Rep. Sara Jacobs Votes Against H.R. 5
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51) voted against H.R. 5, which would increase book bans and censorship while undermining local control and teacher autonomy. The congresswoman’s two amendments to the bill, which were ultimately not adopted, would have eliminated an unfunded mandate requiring schools to print professional development and curriculum materials at zero cost and eliminate an unnecessary provision permitting parents and guardians to review professional development materials for educators.
Watch Rep. Sara Jacobs’ Floor Speech Here
Speaking about H.R. 5 and her amendment, which would eliminate an unfunded mandate requiring schools to print professional development and curriculum materials at zero cost, on the House Floor, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs said:
“I rise today to fight for kids, parents and guardians, and educators in San Diego and across the country. All parents and guardians want for their kids is for them to grow up safe, healthy, and happy, and have the tools needed to confidently and successfully go out into the world. So obviously, they should be involved in their kids’ education and shaping their minds and lives….but H.R. 5 is not the solution.
“I think we can all agree that educators can be some of the most influential people in our kids’ lives. They have the power to inspire life-long learning. They can help foster creativity and curiosity and teach children new information and perspectives. But H.R. 5 fails to value educators. It fails to acknowledge or even address that teachers are overworked and underpaid, fueling the burnout that’s created a nationwide teacher shortage – that was exponentially worsened by the pandemic.
“H.R. 5 fails to address school safety. There have been 322 school shootings this year alone. Just yesterday, there was a shooting at a Denver high school. And by failing to act on gun violence in schools, we’re allowing an entire generation to grow up with so much trauma…the trauma of school shooting drills, of growing up watching school shootings on the news, of wearing bullet-proof backpacks to school and knowing that it could save your life. And yet, H.R. 5 doesn’t even attempt to proactively end the gun violence epidemic at schools - it only permits parents and guardians the right to a notification when violence at a school occurs.
“My colleagues glaze over the causes of real violence at our nation’s schools like proper investments in school-based mental health programs; social, emotional, and cultural competency professional development for educators and administrations; disciplinary measures that eradicate the cradle-to-prison pipeline, and more importantly, gun control measures to ensure that our youth are safe from school shootings.
“We need parents and guardians to be involved in the classroom. Because too often, it’s all on teachers to make up for emotional support, learning, and care in the classroom – that should also be provided at home. But H.R. 5 doesn’t give all parents and guardians the tools for constructive involvement and unfairly empowers a very narrow set to dictate what all students learn about.
“It will open the door to book bans and censorship to control what students learn and read about, neglecting important parts of history like the civil rights movement and learning about people’s identities. It would also mandate schools to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents, violating students’ privacy and potentially exposing them to harm in the process.
“And while I’m thankful that the Rules Committee supported two of my amendments, it’s shameful that they rejected my amendment to ensure that teaching about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism in schools should be taught with the acknowledgment that those actions were immoral. Amid skyrocketing anti-Semitic rhetoric, especially from some of my colleagues in this body, and growing violence targeting the Jewish community, Congress needs to use its power to end hatred and discrimination against Jews. That work starts with our actions and ensuring that “Never Again” is a reality – by teaching about the Holocaust and the lingering hate that still exists today.
“And in the height of irony, this bill even includes a Sense of Congress that all public elementary and secondary school students should have opportunities to learn the history of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism….but that means very little if we’re unwilling to mandate how wrong and immoral those actions were.
“This bill is a disservice to our kids, parents and guardians, teachers, and our future – by not providing kids the tools to be engaged, thoughtful citizens. So we should take the opportunity to improve this bill.
“My amendment eliminates the “at no cost” unfunded mandate embedded within the bill that would require schools – that are already underfunded and under-resourced – to be burdened with printing out professional development and curriculum materials at zero cost. I agree that parents should have access to school curriculums, most of which are already published online.
“However, if my colleagues believe parents should have this right so strongly then they should provide additional funding for school systems to be able to comply. We want all parents and guardians to be involved in the classroom.
“This is a simple, common-sense solution that removes a potentially costly barrier for school systems that are already struggling to maintain their budgets. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to remove the “no cost” provisions in H.R. 5 to bring all parents and guardians to the table for their kids’ learning.
“Parents and guardians should be active participants in kids’ education – but that doesn’t mean we should lose sight of school safety, ending discrimination, supporting teachers, and ensuring a well-rounded curriculum that prepares kids for the future.”
On her amendment to eliminate an unnecessary provision permitting parents and guardians to review professional development materials for educators, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs said:
“We all know that our educators and school districts are overburdened, overworked as well as undervalued and underpaid. H.R. 5 worsens these systemic problems.
“My amendment removes an unnecessary and burdensome provision permitting parents and guardians to review professional development materials for educators. This would impact educators’ and school districts’ already limited time and resources without any positive gains for parents, guardians, and students.
“My colleagues have failed to define what constitutes professional development which ultimately may limit the types of professional development available to educators. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment so we can ensure that educators’ time is directed at enriching our kids’ education and not fulfilling onerous requirements.”
Watch Rep. Sara Jacobs’ Second Floor Speech Here
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