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Ron Paul vs. the New Freedom Commission: by discrediting the commission's work, some lawmakers are compromising the same parental rights they are purporting to protect.

Article Excerpt
Rachel had been a model student, receiving straight As, volunteering for class projects, and never causing grief for her teachers. Her behavior gradually changed in the fifth grade. Although her test scores remained high, homework completion became spotty, and teachers noticed that she was inattentive and occasionally disruptive. In turn, Rachel complained that schoolwork was boring and repetitious and that her classmates were immature. The school counselor convened a full evaluation panel with representatives from the various departments of the school district administration. Following tests, interviews, and screens, the panel members unanimously recommended that Rachel skip sixth grade and be admitted to seventh grade in the fall.

Rachel was pleased with the solution and her parents were relieved, but their happiness was short-lived. Armed with the authority to defy the psychologists and educational specialists from district headquarters, the middle school principal insisted that Rachel enroll in the sixth grade because his experience and intuition "were a better measure than those tests and psychological screens." He was equally unimpressed with the preferences and concerns of Rachel's parents, who watched their daughter become increasingly withdrawn and angry. Rachel's family ultimately withdrew her from the public school and paid the tuition for a religious school that, ironically, was more responsive to psychological recommendations.

Parents...

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