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Bill: School Choice
Details
Submitted by[?]: Protectorate Party
Status[?]: defeated
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: August 2038
Description[?]:
| In an effort to create a more suitable environment for education, sex education will be left to the schools to determine what is appropriate, as is school prayer. Choice will be expanded by permitting home schooling. And in an effort to leave no child behind, education shall be required until the child is of age. |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change Education for children under adult age.
Old value:: Education is compulsory and has to happen at school.
Current: Education is compulsory and has to happen at school.
Proposed: Education is compulsory, but home schooling is permitted.
Article 2
Proposal[?] to change The age until which students, if education were to be compulsary, are required to be educated (limited between 16 and 21).
Old value:: 16
Current: 16
Proposed: 18
Article 3
Proposal[?] to change The government's policy with respect to prayer in schools.
Old value:: Teacher-led prayers in schools are forbidden.
Current: Teacher-led prayers in schools are forbidden, except in religious schools.
Proposed: The government leaves this decision up to the schools themselves.
Article 4
Proposal[?] to change Sexual education in schools.
Old value:: Schools have an obligation to give sexual education at some point in puberty.
Current: Schools have an obligation to give sexual education at some point in puberty, but individual students have an opt-out option.
Proposed: This decision is up to the schools themselves without government regulation.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | not recorded | From | Leviathan Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | This bill represents a step backwards on several issues, and we look forward to defeating it after the October elections. There are no legitimate reasons for local school boards to allow prayer or a lack of sexual education, and home school is merely an end run around state education standards. |
| Date | not recorded | From |  Protectorate Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | Dealing with each article in turn: Article 1: State Education standards do not represent what parents feel their child should learn, rather what the government feels is important. Why not allow parents to decide if they want their child to learn be it painting or advanced calculus rather then the state program. They understand their child and are the best judge of their abilities. Education is still required and basic skills would still be mastered. |
| Date | not recorded | From | Protectorate Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | Article 2: Currently children of the ages between 16 and 18 are in limbo. We are saying they are old enough to leave school, but to do what? They are not yet an adult and therefore cannot enter the "real world." |
| Date | not recorded | From | Protectorate Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | Article 3: Local schools are the best judge of the local desires of the parents. If prayer is not desired the parents will make that known to the school and it will not be allowed. If all the parents desire prayer and feel it is part of the education process, we should allow them to make that choice. The minority would have the option of going to another school or home schooling if their belief is not supported in their locality. |
| Date | not recorded | From | Protectorate Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | Article 4: basically the same as #3. This bill allows the freedom of choice to educate children in the best manorwithout forcing what you or others believe is the best onto others. |
| Date | not recorded | From | Leviathan Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | Your rationale is inconsistent; clearly we would not allow a parent to teach their children the world was flat, or any number of other falsehoods that would end up harming the child in the long run, and the only way to do that is for the government to legislate what makes an 'acceptable' education. So clearly we don't want a completely hands off approach to educational standards. History is full of instances where whole communities, in isolation from the prevailing consensus of the nation, have attempted to defy the national government and keep their little hamlets out of the modern era. The fight for civil rights has been one such example; are we ready to allow an ultra-reactionary community to teach their students that being gay is a sin, or that one ethnic group is superior to another? The parent's right to pass their own beliefs onto their children cannot extend so far as to teach their children to be bald faced bigots or to believe in midevial science, and currently, the only methods we have available to ensure our society upholds its collective commitment to humanity and basic dignity is to set and maintain nation wide education standards, and administer those standard in state run, though locally accountable, schools. While this bill is well meaning, it would allow too many unacceptable behaviors to be perpetrated under the guise of 'local control.' |
| Date | not recorded | From | United Socialist Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | As this goes against many proposals already passed in the parliament we stand against it, it would be a step in the wrong direction. The only proposal we agree to is #2 regarding the age of education. |
| Date | not recorded | From | Protectorate Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | The educational program laid out by the Leviathan Party extends too far into the realm of individual rights. While trying to keep politics out of religion, the party is in actuality suppressing religions that are not represented by the party. By suggesting parents not be able to teach their children that being gay is a sin, the Leviathans are preventing the continuation of certain religious beliefs. How we may personally feel about the issue should not effect legislature, religious persecution must come to an end. How does the Leviathans plan on stopping the instruction that currently occurs in the home. School is the answer proposed, but that means spending time and resources to undo the parent's beliefs. Or does the Leviathan's intead propose to remove the child from the family at an early age to be placed in a government institution. Assuming not, perhaps wrongly, time and money most be diverted from basic instruction to follow this course, result: a less educated population which cannot compete with other countries in higher learning. Home schooling is favored by many as a chance to delve into the interests and strengths of the student, government education results in the suppression of the best and brightest students in an effort to bring up those whose performance is less then desired. Both extremes can benefit from personal education, higher need students can benefit from the one to one instruction moving at a pace they can follow instead of rebelling due to a lack of understanding. The quick learners can progress at their pace increasing their knowledge and therefore their benefit to society rather then be bored moving at the standardized pace. Simply put education is not a one size fits all situation and we must permit flexability to yield the best results for the future generations. |
| Date | not recorded | From | Protectorate Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | Instead of forcing the belief that homosexuality is ok, or newly arrived Dovorkians are as good as Malivians that have lived in the country for the last 13 generations. We should protect all peoples basic rights. Most children will recognize the faults of their parents long before they come of age. Forcing instruction always results in backlashes against the instructor, as any parent of a teenager will tell you. You cannot legislate your moral beliefs on another and expect them to accept them blindly. |
| Date | not recorded | From | Radical Centrists | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | The arguments presented by the Protectorate Party have persuaded us that, regretfully, we side with the Leviathan Party in this debate. |
| Date | not recorded | From | Leviathan Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | First, no one is stopping parents from indoctrinating their children into becoming bigots, but when this happens as part of a state sponsored education, then it is not to be tolerated. Second, you will not find a single credible educator who suggests that home schooling is a healthy way to allow gifted children to move at their own pace. The single most important part of gifted education IS social interaction, as this is where gifted children have the most trouble. Third, a commitment to education is two sided: it requires both the state and the population take part. Allowing people who do not value education as much as the remainder of society to remove their children from school is negligence on our part, pure and simple. |
| Date | not recorded | From | Protectorate Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | Your previous arguments contradict your last post. "The parent's right to pass their own beliefs onto their children cannot extend so far as to teach their children to be bald faced bigots" Though its not what anyone will want it will happen, and your state eduacation will not stop it. Granting choice to the individual results in each student having the oportunity to be instructed in a manner that best suits them and with the best interests of all involved in mind. Some will become excellent artists (though they will proceed to move away to greater rewards then the state stipend) others musicians, and yet others politicians. No one is claiming education is not occuring to the home schooled children. It is required to 16 (or 18 or 20 depending on the result of current bills). |
| Date | not recorded | From | Labour Party | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | Not surprisingly the LP does not support this bill. |
| Date | not recorded | From | Free Reform Coalition (FRP) | To | Debating the School Choice |
| Message | To The PP, I support you on this one. Lesser government intervention is important. |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | |||||
| yes |
Total Seats: 11 | |||||
| no |
Total Seats: 78 | |||||
| abstain | Total Seats: 0 |
| Random fact: Did you know you can change the official name of your nation? All you need to do is draw up a new name that is in accordance with the Nation Renaming Guide, pass a bill proposing the name change with a two-thirds majority and then post a request to Moderation on the "Renaming Requests" thread. You can change city and region names in this way too. |
| Random quote: "Communism, like any other revealed religion, is largely made up of prophecies." - H. L. Mencken |