Big win for Common Core opponents in Missouri, new lawsuit in South Dakota

November 19, 2015

Writer

Ready for some good news? Today, a national nonprofit law firm leading the charge against Common Core reported a big victory in Missouri, where it helped thwart the implementation of an expensive and unpopular part of the Common Core math curriculum.

Since teaming up with Missouri attorney, D. John Sauer, who initially took on the case on behalf of Missouri taxpayers, the Thomas More Law Center has brought similar challenges to the constitutionality of the Common Core testing consortia in several other states, including North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia.

So what happened exactly?

The court of appeals dismissed an appeal by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, upholding a lower court decision that blocked Missouri’s membership in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) --- part of the Common Core math standards being forced on U.S. students. You know, the "new" math that has made children cry and parents tear their hair out because of its stultifying nature.

Why is this a big deal?

As it turns out, SBAC violated the Compact Clause of the U.S. Constitution and numerous federal and state statutes.

Secondly, for the privilege of membership, states are required to pay hefty fees (i.e., taxpayer money).

In South Dakota, SBAC membership fees would total over $600,000. That could buy a lot of crayons. Two South Dakota moms (who clearly recognized bad budgeting when they saw it) had the Thomas Moore Law Center file a lawsuit this month on their behalf, challenging the constitutionality of the state’s participation in the SBAC.

Shelli Grinager, mother of three, and Amber Mauricio, mother of five, have both seen their school-aged children break down in tears due to pressure teachers and schools placed on them to pass SBAC tests.

This isn't the first time Grinager, a former school board member, PTA president and advocate for students and families, has fought against Common Core. Since its roll-out, she has spoken out against the high-pressure SBAC tests. Last year, she began homeschooling her children, after two were denied more challenging math because they had to stick to the rigid Common Core curriculum.

Mauricio’s fight against Common Core began when she attempted to “opt out” her children from SBAC testing. The school ignored her opt-out request and tested her children anyway. Mauricio was alarmed by the nature of some Common Core aligned questions asked of her children, which sought to examine how they would behave in certain situations and what their home life is like.

To learn more about the Thomas More Law Center's continuing efforts to help parents combat Common Core, check out the Common Core Resource Page and Test Refusal and Student Privacy Protection Form.

Video: The Other PARCC from Shoot4Education on Vimeo.

Featured Image: Claes Oldenburg's "Study for a Rotten Apple Core, Two" is seen during a press preview of the Collection of Betty Freeman at Christie's April 3, 2009 in New York City. David Hockney's "Beverly Hills Housewife" (est. $7-10 million) is set to break a world auction record and is displayed along with works by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Dan Flavin and others. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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Donald Trump hasn't even begun his second term, and he is already making major moves that eclipse the Biden administration. Here are Trump's top FIVE most impressive feats that he has achieved before taking office:

Stock market surge

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Immediately after the election, all major indexes skyrocketed. Trump's election bolstered confidence in the long-term stability of the U.S. economy. Just a few days after November 5th, Glenn had financial expert Carol Roth on his show to discuss what this actually means for America, and long story short, the forecast was very optimistic. America has another chance at a golden era, especially for small businesses.

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Bitcoin experienced its own surge in the immediate aftermath of Trump's re-election, breaching the $100,000 valuation for the first time in the digital currency's history and doubling in value from the beginning of the year. The rise is attributed to Trump's favorable stance towards cryptocurrencies and strong opposition to the idea of a "Fed Coin," a cryptocurrency made by the Federal Reserve. This ensures people can purchase Bitcoin and other cryptos without the government swooping in and shutting it down.

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Just a few weeks after Trump's historic victory, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” made a trip to Mar-a-Lago to make peace with the president-elect. This comes after years of the duo bashing Trump as a dictator and a fascist.

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Last week, Trump announced that he would impose a massive 25 percent tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico unless they agree to crack down on their contribution to the migrant and fentanyl crisis plaguing the U.S. This grabbed the attention of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, as 75 percent of Canadian exports go to the U.S. Trudeau made an unplanned visit to Mar-a-Lago to discuss this proposed tariff. Later Trudeau commented that he had "an excellent conversation" with Trump.

