Christie Vetos Sociological Strip Search Bill

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Governor Chris Christie yesterday vetoed S454/A2421, the bill we’ve been fighting for years that would have allowed public schools to ask students intrusive personal questions about themselves and their family members without written parental consent.

In his veto message, Christie said:

This bill allows students of any age to participate in voluntary surveys, including those inquiring about sexual behavior and attitudes, if schools send prior written notice to their parents or guardians. The bill provides that the failure of a parent or guardian to respond to such notice shall be treated as affirmative approval of their child’s participation.

I recognize that surveys may help identify serious issues affecting students. However, this bill imprudently decreases parental involvement in a child’s educational development. I believe a parent or guardian’s legitimate interest to make an informed decision before their child is exposed to sensitive content outweighs the desire to make survey administration moreconvenient.

Accordingly, I herewith return Senate Bill No. 454 (FirstReprint) without my approval.

Thank you Governor Christie

Save Jersey has the news of the other bills Christie took action on yesterday.

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Sociological Strip Search Bill Passes Assembly, Scheduled For Senate Vote Today

New Jersey Public Schools are on the verge of becoming part of the government’s domestic spying apparatus.  If the NSA misses something while going through your phone calls and emails, they will have the questionnaires your children fill out in school to fall back on, if the Sociological Strip Search bill passes, as amended by the Assembly last week, and is signed into law by Governor Christie.

In case you’ve missed our previous coverage of this proposed law, it authorizes schools to conduct intrusive surveys into the lives of students without parental consent.   The bill, A/2421 in the Assembly and S/454 in the Senate, amends a current law passed in 2001 that requires written parental consent before school can question students about:

mental and psychological problems potentially embarrassing to the student or the student’s family;

 illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating and demeaning behavior;

critical appraisals of other individuals with whom a respondent has a close family relationship;

legally recognized privileged or analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers;

income, other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under a program;

The educational establishment uses the information mined from the surveys to apply for federal money.  Not enough parents are providing written consent, like they do for field trips and extracurricular programs, so the ‘educators’ and the companies and non-profits that sell drug abuse and anti-bullying programs to the schools, want to replace written parental consent for the children to be subject to the intrusion with simple parental notification.  They are counting on parents not taking the affirmative action of objecting to the surveys, thereby giving ‘negative consent.’

The bill passed the Assembly last week, largely along partisan lines.  Four Republicans, Mary Pat Angelini, Betty Lou DeCroce , John Amodeo and Chris A. Brown voted with the Democrats to pass the bill.  Today it goes back to the Senate for a second reading to concur with the amendments the Assembly made.  The bill originally passed the Senate 25-15 in February.

Contact your Senator and ask her/him to vote NO today.  Contact Governor Christie and ask him to veto the bill if/when it gets to his desk.

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Sociological Strip Search Bill Is Back Again

This bill is like herpes. It keeps coming back.  We’ve been fighting it since June of 2011.

The state legislature is once again looking to authorize public schools to interrogate your children about private family matters and your political views.  The IRS, NSA , TSA and Drones can’t catch everything.  The government needs school children to spy on their families too. If the schools can get the information from the kids, the federal government sends money.

Assembly Bill A2421 is up for a vote before the full Assembly this afternoon.  Call or email you legislators now, right now, and tell them to vote NO.  Call or email Governor Christie and ask that he veto the bill if it passes and gets to him.  It has already passed the Senate.

The original bill would have removed a requirement that parents provide written consent before schools can ask students questions like this:

(1) political affiliations;

(2) mental and psychological problems potentially embarrassing to the student or the student’s family;

(3) sexual behavior and attitudes;

(4) illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating and demeaning behavior;

(5) critical appraisals of other individuals with whom a respondent has a close family relationship;

(6) legally recognized privileged or analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers;

(7) income, other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under a program; or

(8) social security number.

If this bill become law, schools will simply have to notify parents that the survey will take place.  No written consent for their children to participate “voluntarily” will be required.

In an effort to thwart opposition, the sponsors have proposed amending the bill to remove questions about political affiliation, sexual behavior/attitudes and social security number from authorized questions.  The amendment would also prohibit the intrusive information collected from being used for marketing or other commercial purposes “not related to education” (drive a truck through that loop hole).  The amendment makes the bill no less dangerous or objectionable.

GET WRITTEN PARENTAL CONSENT.  Educators get that consent for field trips, etc.  The argument that it is too difficult to get for intrusive survey is bull.’ Assuming” that parents are just not paying attention is as disingenuous the telemarketer assuming you will love that ginzu knife they’re giving you for a ‘free trial.’

