CHARLESTON, W. Va. . (Mar. 20, 2017) – On Saturday, the West Virginia Senate passed a bill to withdraw the state from Common Core.

Sen. Patricia Rucker (R-Jefferson) introduced Senate Bill 524 (SB524) to void Common Core standards in the state. It reads, in part:

Effective July 1, 2018, the state board is prohibited from implementing Common Core academic standards.

The bill received a “do pass” recommendation from the Senate Education Committee on Mar. 13 and passed the full Senate on Saturday by a 23-8 vote.

The bill has a House companion. Del. Pat McGeehan (R-Hancock, 1) introduced House Bill 2214 (HB2214). HB2214 contains many of the same provisions as SB524, but with additional language to protect the personally identifiable information of West Virginia students.

BACKGROUND

Common Core was intended to create nationwide education standards. While touted as a state initiative through the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the U.S. Department of Education was heavily involved behind the scenes. Up until recently, the DoE tied the grant of waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act to adoption of Common Core, using the standards as powerful strings to influence state educational policy. The Every Student Succeeds Act passed by Congress this month now prohibits the DoE from attempting to “influence, incentivize, or coerce State adoption of the Common Core State Standards … or any other academic standards common to a significant number of States.”

Even with the federal strings cut from Common Core for the time being, it is still imperative for each state to adopt its own standards. The feds can once again use these national standards to meddle in state education at any time if they remain in place. Just as importantly, one-size-fits-all standard simply don’t benefit children. State and local governments should remain in full control of their own educational systems.

Rejecting nationalized education standards is the first step toward bringing true academic choice, and freedom. Passage of this legislation into law represents a positive step forward for the people of West Virginia and a path for other states to follow.

Even with the federal strings cut from Common Core for the time being, it is still imperative for each state to adopt its own standards. The feds can once again use these national standards to meddle in state education at any time if they remain in place. Just as importantly, one-size-fits-all standard simply don’t benefit children. State and local governments should remain in full control of their own educational systems.

Rejecting nationalized education standards is the first step toward bringing true academic choice, and freedom. Passage of this legislation into law represents a positive step forward for the people of West Virginia and a path for other states to follow.

NEXT STEPS

SB524 now moves to the House for further consideration. HB2214 is in the House Education Committee.

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