"Shameless!" says former asst Sec'y of Education Diane Ravitch! "The desperation of the NY State 'reformers' to stop the Opt Out movement is boundless." Newsday reports that the state may lower the rankings of schools with high numbers of opt out students, even though it knows that the schools are high performing schools. There is nothing that State Commissioner MaryEllen Elia won't do to force parents to sit their children down and make them take the state tests.The state believes it must "deal with" these recalcitrant parents. "A note to the parents who opt out their children. Please remember that Commissioner Elia works for YOU. You do not work for her. Please remember that you pay her salary. She is not your boss. Please remember that the Pierce Decision of 1925 by the Supreme Court declared that your children belong to you, not the State which has no power to standardize them."