The proponents of the bill want to allow schools to employ a scamming tactic referred to as “negative consent.”  That’s the technique that telemarketers use when they offer you a product or service for “free” for 30 days.  If you don’t take affirmative action to cancel the “free trial” your credit card is charged monthly until you catch up with the scammers and cancel.

Our ongoing thanks to Carolee Adams, President of the Eagle Forum of New Jersey, for fighting this government intrusion into our personal lives, and for keeping us informed.

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Making a Good Bill Bad

The Question is: Why?

By Carolee Adams, President, Eagle Forum of New Jersey

In 2001, former NJ State Assemblyman Scott Garrett (now Congressman R-5) and State Senator Gerald Cardinale (R-39) worked with Eagle Forum of New Jersey, Ridgewood parents, and others to stop nosy, intrusive student surveying of their children without “written, informed, parental consent”. That meant a parent had to, not only be “notified” of such surveys that could be administered to their children, but to be able to review that survey in advance and signify, in writing, with their signature, if they approved or not. It’s as simple as that – akin to a parent giving written consent for a school trip after being satisfactorily advised about the complete details of that trip.

However, over and over again since the 2002-3 legislative session, state legislators have sought to remove “written, informed, parental consent” from the exceptional language used in the 2001 Bill reverting back to only “notification”. “Notification” only used pre-2001 was the reason why “written, informed, parental consent“ was sought! Ridgewood parents claimed they never received “notification”; would never have signed off on such a survey had they been able to review it; and they justifiably sued – twice – and won based upon violations of a student’s rights under the Fourth, Fifth, and even Fourteenth Amendments.

In testimony, among many other factors presented in writing, I reminded Assembly Education committee members of those historic suits, and how costly to local Boards of Education and the State should a parent claim s/he did not receive notification and, consequently, did not grant express written permission. Even though one Assemblyman claimed how he wanted more “proactive” parental involvement, all but one Committee member was, obviously, foolishly satisfied or unconcerned with the sponsors’ assurance of “notification” only.

Further, and not publicly aired, in private conversation with one Republican Assembly member of the committee, an aid commented to me that Municipal Alliances favored the Bill; they needed money for their drug/alcohol abuse programs, etc. When I responded: “Do you mean you would disrespect parental rights and sacrifice a student’s privacy for money,” she and her Assembly member walked away from me prior to a vote of “yes” to approve the Bill and move it out of Committee. Only Assemblyman Scott Rumana voted “No”.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Let your voice be heard on New Jersey’s “Sociological Strip Search” bill

As we reported on Monday , the Assembly Education Committee approved a bill , A2421, that amends a 2001 law regarding surveys that schools can have students participate in.  The law as written and passed in 2001 requires that parents give their written consent prior to surveys being administered. The bill that amends the current law requires only parental notification. 

The proponents of the bill want to allow schools to employ a scamming tactic referred to as “negative consent.”  That’s the technique that telemarketers use when they offer you a product or service for “free” for 30 days.  If you don’t take affirmative action to cancel the “free trial” your credit card is charged monthly until you catch up with the scammers and cancel.

The current law allows students to be surveyed about the following topics, if their parents consent in writing:

(1) political affiliations;

(2) mental and psychological problems potentially embarrassing to the student or the student’s family;

(3) sexual behavior and attitudes;

(4) illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating and demeaning behavior;

(5) critical appraisals of other individuals with whom a respondent has a close family relationship;

(6) legally recognized privileged or analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers;

(7) income, other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under a program; or

(8) social security number.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Legislature taking another shot at using school kids to spy on their families

UPDATE 1:45PM

The Assembly Education Committee approved A2421, a bill that would allow schools to survey students without the written consent of their parents.  Surprisingly, there was Republican support for the bill with Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce and Assemblyman David Wolfe voting yes. Only Assemblyman Scott Rumana voted no.

The bill now goes to the full Assembly.  The Senate has already approved the bill.  Click here to find your Assembly Members and express your opinion on this bill.

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In June of 2011, thanks to Carolee Adams of The Eagle Forum, we were able to alert our readers of a bill in the state legislature that, if it becomes law would allow schools to survey children about the political, religious, sexual, medical and economic activities and beliefs of their families, without written parental consent.

The outcry at the time prompted Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini to withdraw as a sponsor of the bill and the bill’s eventual failure to get out of committee in the Assembly.

That hasn’t stopped the sociological strip searchers from trying again and again.  The legislation was reintroduced in the current legislature and passed the Senate last year. It is on the docket of the Assembly Education Committee this afternoon.  Thanks for Adams for staying on top of this intrusive legislation and bring it to our attention again.

It is time to kill the bill, again.

Here’s a small sample of questions that schools would allowed to ask their students, without written parental consent, compiled from surveys already in use in other states, according to Adams:

Are you bisexual, homosexual, heterosexual, or not sure?

