Stacy Campfield recently entered a bill for consideration in the Tennessee General Assembly. Campfield is a senator from eastern Tennessee known for legislation that attracts the ire of late-night comedians and satirists across the country.
As a native Tennessean, I’ve apologized, on occasion, for the perception that we’re all backwoods Neanderthals. That perception often results from negative publicity generated by poorly thought out legislation, ignorant commentary, and behavior that suggests that we are regressive.
Today, I’m not apologizing for regressive behavior. I’m speaking out against it.
Stacey Campfield
(photo credit: the Senator’s public Twitter account)
https://twitter.com/StaceyCampfield
In Tennessee, welfare recipients are required to participate in a responsibility plan. If you are going to be receiving money from the welfare program, there is no reason why you can’t be expected to provide proof of need and proof of accountability. But this proposed bill expands personal accountability and responsibility to a very strange member of the household: Minors attending school.
On the Backs of Children
Students in the Classroom (Photo credit: breity)
Think about this: The responsibility for the continuation of much needed benefits, ultimately falls upon the student.
Here’s an excerpt:
This bill adds to the present law requirements for personal responsibility plans by requiring that the parent or other caretaker relative, regardless of age or disabling status, enter a plan that requires the children in the family to both attend and maintain satisfactory academic progress in school. For purposes of this bill, maintenance of satisfactory academic progress in school will be demonstrated by complying with school attendance requirements and receiving a score of proficient or advanced on required state examinations in the subject areas of mathematics and reading or language arts, demonstrating competency as determined by the state board of education on two end of course examinations, or maintaining a grade point average that is sufficient to ascend to the next grade. A student may attend a summer school course in the subject area in which the student has failed or has scored below proficient or failed to demonstrate competency. The student must receive a passing grade in such summer school course to achieve satisfactory academic progress. The requirements of this bill relative to competency on required state examinations or grade point averages shall not apply to students who have Individualized Educational Placements and who are not academically talented or gifted.
Essentially, if you are on welfare and your child is doing poorly in school, your benefits are cut off.
To the untrained mind, this might sound like a good idea. But anyone with experience as a parent realizes that getting your kid to succeed is not completely up to you. There are a hundred variables that are well beyond the control of the parent. In Campfield’s own words, kids are “failing for who knows what reason?” Indeed, Senator.
What If?
This bill makes no allowance for disruptions in the home that can negatively impact grades. A death, a chronic illness, a divorce, domestic violence — any situation that can distract or disturb might result in a slip in grades and a reduction in income.
An Individualized Educational Plan might be in place for some kids. But what about kids who haven’t been diagnosed but already need an IEP? What about the child who is failing, but no one has figured out that he needs glasses or she has ADD or he can’t hear well or she is dyslexic but is doing her best to cover that fact because she is ashamed?
Also not considered: Poor teaching (most teachers rock, some don’t), classroom disruptions like bullying, natural disasters like fires and tornadoes leveling the school or at least a school room, or even something simple like personnel changes (in lower grades, this can have a profound effect). We’ve all had teachers with whom we connect. And we’ve all had teachers who were harder to follow.
My grades demonstrated this even though my parents attended all the meetings, returned all the calls, and stayed on my like a duck on a June-bug. Had my family been on welfare, our income would have been horribly affected, despite the fact that my parents had nothing to do with the fact that my grades dropped.
Should kids keep their grades up despite these things? I’d like to think so. Should those who don’t manage to keep those grades up be penalized by being made responsible for cutting their family’s income? Absolutely not.
Nothing But Downside
How can we justify this sort of responsibility being thrust upon a minor? This bill is tying a family’s income to the academic successes and failures of a child. “Okay, Johnny. Learn your lessons or we don’t eat as well. Don’t sweat it, honey. You can do it. No pressure.”
What pre-teen do you know who can take on stress and responsibility like that? Does this include elementary aged children?
I’ve had conversations with friends and politicians who are afraid that this poorly written bill will reflect so badly upon our state that businesses will go elsewhere.
The problem isn’t “businesses will stay away.” The problem isn’t “Leno is making fun,” or “Colbert reamed us — again.” The problem is that this bill is based on fictional assertions of educational cause and effect that will harm as many as it helps.
What will Campfield say when a child is beaten to death for a non-passing grade that resulted in loss of income for the family?
That’s not good enough. We can and should do better.
For those who think that the education problem is never-ending, you might wish to look again. Educational morass has been defeated. There are success stories. There are other plans and programs that boast far greater success. Many of those plans offer more dollars for success instead of fewer dollars for failure.
Bottom Line: Poorly Written Legislation
The main reason that I find this bill to be flawed is that the bill’s author has failed to defend it in the public forum. Yes, he has been interviewed on several programs and in several news media outlets. However, his responses are consistently illogical.
He complains that parents fail to show up for parent/teacher conferences. Yet this bill is about bad grades, not parent/teacher conferences.
He complains that “bad parents” won’t even return phone calls from the school. Yet this bill is about poor test scores, not poor phone etiquette.
He has a problem with parents allowing kids to come to school at 11am in pajamas. Yet this bill isn’t about attendance or dress code, it’s about whether the student makes it to the next grade level.
Campfield may be a capable senator. I won’t attack his credentials or his qualifications to legislate this material. But his statements are certainly fair game. And they are lacking.
We Can Do Better
We need more creativity, engagement and, above all, funding for education. I homeschool my children and gladly continue to pay taxes for the benefit of public education. Why? Because education of the children of this state is for the greater good.
