NewsOK member benefits

School trigger laws enhance local control

The Oklahoman Editorial | Published: February 4, 2013 Comment on this article

NewsOK Related Articles

Examples of what hope looks like for women, children in crisis
02/04/2013 ON “Rose Day” at the state Capitol, participants will present legislators with red roses to “represent the sanctity of the unborn.” News coverage of...
Punting on bond issues not a responsible way to govern
02/04/2013 New Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon told The Oklahoman's editorial board last week that his constituents regularly urge him to make sure the state lives...

Trigger laws were the focus of an excellent 2012 movie, “Won't Back Down,” set in Pennsylvania.

Those who typically blame school shortcomings on a lack of parental involvement will likely object to this legislation, which requires majority parental involvement. The parent trigger is local control on steroids.

We don't expect the trigger to be pulled often. It won't be a silver bullet for education woes. But the mere threat of it will increase parents' leverage when dealing with school bureaucracies and encourage needed change at low-performing schools.

That alone would make this legislation a success.

Page 2 of 2