Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Angus King’s (I. ME) re-election campaign:
When the University of Maine at Presque Isle applied to participate in the Upward Bound program – which helps low-income kids access college – their application was denied by the Department of Education without even being considered. The reason? Two infographics in the 65-page application used 1.5 line spacing instead of the required double spacing.
Seriously.
The Department of Education has decided a tiny formatting issue matters more than educational opportunity for young people. And because of that decision, there are now hundreds of low-income high school students in rural Aroostook County, Maine who don’t have this shot at extra support to prepare them for college.
This is one of the dumbest decisions I’ve ever seen – a complete joke. That’s why I’ve joined the rest of the Maine congressional delegation to ask Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education to put common sense ahead of bureaucracy and not disqualify these applications. Will you join me?
Add your name to tell Betsy DeVos: Educational opportunity matters more than line spacing.
Let me show you exactly what we’re talking about here, so you can see for yourself why these applications were disqualified. Look at the spacing in the yellow box on this infographic:
It’s 1.5 spacing. Do you, like the Department of Education, find that line spacing mistake unacceptable?
I don’t – what I find truly unacceptable is that real kids could be hurt by this decision, denied an opportunity in a way that might impact them for the rest of their lives. It’s exactly the type of nonsensical bureaucratic move that drives people crazy about government – and I won’t stand for it.
Let’s come together to stand up for our students – and stand against senseless bureaucracy.
TellBetsy DeVos and the Department of Education not to deny an opportunityto students because of a formatting error.
Thanks for standing with me here.
Angus
Click here to add your name.