Vermilion hears how to try and get rid of Common Core

The fight to get rid of Common Core is still ongoing, said four Louisiana legislators at a recent town hall meeting in Abbeville.
A public meeting was held last week at Magdalen Place in Abbeville and the public was invited to voice their concerns and battles with Common Core.
Listening to issues about Common Core were Vermilion Parish State Rep. Bob Hensgens and Sen. Jonathan Perry. They were joined by State Rep. Brett Geyman and State Rep. John Schroder.
Also along side of them were Sara Woods and Anna Arthurs, who are parents from outside of the parish, against Common Core.
The four legislators said Common Core was never approved on by the legislature, but to get rid of it, the legislature would have to vote to remove it.
“We are going around the state to get input from you; to share with you on how you can get involved, and to answer questions about Common Core. We on the panel would like to get rid of Common Core,” said Rep. Geyman”
Laurie Duhon and Regina Trahan, two Vermilion Parish parents, will be handing out flyers today at the Omelette Celebration to begin the rally against Common Core.
Members of the panel flew to Oklahoma this year to see what that state did to get rid of Common Core. Rep. Hensgens said the people of Oklahoma did not give up.
“They were focused,” said Rep. Hensgens about Oklahoma’s campaign. “There were people who testified and everyone else in the halls (of the state capitol) had signs. Their signs said, ‘We want out.’”
Hensgens said the people ‘Wanting Out’ campaign was the difference in the Oklahoma legislature voting to remove Common Core.
“When you got all those moms holding signs in the halls, it made the difference. They got out because of a grass root effort,” Hensgens said.
Sen. Perry reminded the crowd that there were bills on the House and Senate side to remove Common Core, but the bills never got out of the education committee on the House and Senate side.
Hensgens said, “It (a bill to get out of committee) is possible with a grass root effort. They beat us last year. If the grass root effort stays together and stays focused, we can beat this.”
Parents asked the panel what can they do to get involved to remove Common Core and also remove certain curriculums like Eureka Math. A group of parishes are getting rid of Eureka Math after writing their own math curriculum, said the panel.
Sara Woods said school districts use Eureka Math because it teaches the type of math that is used on the state’s testing. School districts want to make sure they score high, so they use curriculums close to the state tests. School districts fear Charter Schools moving in because of low scores, Woods said.
Woods said parents need to, “Demand from their school board and superintendent that they go out and look for other material that is not this fuzzy math. It scrambles kids’ brains.”
Anna Arthur said her parish had town hall meetings that mushroomed bigger and bigger until the local school board took notice. She also encouraged parents to e-mail or call their legislators about Common Core.