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Action Alert
HEAD START VOTE THIS WEEK: OPPOSE CIVIL RIGHTS REPEAL!
In March, the Head Start reauthorization bill (H.R. 1429) passed the House Education and Labor Committee by a 42-1 vote. The committee-passed bill leaves in place a crucial civil rights provision, which has been a cornerstone protection in Head Start programs since 1972. That provision has, for decades, protected over 213,000 Head Start teachers and staff, and over 1,360,000 parent volunteers, from employment discrimination based on religion in federally-funded Head Start programs.
The bill is expected to be on the House floor this week and we anticipate an attempt to repeal these critical civil rights provisions through either a “Motion to Recommit,” which would send the bill back to committee with instructions to repeal the provision, or an “amendment” to the bill which would immediately repeal the anti-discrimination language before final passage.

URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO REAUTHORIZE HEAD START AND REJECT ANY ASSAULT ON CIVIL RIGHTS PROTECTIONS IN FEDERALLY-FUNDED PROGRAMS.

Religious organizations participating in the Head Start program make an invaluable contribution to the education of thousands of children. To date, these religious organizations have complied with Head Start's existing civil rights requirements. However, if the repeal of the existing civil rights protection were to become law, teachers or parent volunteers working in Head Start programs run by religious organizations could immediately lose their jobs because of religious discrimination. Therefore, children participating in Head Start could lose not only their teachers, but also the close connection with their own parents volunteering in the program. Allowing discrimination based on religion would significantly impede the important goals of Head Start, and harm children by not only separating them from their teachers and parent volunteers, but also by showing them that discrimination is acceptable.
Urge your Member of Congress to REAUTHORIZE the Head Start Improvement Act (H.R. 1429) and reject any assault on civil rights protections in federally-funded programs, especially a program as critical as Head Start. This would destroy the bipartisanship nature of a program in which the education of young children is so dependent on parent participation and on ongoing, close relationships with Head Start teachers.

http://action.au.org/au/issues/alert/?alertid=9686561&PROCESS=Take+Action