10 Reasons to Say NO to HB331

Freedom Fighter

February 19, 2022

It comes under the general supervision and control of the Utah State Board of Education.

See Lines 18, 298, 301, 303, 314, 316, 318, 324, 329, 339, 341, 347, 372, 378, 396, 414, 418, 665, 667, 669, 1147, 1152, 1153, 1154

THE USBE has betrayed the public trust REPEATEDLY.

The List goes on and on and on.

This video shows a public school teacher speaking against this bill, for one specific reason. If passed, our private and home schools accepting the money would come under USBE.

If homeschoolers accept this money, their protections are OVER.

The USBE's authority to govern any educational matter regarding K-12 education is plenary under Utah Constitution Article X Section 3, meaning unqualified. This has been established through case law repeatedly.

The USBE has further power to write administrative rules to interpret and enforce legislation as they see fit. Look at the difference between the Joint Legislative Resolution against teaching Critical Race Theory Concepts in schools and how the USBE implemented it in their rule R277-328 entitled "Educational Equity."

The USBE has a very fresh track record of writing controversial rules and guidance documents. Their Gender Guidance document which allows kids with gender dysphoria to use the bathroom or locker room of their choice, has received over 20,000 comments by the public.

Educational Malpractice from USBE, see here!

The bill has been advertised as educational opportunity for "EVERY" child. This is simply not true. Less than a hundredth of a percent of Utah children will qualify.

This is simply a fact. 36,000,000 of a budget of over 6.8 BILLION… is a drop in the bucket. Here is an article explaining all that is wrong with HB331.

At least 6 private schools to date after becoming familiar with the actual details of the bill have stated in private channels that it is very different than what they were told it would be, and will not accept the money. The full details of the bill became available only last Friday.

Eligible Service Providers and Eligible schools are subject to government audits and ....

...administering a standardized test (which is not limited by the legislation to just the scholarship student), also subject to the administrative rule of the USBE

... needing approval as meeting the "qualifying" criteria as subject to the administrative rules written by the USBE

... enforcement of the Title IX Federal non-discrimination act which mandates the following:

“A recipient institution that receives Department funds must operate its education program or activity in a nondiscriminatory manner free of discrimination based on sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity. Some key issue areas in which recipients have Title IX obligations are: recruitment, admissions, and counseling; financial assistance; athletics; sex-based harassment, which encompasses sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence; treatment of pregnant and parenting students; treatment of LGBTQI+ students; discipline; single-sex education; and employment.”

We're at #11 already and only half way through the facts, so let's finish with it is a fact that Jeb Bush's ExcelinEd is a sponsor of this bill according to its own media materials. This is not "speculation," this is fact.

Wouldn’t it be wiser just to let Utah taxpayers donate directly to any nonprofit private school of their choice and receive a tax credit? Why have a middle man Scholarship Granting Organization under the State School Board at all?