Civil Rights Groups Oppose Suspending the NCLB Act

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, National Council of La Raza, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center, Alliance for Excellent Education, National Urban League, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights have all spoken out to oppose the No Child Left Behind Recess Until Reauthorization Act (H.R. 6239). 

The new law would suspend sanctions imposed on schools that fail to succeed until Congress has fully reauthorized NCLB.  Schools previously identified as “in need of improvement” will continue to meet their current obligations and interventions, but they will be spared the consequences of escalating sanctions. Although the No Child Left Behind Act has been controversial since its inception, the civil rights organizations contend that having the law in place is better than no law at all. 

In its open letter, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) states, “LCCR believes that NCLB is a civil rights law, and that some of the requirements of NCLB constitute, in essence, the rights of children to obtain a quality education. The NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act calls itself a “temporary suspension” of those same requirements. Even a temporary suspension of a civil rights law, and therefore of the civil rights of our children, is unconscionable.”

On June 17th, in an open letter to George Miller, Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and Howard “Buck” McKeon Ranking Member, House Education and Labor Committee, a coalition comprised of Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, National Council of La Raza, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center, Alliance for Excellent Education, National Urban League urged the congressmen to oppose the bill. “The NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act would deny low-income and minority students the opportunities they need to succeed,” the letter states.  In addition the coalition states, “Congress is sending the message to parents of children in chronically failing schools that it is acceptable if their children continue to attend inadequate schools.”

In addition, the Business Coalition for Student Achievement (BCSA) has opposed the bill as well.  Each organization concedes that the NCLB is flawed but contend that suspending the bill will cause more harm than good.

— Teachers of Color