From the MEA-R Newsletter:NOVEMBER 6, 2018 MID-TERM ELECTION DEADLINES

NOVEMBER 6, 2018 MID-TERM ELECTION DEADLINES

September 22, 2018	Absentee Ballot Request deadline – UOCAVA citizens: Delivery of military and overseas AV ballots must begin for the November election by this date. All requests received since November 7, 2017 from a military or overseas voter must be honored for all 2018 elections.
October 9, 2018	Voter Registration Ends: Last day to register for the November general election.
November 3, 2018	Absentee Ballot Request deadline – By Mail: Electors who wish to receive an absent voter ballot for the November general election by mail must submit absent voter ballot applications by 2:00 p.m.
November 6, 2018	Absentee Ballot Request deadline – In Person: Emergency absentee voting for November general election Up to 4:00 p.m.

Pledge More Money, Time and Effort to Friends of Public Education Running in November!  

When Our Candidates Win, We All Win!

Please consider “12 Ways to Be Politically Active” taken from an MEA-PAC flyer and paraphrased with comments below.

Vow to Cross your Comfort Zone so Candidates Can Win!

1. Vote! Register to Vote and know your polling location. See www.michigan.gov/vote. 2. Know your local, state and federal representatives and stay abreast of the issues!

3. Contact lawmakers by email, phone or face to face with your comments. Find lawmakers on-line at www.mea.org/legislation or via MEA’s new mobile app.

4. Attend Town Hall meetings and make your voice heard in front of policy makers and lawmakers with power.

5. Attend City Council meetings. Keep track of what is happening in your city and be part of the conversation.

6. Familiarize yourself with your local School Board of Education. Join the PTA or be part of the union attendance at meetings. Volunteer and participate in your local school system’s activities and committees.

7. Join a Voting League or Political Party. Become informed, choose a party with your values and beliefs and make a difference. Join the county and state party and fill meaningful roles.

8. Attend or Organize Rallies and Events pertaining to your beliefs.

9. Support Campaigns of Friends of Public Education. Begin by donating financially to NEA-PAC and MEA-PAC. The National Education Association Political Action Committee helps candidates running for federal office who are recommended by educators. The Michigan Education Association Political Action Committee helps local and state candidates recommended by educators. You can make one donation on a MEA PAC envelope to cover both PAC’s. I will have PAC envelopes available at all General Membership meetings. Beyond giving money, join the campaigns of candidates whom you respect as Public Servants worthy of your time and effort!

10. Pound the Pavement! Influence other voters by going door-to-door for candidates whom you favor! Face-to-face conversations win elections!

11. Volunteer on Election Day! Make phone calls for your candidates! Drive people to the polls! Volunteer as an official poll worker or watcher. Be sure that you have already voted by Absentee Ballot so that you are fully available to assist campaigns on Election Day!

12. Run for Office! Front-line educators bring an important perspective to public office. Local, municipal, county and school government positions need qualified and effective leaders! Many programs help prospective candidates prepare to run campaigns.

MEA-Retired, 1216 Kendale Blvd, East Lansing, MI 48826-2573

https://mea-retired.org/

EDUCATORS, STUDENTS FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST ED DEPT, DEVOS

WASHINGTON – August 23, 2018 –

Educators and students, backed by the National Education Association and the California Teachers Association, today sued the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos after they moved to illegally delay rules meant to protect students enrolled in online education programs.

The individual plaintiffs, NEA and CTA are represented by the National Student Legal Defense Network, a nonprofit organization that advocates for student rights through litigation. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, challenges the Education Department’s delay of requirements for online universities of their legal obligation to notify students that the programs in which they’re enrolled or plan to enroll in may fail to meet state licensing standards or may face adverse actions from the state or accreditor.

As enrollment in online courses and degree programs has grown exponentially over the last decade, the Department of Education, under DeVos’ mandate, took the shocking step of rescinding protections for students pursuing online degrees – protections students need now more than ever.

“It’s shocking but not at all surprising that the Department of Education would roll back student protections because this latest brazen attack on student rights is consistent with everything we have seen from the Trump administration and Secretary Betsy DeVos,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. “Without these rules, current and prospective students will remain in the dark. Students will be denied critical information about which programs are right for them and which would be a waste of their time and money.”

One of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs is aspiring educator Stephanie Portilla, whose dream is to be an elementary teacher one day. Earlier this year, Portilla enrolled full-time to pursue her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Western Governors University, an online-only university that claims it has students living in all 50 states, U.S. territories and U.S. military bases abroad.

Portilla researched and confirmed through the state of California teacher certification website that her program would meet state standards for teacher certification. However, because of the Department of Education has illegally delayed rules, there is no guarantee or legal obligation for the online university to notify her if the program ceases to meet the standards. Portilla could end up with a degree that gets her no closer to her dream of being a teacher in California

“Betsy DeVos’ latest move that removes students’ protections from predatory online universities is a direct attack on our students and their future. The common-sense disclosures help prospective and enrolled students evaluate the legitimacy of online programs and the institution that offers them. Without them, students like Stephanie Portilla could end up saddled with debt and stuck with a worthless degree they can’t use,” said CTA President Eric Heins.

In December 2016, the Department of Education issued the state authorization rule to protect students who were studying in online, distance or correspondence programs. The rules were scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2018. The rules provided important protections including common sense disclosures to help prospective and enrolled students evaluate the legitimacy of both the online program and the institution that offers it, preventing students from wasting time and money on programs that will not help them further their careers. The disclosures included information about whether the program met the licensing requirements in the student’s state and whether the school was under investigation by the state or accreditor for its online programs.

“Desperately needed as it may be, no law can force Secretary DeVos to care about protecting students. But the law does require a specific process to delay a rule, and Secretary DeVos tried to take an illegal shortcut instead,” said NSLDN President Aaron Ament.

Instead of letting these protections go into place, DeVos delayed for months and then illegally rescinded them. The Education Department is required to conduct what’s called “negotiated rulemaking” before it proposes a rule. The Department of Education had plenty of time to do negotiated rulemaking since it signaled its interest in examining the state authorization rule in January 2017. Industry also raised issues for clarification about the rule to the Department of Education throughout 2017 while the Department was conducting intensive outreach on deregulatory actions.

The Department of Education waited until the very last minute and then issued a proposal with only 15 days for the public to comment – then it missed its own deadline and failed to delay the rule by July 1, 2018. The Education Department’s delay did not publish in the Federal Register until July 3, 2018.

“The Department of Education’s reasons for delay are flimsy and do not satisfy the high bar it must meet to waive its legal obligation to conduct negotiated rulemaking,” added Ament.                                                      

CONTACT:
Staci Maiers, NEA Communications
202-270-5333 cell, smaiers@nea.org

Claudia Briggs, CTA Communications
916-325-1550, cbriggs@cta.org

Martha Upton Fulford, NSLDN Communications

press@nsldn.org