H.R. 311

WHEREAS, the so-called Family Protection Act (H.R. 311) would, among other things, prohibit federal support for any state or local education agency which:

• "prohibits voluntary prayer on the premises of any public building";

• "limits parental visits to public schools or classes, or limits the right of parents to inspect their children's school records";

• "requires the forced payment of dues or fees as a condition of employment for teachers";

• "does not provide for parental review of textbooks prior to their use in public school classrooms";

• "produces or promotes courses of instruction or curriculum which may, directly or indirectly, inculcate values or modes of behavior which contradict the beliefs and values of the community as demonstrated by parents, representatives of parents, and recognized religious groups;" and

WHEREAS, the Act would further prohibit federal funding for purchase of materials which "would tend to denigrate, diminish or deny the role differences between the sexes as they have been understood historically in the United States;" and

WHEREAS, the Act would further provide that under the National Labor Relations Act "the term employer...shall not include the United States...or any state or political subdivision thereof, or any corporation or association operating a school;" and

WHEREAS, the Act would further provide that for funds placed in an "educational savings account" "there is allowed as a tax deduction amounts paid in cash during the taxable year" and that such an "educational savings account is exempt from taxation"-provisions which amount to tuition tax deductions; and

WHEREAS, the Act would, in sum, attack the principles of individual freedom and seek to impose a legislatively-mandated moral code; would attack the principles of teacher unionism in the public and private sectors; would attack the constitutional separation of church and state:

RESOLVED, that the AFT go on record in opposition to HR 311 and similar legislation and communicate its opposition to the Congress; and

RESOLVED, that AFT communicate this opposition to its locals and affiliates and encourage them to work for the defeat of HR 311 and similar legislation.