Parents Group to Host Anti-Testing Seminar at School District HQ

The Philadelphia Home and School Council will teach parents how their children can opt out of standardized tests.

The controversy over standardized testing will be fought Tuesday at Philadelphia School District headquarters.

That’s where the Philadelphia Home and School Council will host a seminar teaching parents of their rights to opt-out of standardized tests — an event that comes a week after six teachers in Feltonville said they’d been threatened with discipline for giving parents information on how to opt their children out of standardized testing. (The teachers said Thursday a scheduled conference about the potential discipline had been postponed.)

“The parents and guardians have the right to know what their choices are, in regards to their children’s education,” said Rosemarie Hatcher, the council president. “When parents ask about things they hear, I try to find the answers or people who know it.”

A spokesperson for the Philadelphia School District did not offer immediate comment on the issue. Hatcher said a district representative had been invited.
The event will be 10 a.m. in Room 1075 at district headquarters, 440 N. Broad Street.