Thursday Actions: War Powers Act and Istation "Emergency"

****Actions 1/9/2020****

FEDERAL:

Support the reclamation of War Powers Act:
Trump walked back some of the violent posturing against Iran on Wednesday, but his unilateral decision to attack still violates the Constitutional imperative to seek approval from Congress before using military force. The House will vote on a war powers resolution Thursday to limit what military action President Trump can take against Iran after Democrats — and even a couple of Republicans — complained a Trump administration briefing on the justification for killing a top Iranian general came down to simply: Trust us. The thing is, Trump has made that pretty difficult. It sounds like Mike Lee and Rand Paul might actually be on the side of transparency here, so we need a couple of other Senators to join the Democrats.

Details:
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-01-08/house-to-vote-on-war-powers-resolution-after-trump-administration-briefs-congress-on-killing-of-suleimani

Script:
Hello, I am a constituent calling to urge Rep./Sen. ____________ to support the Reclamation of War Powers Act. Congress needs to assert its role in approving military action. Trump has offered no evidence that Iran represented an imminent threat, and Congress needs to be granted the authority to block unnecessary wars that will put our soldiers in harm’s way. Thank you.

Federal Contact Numbers:
Thom Tillis: DC: (202) 224-6342
Richard Burr DC: (202) 224-3154
Tim Scott (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-6121
Lindsey Graham (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-5972
House: https://www.house.gov/representatives/

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Get Ready to March Against War with Iran:
Tuesdays with Tillis and Indivisible Triangle Daily Call to Action are co-hosting a rally on Thursday in Raleigh to stand up against a war with Iran. Raleigh’s event is scheduled for 6 PM on Thursday, January 9, at Bicentennial Plaza (most other events are scheduled for 5 PM local time, so please check your local pages below).

There is also a rally planned in Charlotte at the intersection of Tryon and Trade. Here is the national MoveOn website, so keep watching here as well for other events near you:

Thursday Protest:
https://act.moveon.org/event/no-war-with-iran/search/

Charlotte Protest:
https://act.moveon.org/event/no-war-with-iran/126802/

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STATE:

Push for Good Legislation:
The NCGA is about to start its new session and WRAL’s Travis Fain is writing a legislative preview and is inviting people to suggest legislation or issue that might be of interest. If you have a policy idea that you think should receive more attention, let him know.

Twitter contact:
https://twitter.com/TravisFain/status/1214911413313056774

Email:
tfain@wral.com

Tweetstorm: Reject Phone Istation Emergency:
NC Superintendent of Schools Mark Johnson has signed an emergency contract with Istation worth $928,570 to keep the controversial assessment tool in classrooms through March. Johnson was notably absent from Wednesday’s State Board of Education (SBE) where he was scheduled to deliver a report on Read to Achieve and the state’s third-grade retention policy. Johnson’s emergency purchase comes one day after a superior court judge declined to lift a stay that prevents the state from awarding Istation the state’s $8.3 million reading assessment contract mandated by North Carolina’s Read to Achieve law.

Many teachers have been critical of the switch from Amplify’s Class to Istation. They have questioned the procurement process and contend Johnson ignored the recommendations of an evaluation committee that ranked mClass over Istation. The reading diagnostic tool is a companion to the state’s signature education program, “Read to Achieve,” which was launched in 2013 to ensure every student reads at or above grade level by end of third grade. The results haven’t been great even as North Carolina has spent $150 million on the initiative. More than half of the state’s children in K-3 are still not reading at grade level.

According to a promotional video for Istation, the computer-based program will now allow teachers to assess an entire class, either on-demand or automatically, in 30 minutes or less, eliminating the need for one-on-one time in the classroom. But this is a flawed approach, one that undermines the value of personal interaction between teacher and student. So, several groups are ding a tweetstorm to send Johnson and NC lawmakers a message. See below for sample tweets.

Story Details:
http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2020/01/08/superintendent-mark-johnsons-other-plan-is-an-emergency-contract-to-keep-istation-in-classrooms/

Tweetstorm Details:
https://www.facebook.com/NCTestingReform/photos/a.806086626258174/1217366061796893/?type=3&theater

Sample Tweet:
Hey @MarkRJohnsonNC an #ActualEmergency is the lack of a state budget for schools to be able to purchase paper and ink, not purchasing @IstationNC. #MarkJohnsonDebacle @nctestingreform @saverschoolsnc #ncpol