House Passes Bill That Intrudes on Private and Religious Schools

American Principles in Action Calls on Senate to Reject Federal Meddling in Private Education

WASHINGTON, March 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4247, "Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act."  Under this act, any public or private school that receives federal funding would have to obtain a state clearance certifying that they are handling issues relating to restraint and seclusion according to new federal standards.

While acknowledging that preventing harmful restraint and seclusion is noble, Andresen Blom, the Executive Director of American Principles in Action, indicated that the expansion of federal regulations is deeply misguided:

"With radicals like Kevin Jennings being given powerful positions in the Department of Education, the last thing Americans need in the clumsy hands of the federal government is our private and religious schools.  80% of Catholic parochial schools as well as a large number of independent private schools accept some form of funding from the federal government.  Americans do not pay their hard-earned money to private schools in order to subject them to burdensome and subjective regulations written by unelected federal and state bureaucrats. This is nothing less than another egregious federal power grab that intrudes on private and religious education."

American Principles in Action calls upon the Senate to reject S. 2860, sponsored by Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), which is the Senate version of the same legislation.

American Principles in Action is a non-profit 501c4 organization dedicated to preserving and propagating the fundamental principles on which our country was founded -- universal principles, embracing the notion that we are all, "created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Through our efforts, we hope to return our nation to an understanding that governance via these timeless principles will only strengthen us as a country.

SOURCE American Principles in Action