PETITION OF THE BELOW SIGNED REGISTERED REPUBLICAN VOTER AND OR MEMBER OF THE COUNTY REPUBLICAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE RESPECTIVELY PETITION FOR YOUR OPPOSITION IN UNISION WITH THE PETITIONER TO OPPOSE ON COMMON CORE EDUCATION STANDARDS AND CURRICULA FOR FLORIDA SCHOOLS, ESSENTIALLY AS ENUMERATED BELOW WHEREAS, on April 12, 2013, the Republican National Committee (RNC), in a special meeting in Los Angeles, California, adopted a “RESOLUTION CONCERNING COMMON CORE EDUCATION STANDARDS,” and I herein request your pledge to the people of Florida your full and unequivocal support for the positions taken by the RNC; WHEREAS, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a set of academic standards, promoted and supported by two private membership organizations, the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), as a method for conforming American students to uniform (“one size fits all”) achievement goals ostensibly to make them more competitive in a global marketplace (1); WHEREAS, the NGA and the CCSSO, received tens of millions of dollars from private third parties to advocate for and develop the CCSS strategy, subsequently created the CCSS through a process that was not subject to any freedom of information acts or other sunshine laws, and never piloted the CCSS; WHEREAS, even though Federal Law prohibits the federalizing of curriculum (2), the Obama Administration accepted the CCSS plan and used 2009 Stimulus Bill money to reward the states that were most committed to the president’s CCSS agenda; but they failed to give states, their legislatures and their citizens time to evaluate the CCSS before having to commit to them; WHEREAS, the NGA and CCSSO, in concert with the same corporations developing the CCSS “assessments” have created new textbooks, digital media and other teaching materials aligned to the standards which must be purchased and adopted by local school districts in order that students may effectively compete on CCSS “assessments;” WHEREAS, the CCSS program includes federally funded testing and the collection and sharing of massive amounts of personal student and teacher data; and __________________________ (1) www.corestandards.org (2) Federal Law 20 USC 1232a-Sec.1232a, (ESEA) Pub.L.89-10,79 Stat.27, 20 USC Ch. 70. WHEREAS, the CCSS effectively removes educational choice and competition, since all schools and all districts must use Common Core “assessments” based on the Common Core standards to allow all students to advance in the school system and to advance to higher education pursuits; Now therefore, be it: RESOLVED, that the Petitioner in support of the Republican National Committee’s position, as stated in the 2012 Republican Party Platform, “do[es] not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to education and supports providing broad education choices to parents and children at the state and local level.” (Renewing American Values to Build Healthy Families, Great Schools and Safe Neighborhoods, p.35), which is best based on a free market approach to education for students to achieve individual excellence; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Petitioner, together with the Republican National Committee, recognizes the CCSS for what it is – an inappropriate overreach to standardize and control the education of our children so they will conform to a preconceived “normal;” and be it further RESOLVED, that the Petitioner, along with the Republican National Committee, rejects the collection of personal student data for any non-educational purpose without the prior written consent of an adult student or a child student’s parent, and that it rejects the sharing of such personal data, without the prior written consent of an adult student or a child student’s parent, with any person or entity other than schools or education agencies within the state; and be it finally RESOLVED, that the 2012 Republican Party Platform, specifically states the need to repeal the numerous federal regulations which interfere with state and local control of public schools (Renewing American Values to Build Healthy Families, Great Schools and Safe Neighborhoods, p.36); and therefore, the Petitioner, in concert with the Republican National Committee, rejects this CCSS plan which creates and fits the country with a nationwide straitjacket on academic freedom and achievement.