Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

200 The Politics of Change (TPOC) then proceeded to suggest how to create these elements. TPOC offers prima facie evidence of a deliberate, calculated scheme to disinform, mislead, manage and control the destiny of local government in California and its citizens, without regard for legal, moral or ethical considerations.

1984

D URING J ANUARY AND F EBRUARY OF 1984, THIS WRITER — WITH THE HELP OF GRASSROOTS activists and several officials in the U.S. Department of Education—organized witnesses and testimony to be presented at the U.S. Department of Education “Hatch Amendment” hearings held in seven cities: Seattle, Washington; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Kansas City, Missouri; Phoenix, Arizona; Concord, New Hampshire; Orlando, Florida; and Washington, D.C. These hearings were held “pursuant to the notice of proposed rulemaking to implement Sec. 439 of the General Education Provisions Act ( The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment ).” This Amendment is usually referred to as the “Hatch [Sen. Orrin] Amendment,” although the senator who originated it and was most involved in the initial important wording was the late Senator Edward Zorinsky (D.-Neb). As the amendment went through the Congressional committee process, Zorinsky’s most important wording was weakened or deleted. The weakened wording which attempted to address long-standing problems experienced by parents and good educators follows:

Protection of Pupil Rights, 20 U.S. Code Sec. 1232h, Inspection by parents or guardians of instructional material....

(a) All instructional material, including teachers’ manuals, films, tapes, or other supple mentary instructional materials which will be used in connection with any research or experi mentation program or project shall be available for inspection by the parents or guardians of the children engaged in such program or project. For the purpose of this section “research or experimentation program or project” means any program or project in any applicable program designed to explore or... develop new or unproven teaching methods or techniques.…

Psychiatric or psychological examination, testing or treatment:…

(b) No student shall be required, as part of any applicable program, to submit to psychiatric examination, testing or treatment, or psychological examination, testing or treatment, in which the primary purpose is to reveal information concerning political affiliations; mental and psychological problems potentially embarrassing to the student or his family; sexual behavior and attitudes; illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating and demeaning behavior; critical appraisals of other individuals with whom respondents have close family relationships; legally recognized privileged and analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers; or income (other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under such program); without the prior consent of the student (if the student is an adult or emancipated minor), or in the case of an unemancipated minor, without the prior written consent of the parent.