Guns and Equity Dominate Senate ESSA Hearing
September 25, 2018
On September 25, the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing to garner state perspectives on ESSA implementation. The hearing featured education chiefs from Nebraska (Matthew Blomstedt), Delaware (Susan Bunting), and South Carolina (Molly Spearman), as well as the president of Democrats for Education Reform Shavar Jeffries. The Hill’s James Wellemeyer reported on the hearing, noting Democrats took the opportunity to push back “on any talk of using federal funds to purchase guns for school safety.” Senators “also discussed whether states were adequately tracking the performance of low-income students, those learning English and students with disabilities.”