IL: students must apply for college fin. aid to graduate

[redheadbaker]

What the fuck? Students can opt out, but still ... what the fuck?? 

www.nwherald.com/2019/08/03/student-financial-aid-applications-to-be-required/asn6s0q/

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois high school students will soon have to complete some form of college financial aid application as a condition of graduation.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed House Bill 2719, which requires that, starting in the 2020-2021 school year, high school students must fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA form, or an alternative form to be created by the Illinois State Board of Education, as a condition for receiving a high school diploma.

[auroraloo]

This seems like a giant data dive.

[VillainV]

Aug 4, 2019 11:57:49 GMT -5 auroraloo said:

This seems like a giant data dive.

That was my thought as well.

[pugz]

What about those whose parents refuse to share tax info or kids not going to college?

[racegrrl714]

the fuq?

[muffin0]

Nothing shady here folks! ::eye roll::

[seeyalater52]

What an idiotic use of policy.

[isabel]

What possible good reason could they have for this!?

[lilibet]

Because it makes sense to waste time for people who won't actually go to college. And what if you don't need aid? I had a couple classmates whose parents could easily afford school for them without assistance, so this is a huge waste of everyone's time.

And who is going to help show students how to do this? When I was in school they had one night where someone from a local community college came in and showed parent/students how to fill out the form, but no one else in the school could help us with the forms. They better figure that out.

Pritzker latches on to the oddest things, too. I'm glad the dems won but I'm still annoyed he was the dem candidate.

[cattledogkisses]

Why create unnecessary barriers to graduation?

From what I remember, FAFSA is not exactly a simple form to fill out. Who's going to assist students with this?

[UMaineTeach]

Not everyone needs, wants, or is able to go to college, needs help paying for college, has parents to put on the application, understands the application, understands scholarships vs grants vs loans

Another way to track undocumented students and those who fail to register for selective service.

A way to track individual families income.

A way for the government to gather information you might not want it to have.

I would think this could have bipartisan objection. The values of both liberals and conservatives are infringed upon.

[nsl]

This was a requirement in the district I worked for in Texas--I don't believe it was state law, though I could be wrong--and we had to have a counselor whose only job was to assist seniors with FAFSA and college applications. She did a number of financial aid nights to assist parents with filling out FASA, and took walk-in appointments for parents who were unable to make those dates. We were one of the poorest schools in a poor city (El Paso), and I know that a lot of my students assumed they wouldn't be able to go to college for financial reasons. At least a few got unexpected news about federal aid because they had to do these applications. The kids who waited until the last minute to do everything were pulled out of spring pep rallies to complete their requirements.

I will say that this was pre-2016, and I would not be surprised if undocumented kids, or those with undocumented parents, aren't resisting these requirements now.

[krystee]

I can somewhat see a benefit in that some kids may have no idea that they’d qualify for grants that would entirely pay for community college (or a big chunk toward a four-year). Maybe people who think college is totally out of reach will realize that it’s not. At the same time, I see all the other drawbacks too. I will be curious to see how this plays out and if IL sees an uptick in college attendance among underrepresented communities.

[NitaX]

Aug 4, 2019 15:30:20 GMT -5 nsl said:

This was a requirement in the district I worked for in Texas--I don't believe it was state law, though I could be wrong--and we had to have a counselor whose only job was to assist seniors with FAFSA and college applications. She did a number of financial aid nights to assist parents with filling out FASA, and took walk-in appointments for parents who were unable to make those dates. We were one of the poorest schools in a poor city (El Paso), and I know that a lot of my students assumed they wouldn't be able to go to college for financial reasons. At least a few got unexpected news about federal aid because they had to do these applications. The kids who waited until the last minute to do everything were pulled out of spring pep rallies to complete their requirements.

I will say that this was pre-2016, and I would not be surprised if undocumented kids, or those with undocumented parents, aren't resisting these requirements now.

Who paid for it? Did the state give additional funding for the hiring of counselors?

[SusanBAnthony]

I can see the idea behind it but there is no way the execution won't be awful.

I was one of those kids who could have gotten aid, and I didn't bother applying because I assumed I wouldn't. But.... That is a horrible reason to do this.

[nsl]

Aug 5, 2019 14:53:21 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Aug 4, 2019 15:30:20 GMT -5 nsl said:

This was a requirement in the district I worked for in Texas--I don't believe it was state law, though I could be wrong--and we had to have a counselor whose only job was to assist seniors with FAFSA and college applications. She did a number of financial aid nights to assist parents with filling out FASA, and took walk-in appointments for parents who were unable to make those dates. We were one of the poorest schools in a poor city (El Paso), and I know that a lot of my students assumed they wouldn't be able to go to college for financial reasons. At least a few got unexpected news about federal aid because they had to do these applications. The kids who waited until the last minute to do everything were pulled out of spring pep rallies to complete their requirements.

I will say that this was pre-2016, and I would not be surprised if undocumented kids, or those with undocumented parents, aren't resisting these requirements now.

Who paid for it? Did the state give additional funding for the hiring of counselors?

