http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-common-core-20130923,0,1836253.story
In the grand scheme of obstructions at public meetings, Howard County parent Robert Small's insistence on challenging state and local education officials about the new curriculum being implemented based on Common Core standards barely registers. He engaged in no name-calling, made no threats and was asking a question directly related to the topic at hand. Had Baltimore County Superintendent Dallas Dance overlooked Mr. Small's breach of protocol — questions were supposed to be submitted in writing rather than called out by members of the audience — he and the others on the panel might have been able to dispel some myths about what the Common Core entails. Instead, Mr. Small's arrest by an off-duty Baltimore County police officer, which was captured on video, is serving only to fan a misinformed but growing backlash to the new standards.
The likes of Glenn Beck are attacking the Common Core as a federal takeover of the nation's education system. Though that's hardly accurate, it's a narrative that is helped immeasurably by what happened to Mr. Small. At a public forum in Towson on Thursday, Mr. Small stood and asked the panel to respond to his concern that the Common Core would lower standards and prepare students for community college rather than four-year universities. Mr. Dance can be heard on a video recording of the incident seeking to silence Mr. Small and promising that his question would be answered. Mr. Small would not yield the floor, and shortly thereafter a security guard approached him and said, "Let's go." Mr. Small kept talking. The security guard showed him his badge, grabbed Mr. Small's arm and forcibly pulled him into the aisle.
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