Today, Congressman John Moolenaar introduced a resolution to protect school choice and educational freedom for students and families. The resolution would invalidate the Biden administration's July 6, 2022 charter school rule, which burdens charter schools with onerous new rules and regulations in order to receive funding. Examples of the new requirements include making charter schools co-develop curriculums with public schools and share enrollment information with their public counterparts. The Biden administration’s new rule goes into effect this week. Moolenaar’s resolution would repeal the rule using the Congressional Review Act, a 1996 law that allows Congress to overturn executive branch regulations.
"As kids go back to school this fall, the Biden administration’s new rule makes it harder for charter schools to offer learning opportunities for students. Every student deserves the chance to receive a quality education and every parent should have the right to pick the school that is best for their kids. Biden’s rule will make both of those goals harder and that is why I am introducing this resolution to repeal it," said Moolenaar, the co-chair of the Congressional School Choice Caucus. "My resolution stands up for parents and students by supporting the ability for families to find a school that best fits their needs and allow for students to succeed and realize their true potential."
“Despite modifications made by the U.S. Department of Education to the final rule, we remain concerned that the regulations will delay or prevent thousands of students from accessing seats in high-quality schools with its burdensome requirements. We are grateful our charter school supporters in Congress share these concerns and are taking action. We particularly applaud Senator Tim Scott and Congressman John Moolenaar’s joint resolution to overturn the rules," said Nina Rees, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
“The Department of Education’s rule is a sneak-attack on the charter schools program that the agency is supposed to be administering. It sacrifices the educational opportunities provided by charter schools for the agency’s political goals. Students and their families face dire consequences from the agency’s lawless action,” said Caleb Kruckenberg, an attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, which is suing the Biden administration over the rule. “The CRA resolution is the quickest way to hold the department accountable, and reaffirms, once again the goal of increasing the number of high-quality charter schools available to students across the United States.”
The legislation was introduced this morning. Original cosponsors of the legislation are Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC), Republican Leader of the House Committee on Education and Labor; Rep. Chris Jacobs (NY); Rep. Burgess Owens (UT); Rep. David Schweikert (AZ); Rep. Michelle Steel (CA); and Rep. Joe Wilson (SC).
Original source can be found here.
