North Carolina House Votes to Drop Common CoreWilliam Kennedy House Bill 1061 (HB1061) went through two hectic days. On Tuesday, the House Education Committee rewrote the original bill removing a number of sections that Common Core opponents wanted out of the bill. They voted 27-16 to send the bill to the House floor, where it passed today on second and third readings. Representatives opposing the bill on the House floor were worried that scrapping Common Core would leave North Carolina with no state standards for education. However, both primary sponsors of the bill, Reps. Larry Pittman and Michael Speciale assured the other members that that was not the case. Common Core standards would continue to remain in place for the next year while North Carolina State Board of Education rewrites the standards for North Carolinas schools. The reasoning behind the delay in scrapping Common Core is to smooth the transition back to a state-controlled curriculum. This would give the schools enough time to jettison the Common Core standards that have been foisted upon them without any undue harm being done to the development of students. The primary committee amendment to the bill sets forth the principle that North Carolina by its constitution is responsible for the education of the citizens of the state and it will not cede or limit state control in exchange for federal funding for the public schools. Common Core gives the federal government the power to collect extensive data from students including Social Security numbers, records of school attendance, supposed learning disabilities, religious affiliation, disciplinary records and parents income information, the following committee amendment to the bill would strip that ability away from the federal government. No personally identifiable data on students or their families religions, political party affiliations, biometric information, psychometric data, or voting histories shall be collected, tracked, housed, reported, or shared with the federal government. No personally identifiable student data shall be collected for the purpose of the development of commercial products or services. HB1061 promotes decentralized government and takes control from unaccountable federal bureaucrats and puts it back into the hands of the people. Common Cores proponents deceptively claim that the curriculum is not the handiwork of federal bureaucrats because it wasconceived by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). However, the NGA hasreceived tens of millions in taxpayer dollars from the federal government over the course of many years. Next, a companion bill will be considered on the Senate side. And if the two chambers pass differing versions, theyll meet in conference committee to determine the final language that will be sent to the Governors desk for a signature TAKE ACTION For Other States: Check our Tracking and Action Center to see if your state has taken action against Common Core. If they havent, contact your state legislators and demand that they introduce legislation similar to HB1061. You can find your legislators contact information by clicking HERE. William Kennedyis the State Director for the North Carolina Tenth Amendment Centerwhere this article first appeared. A strong supporter of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights with special emphasis on State Sovereignty protected by the Tenth Amendment. 