Parents Raise NJ

Dear Commissioner Hespe,

Please allow me to clarify some misinformation about those who are responsible for the PARCC refusal movement in NJ. I am a parent, one of tens of thousands of parents in this state, who are fueling this movement to refuse PARCC. We have seen a great atrocity befall our public education system, and we, the parents, have united, unwilling to stand idly by and watch it be destroyed.

We, the parents, have united to expose the truth behind this current educational deform movement plaguing our public schools. We, the parents, have united to shut down the corporate takeover of our public schools. We, the parents, have united to end this reign of destructive high stakes standardized testing. We, the parents, have united to take back our public education system. We, the parents, are leading the charge. And the power of the parents is not to be underestimated.

Our voices are united across the state, and our collective outcry continues to swell. Our movement to save our public education system has gained so much momentum that it has gotten the attention of the presidents of both the NEA and AFT; they have publicly pledged to no longer accept funding from the Gates Foundation or the Walton Foundation or the Broad Foundation, all major backers of this national educational deform movement. And it seems that you too, Commissioner, are feeling the pressure. Your attempt to intimidate parents into compliance by threatening the state aid allocation is proof that the actions of parents are having an effect on PARCC tests. Parents do not take kindly to threats.

I find it insulting that you believe parents have been brainwashed or coerced into this refusal movement. I find it insulting that you believe we are incapable of empowering ourselves and advocating for our children. It is quite insulting that you consistently dismiss US as being THE primary stakeholders in our children’s education. It would behoove you to remember that we, the parents, raise NJ….