Civitas Lauds Senate Hopeful for Signing ‘Stop Common Core’ Petition

Sept. 3, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Bob Luebke (919) 834-2099        Bob.Luebke@nccivitas.org

RALEIGH — The Civitas Institute has praised a U.S. Senate hopeful for signing a petition to halt the onset of Common Core educational standards in North Carolina.

Heather Grant of Wilkesboro, who is seeking the Republican nomination to face Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan in 2014, has signed the “Stop Common Core in North Carolina” petition at www.stopcommoncorenc.org. Common Core is a national effort, powered by private interests and the federal government, to impose untested academic content standards for English language arts and mathematics on all K-12 public schools across the nation.

The petition Grant signed reads, “I hereby affirm that Common Core standards are regressive and destructive to the most vulnerable children in our school systems, and that these standards erode parental rights and local control, which are the primary bulwarks against legislative overreach. I ask the NC legislature to withdraw the state of North Carolina from participation in the program.”

“I applaud Ms. Grant’s decision to sign the Stop Common Core petition,” Civitas Senior Policy Analyst Bob Luebke said. “It shows her commitment to ensuring parents and North Carolinians decide what is taught in North Carolina classrooms. We call on other Senate candidates, including House Speaker Thom Tillis, to publicly oppose Common Core by signing the petition. And we urge all those seeking office in 2014 to sign the petition and join the fight against Common Core.”

“There is no research that shows Common Core standards will boost student achievement,” Luebke added. “Common Core undermines students’ privacy rights, will cost billions to implement, and centralizes control over public education. If you’re a conservative, your stance on Common Core is pretty straightforward.”

The Civitas Institute is a policy institute in Raleigh, N.C. More information is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at (919) 834-2099 or james.tynen@nccivitas.org.