Before you jump to the conclusion that this parent was "out of line," consider the methods used by Dr. Dallas Dance, Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools, and Lillian Lowery, Maryland Superintendent, to screen, omit, and edit parents’ questions prior to this parent finally stepping up to make his voice heard. Also, was this kind of force–physically pushing and shoving him out of the meeting, handcuffing, and then arresting him–justified? No! Absolutely not!
I hope this man sues. If that lawsuit isn’t successful, then we are lost as a country that was Founded on the idea that "Governments derive their Powers from the consent of the Governed." If a judge doesn’t rule in this man’s favor, then we have devolved into government propaganda-fed idiots who deserve to be ruled by tyrants.
See School Superintendents Receive an F Grade for Common Core Meeting.
Here’s an excerpt from this article, written by a woman who attended the meeting:
"My submitted question:
"Although Common Core was adopted by MDE three years ago, in exchange for a quarter Billion dollar federal incentive grant through Race to the Top which is conditioned upon adherence to Common Core*, parents weren’t informed until after its implementation. The MDE has not valued nor requested parental input. Instead, there was no transparency or even the courtesy of notifying parents much less consulting them. No wonder parents are up in arms. You’re awakening the Mama Bear. Why haven’t parents across the state heard of Common Core until the month of its implementation?"
"What Dr. Dance read:
"As a parent, I was a little disappointed that I’m just starting to hear so much information around the Common Core state standard. I want to be informed as most parents across our state. As a parent, how can I learn more information around Common Core"?
"As the pom-pom and rah-rah session neared an end about 20 minutes before the meeting close, parental frustration was mounting as our questions were still going unanswered. One parent, Robert Small, decided to interject to try to force some answers."
*See also Top Ten Professors Calling out Common Core’s So-Called College Readiness
"Eighth, Dr. Bill Evers of Hoover Institute at Stanford University:
“The Common Core — effectively national math and English curriculum standards coming soon to a school near you — is supposed to be a new, higher bar that will take the United States from the academic doldrums to international dominance.
"So why is there so much unhappiness about it? There didn’t seem to be much just three years ago. Back then, state school boards and governors were sprinting to adopt the Core. In practically the blink of an eye, 45 states had signed on.
"But states weren’t leaping because they couldn’t resist the Core’s academic magnetism. They were leaping because it was the Great Recession — and the Obama administration was dangling a $4.35 billion Race to the Top carrot in front of them. Big points in that federal program were awarded for adopting the Core, so, with little public debate, most did.”