HB 358: Protecting the Privacy of Public School Students
This bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously. Libertas Institute supports this bill. Throughout Utah, public schools are using computer services that collect and store information about or input by a student. This...
HB 164: Undermining Parental Rights in Education
This bill was held in committee, not receiving a full vote by the legislature. Libertas Institute opposes this bill. Under current law, a student’s computer adaptive tests results—used to measure performance throughout the...
The 2016 Real State of the State
Last night, Governor Gary Herbert addressed government officials and members of the public to deliver his annual “State of the State” address. He touched on job creation, education, air quality, self-reliance, and...
Federal “Family Engagement” Plans
The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services have issued a draft policy statement calling for “family engagement” and “including” parents as “partners” in the education and...
Parents and public left out of the education policy loop
The following op-ed was published this weekend in the Salt Lake Tribune. It is a condensed version of a letter sent to members of the Administrative Rules Review Committee last week. Utah law affirms that “the state’s role is...
Utah Attorney General’s Office Seeks to Dismiss Common Core Lawsuit
One year ago, Libertas Institute announced a lawsuit against the State Board of Education over its adoption of Common Core, alleging that the Board had violated two laws in so doing—both of which dealt with public notice and...
NEA’s Opposition to Homeschooling Not Based on Fact
In 2009, the long-time lawyer for the National Education Association (NEA), Bob Chanin, gave a farewell speech to a crowd of thousands of assembled delegates at the organization’s annual conference. In a moment of startling...
Per Pupil Spending in Utah: The Wrong Measure of Success
Each summer, local media outlets produce stories about the level of per pupil spending in Utah, pointing out that Utah comes in last place across the country in per-pupil funding. These stories aren’t really news since...
The Criminality of Truancy from Public School
Sam Giles, a young student in Georgia, missed a few days of school beyond what the law considered acceptable, and as a result, his mother was arrested. Julie, who works as a substitute teacher, notes that “Sam originally...
SB204: Making More Explicit a Parent’s Right to Opt a Child out of Testing
This bill passed the Senate 18-6 and passed the House 54-19. It was subsequently signed into law by Governor Herbert. Libertas Institute supports this bill. As revealed in our recent interview with a Utah mother, schools...