Dear ND SHAPE Members,
In an effort to educate new members of Congress about the importance of a well-rounded education within the bi-partisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Joe Deutsch(NDSU), and Chris Mahoney (U. of Jamestown), are headed to Capitol Hill to advocate for full funding to support professional development for teachers and health and physical education programs in schools. They will be asking lawmakers to fully fund the federal education program Title IV, Part A, Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, under ESSA.
They will join more than 150 fellow health and physical educators representing 39 states on Capitol Hill to take part in the SHAPE America – Society of Health and Physical Educators 12th annual member advocacy day, SPEAK Out! Day, on March 5-6.
When ESSA was passed in 2015, health and physical education were designated as part of a well-rounded education, allowing Title IV, Part A, schools to receive funding to support a well-rounded education, safe and healthy student programs, and effective use of technology. Congress funded Title IV, Part A at $1.1 billion and $1.17 billion in FY18 and FY19 respectively. As Congress reconciles appropriations for FY 2020 and beyond, it’s critical that the health and physical education community continues its strong advocacy efforts for this important funding stream for schools.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Next Wednesday, our representatives will be meeting with North Dakota’s Senators and Congressman to tell them WHY we need #MoreTitleIV. You can help them tell your stories by briefly sharing your own “WHY” we need #MoreTitleIV. Please consider creating a short video and Tweeting it out on or before Wednesday, March 6th. A couple of North Dakota teachers have already shared their stories, but we need more!!
SAMPLE VIDEOS on Twitter
Ø Check out Leah Wheeling (President – ND SHAPE) from Simle Middle School and her video at @LeahWPE.
******Don’t forget to tweet at @SenJohnHoeven, @kevincramer, @RepArmstrongND
and be sure to include the hashtags
#MoreTitleIV #SHAPEadvocacy #SPEAKOutDay *****
