Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D-Rotterdam) announces on Tuesday that the state Assembly is advancing legislation (A.6777) to ensure parents have a voice in their children’s education.

The legislation, which is co-sponsored by Santabarbara, reaffirms a parent’s right to have their children opt-out of certain standardized tests without fear of retribution and requires schools to offer alternative educational programs during the test. On Tuesday, the Assembly Education committee approved the legislation and reported it to the Assembly Ways & Means Committee.

“In order to guarantee our children the education they deserve, we need to listen to parents. I’m proud to support this legislation because it ensures that parents will have a voice when it comes to educating their children,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara.

In addition to supporting this legislation, Assemblyman Santabarbara is unveiling a new website that will collect local input on key education issues, like scaling back standardized testing, reforming the teacher evaluation systems so it make sense and keeping public schools under local control.

“I have always listened to hardworking teachers and parents about our local schools, which is why I took to heart their strong opposition to the education proposals in the state budget and voted against them. With the launch of this website, I will be able to continue to receive input about the important education issues facing our students,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara. “The fight for our children and the future of public education didn’t end with the passage of the state budget, which is why I would encourage all our teachers, parents and students to visit the website and offer their thoughts so we can continue to work together on these critical issues.”

The website can be accessed at: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Angelo-Santabarbara/story/62790