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President Joe Biden gave his son, Hunter, a sweeping presidential pardon that erased the past ten years of his criminal record.

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Here are three glaring examples of Biden and the media lying about the president's intentions to pardon Hunter:

President Biden claims he "ruled out" the possibility of pardoning Hunter.

@independent Joe Biden has issued a pardon for his son Hunter following his conviction on federal gun charges, despite previously claiming he would not do so. The president officially announced the decision on Sunday (1 December) saying that his son had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” by the Justice Department. In a statement, he said he hoped the American people would understand his decision as a father. The sudden announcement was a full reversal of the stance he took six months ago when he announced publicly he would not pardon Hunter, should he be convicted. #hunter #biden ♬ original sound - Independent

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Biden owes KJP an apology.

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The corporate media coverup.

The mainstream media belittled anyone who suggested that Biden would pardon Hunter. Now, these clips are a perfect example of the mainstream media's complicity of promoting whatever contradictory narrative emerges from the White House.

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With Matt Gaetz out of the picture, President Trump has already named former Florida AG Pam Bondi as his latest pick as his US Attorney General.

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Does Pam Bondi have what it takes to lead the Department of Justice? What does her resume look like? Does she have any skeletons in the closet that the Democrats could use against her? Here's everything you need to know about Pam Bondi below:

Bondi's Resume

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Bondi started her career as a prosecutor working for the Hillsborough County Attorney's Office where she handled countless cases that ranged from domestic violence to murder. In 2010 Bondi made history by becoming Florida's first female attorney general. She spent her time in office fighting back against Florida's opioid crisis and openly challenged Obamacare.

Bondi worked with the first Trump administration, using her experience fighting the opioid crisis in Trump's Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission. After Trump was impeached for the first time, Bondi joined the team of defense lawyers fighting back against the prosecution's allegations.

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Bondi's Dedication to fix the DoJ

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Judging by her track record and the testimony of her colleagues, Bondi is more than capable of tackling the Department of Justice. Bondi has a record of following and enforcing the rule of law and has spent much of her career making communities safer. Bondi has firsthand experience with political elitists and corruption, having worked at nearly every level of the government from the bottom to the top.

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Bondi's Potential Controversies

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The Mainstream Media wasted no time digging up dirt on Bondi, looking for anything that might stand between her and a Senate confirmation.

The biggest story circulating the media involves a 2013 case about "Trump University," a now-defunct company that offered courses in real estate, entrepreneurship, and other similar courses. In 2013, the New York Attorney General's office went after Trump University due to reports that the program was a "scam." Bondi began a similar investigation, which allegedly came to a halt after she received a $25,000 check from the Trump Foundation for her re-election campaign. Bondi has never been formally accused of illegal activity, but now that she is under the national spotlight, she could face serious scrutiny.

Bondi's tenure as a lobbyist has also been called into question. She was registered as a lobbyist for several foreign and corporate entities, which could be seen as a potential weakness or conflict of interest—or at the very least bring her dedication to fighting corruption into question.

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While some are impressed with his answers to moderately complex theological questions, many are skeptical, claiming that giving a machine the face and name of God is a form of idolatry. Others worry that it will turn Jesus into a "woke warrior."

AI Coca-Cola Ad

The holiday season is upon us, and Coca-Cola has released its newest Christmas ad campaign. These latest commercials feature shiny, Coca-Cola red semi-trucks driving through an idyllic winter wonderland on a mission to deliver soda to a festively decorated town — standard holiday ad fare. But this year, Coca-Cola decided to put a "futuristic spin" on their ad campaign — the commercials are all AI-generated. It doesn't take a detective to spot the tell-tale AI hallmarks, from truck wheels that don't spin as the truck is driving to the eerie expressions of the people in the ad that twist and contort in creepy ways. The holiday magic is lost.

AI Grandma

A British telecom company, Virgin Media O2, unveiled Daisy, an AI chatbot designed to scam the scammers. Daisy is designed to sound and talk like an elderly woman and is tasked to deliberately connect with telephone scammers (who typically target older people) and waste their time with heaps of meandering chatter so that scammers have less time to target real people. Daisy has already proved capable of fooling scammers into long phone conversations, which ultimately end up fruitless. Can you think of a better use of AI?

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