when requesting a change in materials that are assigned to their children.

If your child is not learning from the academic content the school is providing, please consider requesting a change in the materials.

For instance, if your district is using the confusing Common Core Math, we would suggest looking at alternatives.  Search for old Saxon Math textbooks for sale.  Often times you can find them relatively cheap.  The REAL Singapore Primary Math US Edition and Singapore
Primary Math Standards Edition could also be a good alternative.  (NOT Math in Focus)

Shurley Grammar books are great for teaching children the basics.

Look for “Good Books” lists.
Here is one from a Christian online resource.

If the school is assigning Common Core materials, maybe it’s time for parents who pay the taxes to start utilizing the law and requesting an alternative.

What should the average child learn at each grade level?  You can print off the Scope and Sequence from Core Knowledge here.

Check your local school district policy based on this New Hampshire Law:
RSA 186:11 – IX-c. Require school districts to adopt a policy allowing an exception to specific course material based on a parent’s or legal guardian’s determination that the material is objectionable. Such policy shall include a provision requiring the parent or legal guardian to notify the school principal or designee in writing of the specific material to which they object and a provision requiring an alternative agreed upon by the school district and the parent, at the parent’s expense, sufficient to enable the child to meet state requirements for education in the particular subject area. The name of the parent or legal guardian and any specific reasons disclosed to school officials for the objection to the material shall not be public information and shall be excluded from access under RSA 91-A.

Side note: Senators Soucy and D’Allesandro TRIED to repeal this law but did not succeed.
That would have been a disaster for parents.

 

Senators Soucy & D’Allesandro DO NOT Respect Parental Rights

PARENTS in GOFFSTOWN/MANCHESTER/LITCHFIELD: there is an option IF your child is assigned Common Core curriculum that is objectionable. HB542 was a law passed a few years ago that allows a parent to REPLACE objectionable materials if they are assigned to their child.

The basis of this law was so that parents could replace a book that was assigned that might contain pornographic material, or any material that the parent found objectionable.

We know of one parent who has used this law to replace the MATH program his child was using at a NH public school.

Now his children are using a traditional math book that teaches his kids real math without the confusing and developmentally INappropriate math concepts.

IS is an option worth considering if needed.

WE also want to make you aware that Senators Soucy and D’Allesandro BOTH co-Sponsored legislation to REPEAL this law and take that RIGHT away from parents. Luckily that Bill was killed in the Senate after a few parents showed up and testified against it.

YES, that’s RIGHT BOTH SENATORS: D’ALLESANDRO AND SOUCY TRIED TO TAKE AWAY A PARENT’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE BETTER MATERIAL FOR THEIR CHILDREN.

IF you live in Manchester, there are options when you vote on Nov. 4th. The challengers to Soucy and D’Allesandro OPPOSE Common Core and knowing the history of the current senators, it would be best to REPLACE them in Concord.

Check out George Lambert and Eileen Landies who are both running for those Senate seats. The last thing we need is to send back two sitting senators who do NOT respect the rights of parents. We need Senators to STAND UP for our kids.