Opposition to LB 753
The following is a copy of the comments I sent in to the NE legislature stating my opposition to LB 753.
My name is Rachel Loewens, and I wanted to testify against LB 753. My family had been enrolled in a private school here in Omaha and, because of the school’s abusive and authoritarian set up, we are now in our fourth year of recovering from that experience. I feel that this bill does not take into consideration some of the real-life issues that come up in private education, and I want the senators to be thinking about what harmful environments they may be promoting throught this measure. Specifically, I would like the proponents of this bill to address the following questions:
What do you recommend parents do if they have an serious issue with a staff member but don’t feel that they can bring it up with the board because one of its members got a little “handsy” with said staff member at a parent meeting?
Will you audit private schools to make sure they do not plagerize curriculum?
Will you require schools to make their financial records public?
How will you enforce compliance of federal mandates if a board member pledges to oppose them?
What consequences would a school face if it fired a staff member for affirming LGBTQIA people on social media?
Will you require schools to fire staff or board members who fail to fufill their roles as a mandatory abuse reporters?
Will parents be able to seek damages from the state when their children are traumatized due to intentional harm committed by a board member?
What sort of hotline or investigation system would you set up to handle these sorts of complaints?
In short, what will you allow a school to get away with before they are no longer able to benefit from this law?
Again, none of these questions have to do with hypothetical scenarios but actually issues that came up at Trinity Classical Academy. Please take the time to listen to families with similar experiences before you vote to advance this bill.
Thank you for your time.
TCA Board Members
Bob Thune, Founding Board Member
Pastor at Coram Deo Church
Sara Breetzke, Head of School
John Batcher, Board Member
Phil Belin, Founding Board Member
Attorney
Spencer Finley, Treasurer
CFO of Boy Scouts of America, Mid-America Council
Anna Little, Founding Board Member
Cannon Allen, Board Member
