NEA & CEA applaud Rep. Jahana Hayes’ introduction of the Pell Grant Restoration Act

WASHINGTON - The National Education Association (NEA) and Connecticut Education Association (CEA) today applauded Rep. Jahana Hayes, longtime NEA and CEA member as well 2016 National Teacher of the Year, on her introduction of the Pell Grant Restoration Act, H.R. 4298.

“Jahana Hayes has spent her entire adult life fighting for students, first in the classroom and now in Congress. She knows all too well about how students—often from low-income households and communities of color—are lured into for-profit colleges only to find that the college is more focused on profits than putting students on a pathway to success. And too often, when these for-profit colleges fail, it’s the students who are left holding the bag. That is why educators applaud Rep. Hayes’s Pell Grant Restoration Act, which would allow students who were victims of predatory for-profit colleges to get a fresh start and have a second chance at a higher education with a full slate of Pell benefits,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García.

“Jahana knows firsthand the importance of education and the need to provide our students with opportunities to grow and succeed. We support her efforts to give students who were victims of the predatory lending practices of some for-profit colleges a second chance to secure much-needed education funds and student aid to complete their education. It’s critical for Congress to pass the Pell Grant Restoration Act, introduced by Congresswoman Hayes, to ensure all students have the chance to reach their full potential and live the American dream,” said CEA President Jeff Leake.