Senator Hopgood calls for the EAA -- Governor's Snyder's preferred model of public education -- to shut down

At least one Michigan State Senator does not see the EAA as an "experiment" or a "start-up." Here is Senator Hopgood's Press Release


For Immediate Release:
Contact: Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood
January 27, 2014
(517) 373-7800

Hopgood Releases Statement on Reports of Abuse, Inadequacies at EAA, Calls for Shut Down

LANSING — Senator Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D – Taylor) today issued the following statement in response to the recent release of interviews with teachers at the Education Achievement Authority, documenting extensive accounts of physical abuse of students, along with inadequacies in programming.

“Eclectablog’s interviews with teachers at the Education Achievement Authority, that cited outright violence against children along with unacceptable inadequacies in programming and classroom resources prove our worst fears to be true – that the EAA is not only a detriment to students, but an actual encroachment on their safety and well-being,” said Senator Hopgood. “Reports from one educator after another serve as evidence of the countless failings of the Authority, from a lack of special education programming to classrooms of 50 students, and putting students directly in harm’s way at the hands of disciplinarians.

“Not only is the EAA incapable of expanding statewide as the Governor has called for, it must be shut down immediately in order to ensure the safety of our students,” Hopgood continued. “Every stakeholder in the conversation surrounding the expansion of this Authority should read the extensive interviews released by Eclectablog – those who do will quickly be convinced that it is absolutely essential that the EAA close its doors for good.”