Two bills that would nullify the controversial Common Core educational standards have been introduced in the Louisiana State House of Representatives.

HB556 and HB557 would stop all state involvement with Common Core. The bills were introduced on Feb. 27 by Reps. Cameron Henry (R-82) and Jerome Richard (I-55). They were promptly moved to the Education Committee where they will need to pass through a majority before they can be voted upon by the whole house.

HB556 declares that “the state Department of Education or the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall not implement the Common Core State Standards for any subject. The department shall implement the state standards used immediately prior to the adoption of the Common Core State Standards by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and shall make improvements to the standards as maybe necessary.” HB557 contains similar language, but authorizes a task force to conduct an in-depth study of the Common Core standards as well.

Louisiana is hoping to follow in the footsteps of other states such as Indiana and Florida by pushing back against this outrageous federal power-grab. Largely unbeknownst to the American public, Common Core gives the feds the power to collect all kinds of data from children including Social Security numbers, blood type, records of school attendance, supposed learning disabilities, religious affiliation, disciplinary records and parents’ income information. The curriculum also eschews classic literature in favor of drab, government technical manuals. Common Core implementation is already causing test scores to plummet in states that have neglected to take action against it.

HB556 and HB557 remove control from unaccountable federal bureaucrats and put it back into the hands of the people. Common Core’s proponents deceptively claim that the curriculum is not the handiwork of federal bureaucrats because it was conceived by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). However, they were only put in charge of Common Core because it is illegal and unconstitutional for the Dept. of Education to issue a copyright. In fact, the NGA has received tens of millions in taxpayer cash from the federal government over the course of many years. Once again, the feds and their lackeys are trying to snooker the public into accepting another one of their illicit power grabs.

Powerful, monied interests are banking on this government/corporate takeover of education, and they have all of their heaviest hitters from Barack Obama to Bill Gates to Jeb Bush out there cheerleading for this educational heist. That means it is incumbent upon us to support measures such as HB556 and HB557 and push them to success. Whether you are living in Louisiana or not, there is much you can do to get involved and stop Common Core in your community.

ACTION ITEMS

For Louisiana: Take action today to help pass HB556 and HB557 by clicking HERE. (NOTE: No action alert found on the tracking page)

For Other States: Check our Tracking and Action Center to see if your state has taken action against Common Core. If they haven’t, contact your state legislators and demand that they introduce legislation similar to HB556 or HB557. You can find your legislator’s contact information by clicking HERE.