This is a great question, and I wish I knew the answer.  All of the high schools got an extra counselor the same year this was rolled out, so it was either the district or the state.  Adding a graduation requirement shouldn't be an unfunded mandate, though it wouldn't surprise me at all if this one is.

[divanerd]

This is another way to show undocumented workers. How awful that a diploma is with held without it.

[scout8]

Aug 5, 2019 20:11:11 GMT -5 divanerd said:

This is another way to show undocumented workers. How awful that a diploma is with held without it.

It says they can opt out. 

[seeyalater52]

Aug 5, 2019 20:52:28 GMT -5 scout8 said:

Aug 5, 2019 20:11:11 GMT -5 divanerd said:

This is another way to show undocumented workers. How awful that a diploma is with held without it.

It says they can opt out. 

But isn’t the opt out also going to make their undocumented status clear and a part of public record, if only at the state rather than the federal level? That is not without risk to these students and their families.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 4, 2019 14:33:52 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

Why create unnecessary barriers to graduation?

From what I remember, FAFSA is not exactly a simple form to fill out. Who's going to assist students with this?

This is exactly why it is lazy policy. If you want more kids to go to college, hire and pay college counselors to support them with applying to schools and for financial aid. Pass better simple in-state financial aid support for students. Don’t roll out unfunded requirements for schools and students and their families that are “free” but don’t clearly accomplish your objective and add unnecessary barriers.

[scout8]

Aug 6, 2019 7:18:38 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Aug 5, 2019 20:52:28 GMT -5 scout8 said:

It says they can opt out. 

But isn’t the opt out also going to make their undocumented status clear and a part of public record, if only at the state rather than the federal level? That is not without risk to these students and their families.

Why would opting out make their undocumented status clear? I feel like I'm missing something here. I assume a big percentage of students will opt out, not just undocumented students. 

[redheadbaker]

Aug 6, 2019 8:14:23 GMT -5 scout8 said:

Aug 6, 2019 7:18:38 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

But isn’t the opt out also going to make their undocumented status clear and a part of public record, if only at the state rather than the federal level? That is not without risk to these students and their families.

Why would opting out make their undocumented status clear? I feel like I'm missing something here. I assume a big percentage of students will opt out, not just undocumented students. 

Do you honestly think they'll make it easy to opt out?

[msmerymac]

I see we're still promoting the "everyone should go to college" philosophy.

[scout8]

Aug 6, 2019 8:33:42 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Aug 6, 2019 8:14:23 GMT -5 scout8 said:

Why would opting out make their undocumented status clear? I feel like I'm missing something here. I assume a big percentage of students will opt out, not just undocumented students. 

Do you honestly think they'll make it easy to opt out?

Yes, the article I read said they just need to sign a form saying they understand what it is and they are opting out.

I'm clearly in the minority here, but as long as there is an option to opt out, I think this is a positive development. The goal is to try to get more college participation from low income students. I don't see how this is a bad thing. 

I don't know if this makes a difference to anyone, but this was passed in Illinois with an overwhelmingly Democratic house and senate. It wasn't the idea of our White Nationalist/GOP party with the goal to find undocumented students. 

[imojoebunny]

Do parents have to sign the opt out form? My parents refused to fill out that financial aid form when I was going to college, and would not give me the information to fill out the forms myself. They have some different ideas about borrowing, credit, and privacy. It, also, seems like a big FU to force students who have no interest or possibility of going to college to fill out a form for college aid when they never plan to attend. Not everyone, by a long stretch needs or wants to go to college, and this seems like yet another way, to rub their noses.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 6, 2019 8:42:58 GMT -5 scout8 said:

Aug 6, 2019 8:33:42 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Do you honestly think they'll make it easy to opt out?

Yes, the article I read said they just need to sign a form saying they understand what it is and they are opting out.

I'm clearly in the minority here, but as long as there is an option to opt out, I think this is a positive development. The goal is to try to get more college participation from low income students. I don't see how this is a bad thing. 

I don't know if this makes a difference to anyone, but this was passed in Illinois with an overwhelmingly Democratic house and senate. It wasn't the idea of our White Nationalist/GOP party with the goal to find undocumented students. 

In my experience working with communities in government programs, even a simple form is a huge barrier for people. It seems simple, but for families struggling it is just not feasible to expect, and a lot of people will fall through the cracks and not properly exempt themselves. This is doubly true for more marginalized students. 

The mechanism here doesn't match up with the goal. Democrats are just as guilty of passing policies that sound good on paper but have unanticipated negative consequences for people as anyone else. 

[spindle92]

Of course this is in IL, the most fucked up and corrupt state.

[redheadbaker]

Aug 6, 2019 8:42:58 GMT -5 scout8 said:

Aug 6, 2019 8:33:42 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Do you honestly think they'll make it easy to opt out?

Yes, the article I read said they just need to sign a form saying they understand what it is and they are opting out.

I'm clearly in the minority here, but as long as there is an option to opt out, I think this is a positive development.

To have more people with the burden of student loans?