The impact of the pandemic on education is becoming clearer with news the average ACT test score sunk to its lowest point in 30 years, and Senator Joe Pennacchio today said botched government policy is largely to blame.

“Like that, we wiped out three decades of hard work and improving performance,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “Heavy-handed edicts from government and pressure from the educational industry is responsible for this troubling development, and it is likely scores will continue to slide in the future because remote learning and mask mandates may have a more serious impact on younger minds.”

ACT is a standardized test used in the admissions process by colleges across the nation. It measures performance in four key areas: English, mathematics, reading, and scientific reasoning.

“It was obvious from early on that education would suffer and students would be big losers in the pandemic,” Pennacchio said. “Did anybody really believe that remote learning was an adequate substitute for classroom lessons, especially given the lax demands on high school kids to attend online classes, let alone participate?

“Woke political agendas, cancel culture and sexual indoctrination have replaced reading, writing and arithmetic as priorities in our schools,” Pennacchio continued. “Until we recommit to the 3 R’s, grades will continue to fall, failure will become more common and acceptable, and the U.S. will lose its standing as a leader in global education rankings.”