Senator Campfield’s bill lacks creativity, fails to engage the student/teacher/parent relationship effectively, and doesn’t do a thing about the ridiculously low amounts of money we spend on education across our state.
Tennessee deserves better. Urge your state representative and senator to vote no on this bill.
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I assure you, Stacy Campfield not a capable senator. Maybe we should cut off his food for a few months and see if he gets any better.
So, I had a student this year who went out one afternoon with his older, teenage brother. They separated and my student went home. Moments later, the teen was shot dead. Oh, did I mention his mother was on cancer treatment when all this happened? Did I mention that the younger child in kindergarten showed up to school poorly dressed and dirty almost every day BEFORE any of this happened? Did I mention that the mother kept the younger brother out of school for a few weeks after, no doubt terrified to let him out of her sight? The family soon transferred from our school. I read about the case in the paper now and then. It’s ongoing.
I have no idea how the kids are doing at school now. I am sad they transferred because I still worry for them. But how could any of them be doing ok in school? What adult would be able to function under that much worry, stress, and grief, much less a child? Would a little hunger perk those kids right up and save them from alive of low academic performance?
Oh, and never fear, the teachers of children in such circumstances are being punished for those test scores as well. Their jobs depend on that test score.
I mean, who are these villians proposing this garbage, and can we please send them back to whatever Dickens novel they escaped from? It’s beyond vile. I just can’t even think of an appropriate adjective.
I’m so sorry for your loss. The loss of a child is tragic in any circumstance. But to feel so powerless must be heart-wrenching. Ad then, to be penalized when scores drop must add insult to injury.
Not to defend the atrocity of the bill, but perhaps Campfield is feeling the same way. I know that I tend to latch to to any solution I can find when frustration levels get so intense.
I pray that we will stop understaffing our schools, undervaluing our teachers, and underpaying our education bills — and soon.
First it is not the child’s fault. If parents don’t get their child up to go to school, it is not the child’s fault. Those free meals a lot of these children get at school is the only meals they get. Parents are the problems. Educate them on getting off the Free Assistance.” The Drug Addicted parents are causing enough suffering for their children. But they are not all Drug Addicts. Some parents worked more than one minimum wage job and are trying. They need to involve teachers and DCS workers who see these problems daily.
Carol, your comment is right on. No single measure will solve the problem of parental non-involvement. I wonder if Senator Campfield is as worried about well-heeled parents who take no interest in their children?
Senator Campfield’s solution has nothing to do with children’ s welfare or better schools.There are people who agree with him and I have talked to a few.
The majority believe that welfare recipients receive money because they don’t want to work ; (2) that the money for welfare is coming out of their pockets and lessens their standard of living.Too many people are uninformed and feel their slice of the American pie is too small and getting smaller.
I believe the debate should be about how the economy really works and if more people saw the big picture we wouldnot have these stupid bills
Agreed. One of the main issues I have with the bill: It addresses root problems not directly related to the presented issues. It reminds me of hostage taking rather than negotiations.
THe pastor states more funding for public education. I have to respectfully and whole heartedly disagree with that statement. We’ve spent at a rate of up to 15 times more than we were back in the 70s and education has gotten considerably worse. Throwing money at the situation is ludicrous. The problem is the human condition and the more we throw GOD out of the equation the worse the condition becomes.
The cost of education is considerably higher than “fifteen times” what it was in the seventies. And you assume that we were spending enough back then. I would argue that we’ve been underfunding eduction for decades.
Spending shows priorities. When education is a priority again, we will see less poverty and more entrepreneurial spirit.
Jimmy P, baloney. When people talk education and use empty phrases like “throwing money at the situation”, are completely clueless as to what schools are up against. Demographics change. Kids change. Needs change. “Back in the seventies”, things were completely different than they are now. The problem is not that there is too much money spent on education, the problem is that there are too many politicians who have never set foot in a school since graduation making the decisions on how much money is needed and how it is spent. Uninformed people beating up on public schools, and especially public school teachers, appears to be a new national pastime.
And it has nothing to do with God being thrown out. If you truly believe in the God of the Bible, you’d believe he cannot be thrown out of anything, anywhere.
Carol,”Educate them on getting off the Free Assistance”? Huh? They’re on free assistance because they don’t make enough money, and the education they need is that which will help them get a better job. And as far as that goes, many on “free assistance” do have jobs, it’s just that their employers would rather pay such low wages that the employees have to depend on public assistance.
Jimmy P – I would certainly hope that we’re spending more on schools than we did in the 70’s. Minimum wage was as little as Ninety cents per hour in the seventies. It’s a little over $7. now. Is he suggesting that we go back to the 1970’s funding dollar amount and be dead last in funding?
Excellent points, Jane.
I would add that there are plenty of churches that are willing to offer assistance in finding better work, training to qualify for better jobs, and support in searching for those jobs.
Thanks for reading and for sharing!
Luckily, they’ve dropped the bill; although Campfield claimed that he was taking some time to “review” the bill in committee, so we could see it again, but that’s unlikely.
If this bill had gone to the floor and passed, Tennessee would suddenly have a 100% pass rate. Having grown up with a mother as a teacher and taught myself, I can say that no teacher is going to fail a kid and be the one responsible for a family’s financial straits. Except for the teachers who agree with Campfield, which are probably few and far between.
Scarce as hen’s teeth, I would imagine.
That bill terrified me.
Poorly written — No effective means of fair implementation.
Poorly considered — Ignored or unforeseen consequences.
Poorly represented — Campfield was hostile towards any reporter who noted the holes in the bill.
I sang out loud when it was tabled.