Faced with mounting criticism across the state of Florida, Governor Rick Scott asked the State Board of Education not to adopt reading and writing samples associated with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). On October 15, 2013, the State Board of Education in a vote of five to one decided to follow the governor’s recommendation not to adopt the reading and writing samples. The board also decided against adopting the suggestions on how to structure mathematics classes.

Kathleen McGrory wrote an article entitled “A Setback for Common Core,” which was published in The Miami Herald on October 16, 2013. She explained that State Education Commissioner Pam Stuart, who favors Common Core, said that local school districts would still have the option to use the documents, known collectively as the Common Core appendices. However, she said these are not required for school districts to use.

McGrory explained that the vote did little to quiet the critics of Common Core who attended the meeting. Chris Quakenbush, a member of the group Stop Common Core Florida, stated the following: “This is really a lipstick on a pig. We still have concerns. The standards are ambiguous gobbledygook. That needs to be addressed.” Pam Stuart stated at the meeting that there could be additional revisions to the Common Core standards once the State Department of Education finishes soliciting feedback from parents, teachers, business leaders, and other citizens. The reporter explained that  Commissioner Stuart hinted that those changes might include renaming the Common Core standards as the Florida standards or something similar.

Governor Scott directed State Department of Education officials in September 2013 to withdraw from the consortium Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), which was creating the CCSS national exams. Now Florida will create its own tests. The state is asking for competitive bidding from companies interested in creating tests specifically for Florida.

Due to the many complaints received by Governor Rick Scott, he called for public hearings regarding Common Core. Three cities were selected for these meetings. On October 15, the first public forum was held in Tampa with about 200 people in attendance. Many criticized CCSS and the federal government overreach in education.

Indoctrination of children in Cuban schools – the future Common Core in America?

On October 16, the second hearing was held in the town hall of Davie, a city in Broward County. Approximately 200 people attended the meeting and the vast majority blasted Common Core. The angry critics referred to the federal standards as “Obama Ed” and “Communist Core.” The superintendent of the Broward County Public Schools, Robert Runcie, defended the CCSS. However, he was among the few who had a positive opinion about the national standards. Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stuart listened to the speakers and said that all those opinions will be taken into consideration. It remains to be seen if that statement is true since Pam Stuart supports Common Core. The last meeting will held in Florida’s capital, Tallahassee.

Common Core has created an intense political battle in the Sunshine State where many conservative and tea party groups have denounced CCSS as a federal takeover of education in violation of the 10th Amendment of the Constitution. Additionally, the intrusive data mining component of Common Core violates the privacy protection of the 4th Amendment of the Constitution as well as federal laws such as FERPA.

This writer, who is the Miami-Dade County Director of Bear Witness Central, has spoken against Common Core on radio and television programs in Florida and other states, as well as participated in conferences denouncing this misguided and unconstitutional national curriculum that is being imposed on 45 states by the Obama administration using federal funds as bribery. Bear Witness Central, a patriot organization, is part of the coalition of Stop Common Core in Florida. Other directors of Bear Witness Central, teacher Thais Alvarez, Broward County Director, and Dr. Juan Torres, Central Florida Director have also spoken before school boards, on radio programs, and in conferences against Common Core.

The fight against the CCSS continues in Florida and across

LEARN HOW TO FIGHT AGAINST COMMON CORE AT THE:

COMMON CORE STANDARDS CONFERENCE

WHY COMMON CORE WILL HURT CHILDREN, FAMILIES & MINORITIES

Experts will be providing information on why Common Core Standards needs to be stopped. Come hear the truth about Common Core Standards and what they will mean for your children, your community, and the future of our country.

Jacksonville, Florida  November 9th  Click the picture for more information: