While teachers unions across the country routinely may challenge school voucher programs in court, the teachers union in Louisiana, the Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE) has developed a new tactic – bully the schools that accept the vouchers.
The American Federation for Children – the nation’s voice for school choice which is dedicated to empowering families with the ability to take charge of K-12 education choices for their children – today condemned the actions of the LAE.
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In a prepared statement, the federation alleges the LAE is bullying small, private schools.
The Louisiana Board of Education shares the federation’s disgust and urges the bullied schools to “ignore the LAE’s absurd actions.”
Private schools in Louisiana received letters this week from Brian Blackwell of the Blackwell & Associates law firm, which represents the state teachers union.
The letter threatened lawsuits for participating in the school choice program signed into Louisiana law this spring.
That law, part of a comprehensive education improvement project called Louisiana Believes, allows low-income parents the chance to pull their kids out of schools that are rated “C,” “D” or “F” and send them via vouchers to schools maintaining an “A” or “B” rating.
The threatening letter sent to private schools across the state gives each school until this weekend to opt out of accepting funding for low income students, or be sued by the teachers union.
“The LAE union threatens to initiate litigation against individual schools if they do not pledge – in writing … to cease participation in the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence (SSEE) program,” says the American Federation for Children.
“The letter comes despite a judge’s ruling two weeks ago that dismissed a union attempt to get an injunction stopping the program,” officials said.
The LAE union issued a statement saying that the organization had an attorney send the letter to voucher schools asking them to hold off on using money until the legal challenge is complete.
In a press release LAE President Joyce Haynes said that the letter was in no way an attempt at intimidation.
The LAE statement says, “The letter was our way of ensuring that Louisiana students don’t have to pay for the unconstitutional maneuvers made by Gov. Jindal and Superintendent White.”
The letter can be read on the Louisiana Department of Education website, which released the letter to the public along with their statement denouncing it.
Reached by phone today, Joyce Haynes told WND that the LAE intends to follow through with the threat to pursue litigation against schools choosing to spend the state money.
“It’s proven that vouchers don’t improve education,” she told WND
“We are fighting for the 99 percent of families who didn’t apply for scholarships to keep the Department of Education from turning our schools into private businesses.
“We see this law as an attack on public education,” she maintains.
Haynes alleged to WND that John White, who is the superintendent of the Louisiana schools, was brought in from New York specifically to fight this battle for Gov. Jindal.
“He was brought here for everything that has happened to us,” she told WND. “We believe the response seen this week from him was done to intimidate schools into not responding to us.”
White said in a Department of Education statement provided to WND, “Trying to prevent people from doing what’s right for their children is bad enough. Doing it with no basis whatsoever is disgraceful.
“School starts in three weeks. It’s time to put politics behind us and start focusing on our kids,” he said.
Kevin P. Chavous, a senior adviser to the American Federation for Children, denounced the bullying tactics as a remarkably cruel attempt to block children from attending the schools their parents have chosen for them.
“It’s despicable that adults would use the threat of legal action to stop schools from accepting students who desperately want a better education, thereby squashing their dreams and those of their parents,” Chavous said.
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“These union leaders have no shame.”
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