Have you had sex with males or females, or males and females?

Do you use contraception when you have sex?

How many people have you had sex with?

Did you drink or do drugs before having sex?

Have you seriously considered suicide?

Do you plan to attempt suicide?

How many times have you attempted suicide in the past?

And, incriminating questions such as these:

How many times have you stolen something from a store?

Have you damaged property just for fun?

Have you used heroin, opium, morphine, PCP, Angel Dust?

If you don’t want New Jersey’s schools to be allowed to conduct such surveys of their students, without written parental consent, NOW is the time to contact members of the Assembly Education Committee:

Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan, Chair  (908) 757-1677

Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, Vice Chair (609) 292-0500

Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (973) 450-0484

Assemblywoman Betty Lou DeCroce  (973) 265-0057

Assemblywoman Mia Jasey  (973) 762-1886

Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez (201) 223-4247

Assemblyman Scott Rumana (973) 237-1362

Assemblyman Troy Singleton (856) 234-2790

Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (201) 576-9199

Assemblyman David Wolfe (732) 840-9028

The Assembly Bill #is A2421.  Tell the committee members not to approve A2421

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Legislature, School Boards, Readying To Adapt Scamming Tactics To Gather Your Private Information

By Art Gallagher

There is a sales technique that scammers and “legitimate” businesses, like your credit card company, use whereby a consumer is offered a free trial of a product or service for a defined period of time after which, if the consumer takes no action, he or she if obliged to pay a monthly fee charged to their credit card.

I vaguely remember falling for one of these scams years ago.  I don’t remember what the product or service was but it got me into the habit of responding to those friendly callers who are lucky enough to get through to me by saying, “You are welcome to send me your free trial, but you are not authorized to charge my account unless you specifically hear from me in writing.”   Miraculously, I don’t get those offers very much anymore.

Obviously, the marketeers are counting on the fact at a certain percentage, probably a large percentage, of their customers are not going to proactively cancel the product or service, or will miss the deadline to do so.  They reap the profits for at least a month or two purely from their customers’ inertia, not from any satisfaction the customers may have with the product or service.

The technique must have a name among the marketeers.  If anyone knows what its called, please post it in the comments.

Turns out that our State Legislature is on the verge of authorizing New Jersey’s school districts to employ a similar technique in gathering personal information about their students and their families, i.e., your kids and you.

The information the school districts want to gather includes (1)political affiliation, (2) mental or psychological problems that are potentially embarrassing to the student or their family, (3) sexual behavior and attitudes, (4) illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, and demeaning behavior, (5) critical appraisals of other individuals with whom a respondent has a close family relationship, (6) legally recognized privleged or analogous relationships such has those of lawyers, physicians or ministers, (7) income and (8) social security number.

Back in 2001 there was a bill passed and signed into law that prohibited school districts from gathering such information unless that had the informed written consent of the student’s parent or guardian.

Now the legislature is on the verge of amending that law (P.L.2001, c.364) so that the school districts can gather the information from students so long as the parents have been notified in writing, NOT consented in writing.

I kid you not.

The Senate version of this bill, S1696, passed on May 23, 2011 with a vote of 26-12.  I’m told the Assembly version, A3242 will be heard in the Assembly Education Committee Thurday, June 16th.

The rational for amending the law to require parental notification of information gathering rather than informed parental consent to the information gathering, according to the statement included in the bill, is to “mitigate the negative impact” that parental consent has made on “New Jersey’s ability to collect data important to public health and safety issues affecting the State’s student population. Numerous nonprofit agencies and federal grantees have halted their surveys or are seriously struggling to comply with the provisions of P.L. 2001, c.364 (C.18A:36-34)”

You could bet the house that a federal grantee or nonprofit would struggle to get my consent for such a survey to be taken.

Like the marketeers who assume you will be too busy or disinterested to cancel your book club or credit monitoring service, the Legislature and the school districts are assuming that parents are not giving consent to the schools asking about their political affiliation, sexual behavior or embarrassing mental illnesses because they are too busy, don’t care, or haven’t opened their mail.

Maybe parents just don’t want the government prying into their personal lives like that.

Maybe parents just don’t want their kids giving the government that kind of information.  Maybe the government, schools and nonprofits are counting on parents being too busy or not getting around to responding to the notifications so that they can scam the information and then come up with new nanny state programs funded by tax payers and the People’s Republic of China’s treasury department.

I wish I could tell you that this legislation is being pushed by the nanny state progressive socialists Democrats in the Assembly.  Sadly, it is being sponsored by district 11 Republican Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini.

If you don’t mind the schools, federal grantees and nonprofits having intimate personal information about you and your family, as reported by your children, there is nothing to do.

If you do mind, contact your Assembly members as soon as your read this.

You can find their contact information here.

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