• Athletics
  • Big Ed
  • Ed Tech
  • Educators
  • Elections
  • Federal Policy
  • Parents
  • Students
  • The Testing Industry

K-12 News Network's The Wire

K-12 News Network: People-Powered Public Education News

  • Budgets
  • Charter Schools
  • Federal Policy
  • School Districts
  • State Education Law
  • School Boards
You are here: Home / Charter Schools / The California Charter School Association Purposefully Puts Students In Danger

The California Charter School Association Purposefully Puts Students In Danger

September 30, 2019 by Carl J. Petersen

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Students are absolutely safer in a Field Act [school building] when an earthquake happens, no question about it.”

– Tom Duffy
Coalition for Adequate School Housing

Whenever legislative bodies attempt to force accountability on the charter school industry, the California Charter School Association (CCSA) cries “#KidsNotPolitics.” However, while claiming to put Kids First, there are CCSA charters that are among the worst-performing schools in the state. One of their member schools was caught violating the state labor code and illegally charging students to attend summer school. Still another engaged in construction practices so flagrant that the results endangered “the health and safety of students”. According to a recent KCBS News report, there are hundreds of charter school facilities that do not have to comply with the Field Act, the law that ensures that school buildings are safe during an earthquake.

As shown in documents uncovered by Michael Kohlhaas dot org, the CCSA feels that one of the “greatest threats” that they face is requiring that their schools “comply with [the] Field Act.”

So much for Kids First.

After 230 schools collapsed during the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, the state of California passed the Field Act, “which mandated rigorous oversight of the construction of every public school to ensure they’re safe.”  As a result, California schools “are the safest buildings in the world.” Southern California earthquake expert Dr. Lucy Jones asserts that “students are absolutely safer in a Field Act building when an earthquake happens. No question about it.”

Even though charter schools receive state funds to pay for rent and renovations of their buildings, they are exempt from following the Field Act. The California Seismic Safety Commission has recommended twice that “no public school should be exempt from the Field Act,” but the CCSA has successfully fought to prevent the closure of loopholes that exclude their schools from having to comply. Once again, the only thing public about these private schools is their source of funding.

Facebooktwitterlinkedinrssyoutube

Filed Under: Charter Schools Tagged With: California Charter School Association, CCSA, Earthquake, Earthquake Safetly, Field Act, Student Safety

About Carl J. Petersen

Carl is a parent and special education advocate, elected member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and was a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race. During the campaign, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action and Dr. Diane Ravitch called him a “strong supporter of public schools.” Opinions are his own.

Sign up for our newsletter

* indicates required
Email Format

Buy a hybrid Facebook+ website today!

Federal Policy

Quick Education Voter’s Guide to the California CD34 Race, April 4, 2017

There are twenty-three candidates running to fill former Congressman Xavier Bacerra’s seat in Congressional District 34 in Southern California. (Bacerra is currently the state’s Attorney General, replacing Kamala Harris, who, after November 8, 2016, became our US Senator.) Election Day is Tuesday, April 4, 2017, 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. You can find your polling […]

Betsy DeVos, #NOTMYSDOE

Take the pledge to #resist and fight for public schools as a public good TODAY. DeVos had to have the assistance of Vice President Mike Pence’s unprecedented tie-breaking vote in order to win her confirmation. Two GOP Senators voted against, all Democratic Senators voted against. Yet all the other GOP Senators who received campaign donations […]

Next #DemDebate MUST Include K-12 Education Policy

The next #DemDebate is scheduled for the important primary state of Iowa on November 14, 2015. It’ll be broadcast by CBS in partnership with the Des Moines Register. Professor Julian Vasquez Heilig is leading the call for the families of 50 million students K-12 across the nation and the communities they live in to have […]

More Posts from this Category

K12NN on Blog Talk Radio

Online Politics Progressive Radio at Blog Talk Radio with MOMocrats on BlogTalkRadio

Categories

September 2019
S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  
« Aug   Oct »

Copyright © 2022 · The Wire Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in