WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, released the following statement on his vote to pass the 2016 Elementary and Secondary Education Act out of committee. The bill passed the committee with a bipartisan vote of 22-0.

“Every child in Connecticut and across the country has the right to a first rate education, no matter their zip code. As an opponent of No Child Left Behind’s stringent, inflexible requirements, I supported this bill because it puts us on a path to recognizing that good schools aren't defined by testing alone. And I’m proud that the bill includes my language to protect students with disabilities from discrimination, foster positive school climates that don't overly rely on suspensions and expulsions, and prohibit schools from unnecessarily locking kids up or tying them down when they misbehave.

“I voted to move this bill out of committee today because I believe it’s our best shot at making things better for students, but this bill is still a work in progress. This bill still does not do enough to push low-performing schools to get better, or require states to address achievement gaps. Education is a civil rights issue, and right now, this bill doesn't do enough to ensure that all kids, regardless of what they look like or where they live, have access to top quality schools. This bill needs to get better in order for me to support it on the floor.”