"There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities." -Theodore Roosevelt "In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American." -Theodore Roosevelt "Racism is not dead, but it is on life support -- kept alive by politicians, race hustlers and people who get a sense of superiority by denouncing others as 'racists'" -Thomas Sowell "Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole." -Thomas Sowell "Character, not circumstances, makes the man." -Booker T. Washington "When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear." - Thomas Sowell

HB 894 crosses an important line. While protecting students from bullying matters, this bill extends state mandates into private schools, treating them like public institutions. Families choose private schools for their values, culture, and governance. HB 894 undermines that choice by imposing one-size-fits-all rules on schools that vary widely in size, mission, and capacity. The bill’s 24-hour written notification requirement sounds reasonable, but in practice it can force schools to act before facts are known, escalating conflict and increasing legal risk. Instead of thoughtful resolution, administrators are pushed toward compliance-driven responses. Most private schools already prohibit bullying, notify parents, and handle issues responsibly. This bill assumes failure where trust and discretion already exist, and replaces them with liability and regulation. The bigger concern is precedent. Once the state dictates conduct policies in private schools, it becomes easier to mandate discipline practices, speech rules, or curriculum next. HB 894 doesn’t improve student safety—it expands government control, limits flexibility, and weakens parental choice.