Republican Running for Governor of NY Plans to Take a Stand for His Kids With ’Symbolic’ Protest of Common Core

A Republican candidate for governor of New York said he and his wife plan to pull their children from Common Core testing in a “symbolic” protest on Tuesday.

In a short campaign video, Rob Astorino says his “family's protest tomorrow is a symbolic one.”

“But as parents, we think it's important to take a stand. Our children aren't guinea pigs, Governor Cuomo, and we want them educated by teachers -- not faceless bureaucrats in Washington,” he added.

He claims hundreds of thousands of New York children from third to eighth grade will be subjected to Common Core testing on Tuesday. Astorino said his kids will remain in school but opt out of the test.

Rob Astorino Education Announcement - March 31, 2014 from Rob Astorino on Vimeo.

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Astorino, the Westchester County executive, said that Common Core standards will wrench local control of classrooms from parents and teachers. Although Astorino has tied the controversial Common Core standards to his rival, Andrew Cuomo, even the governor has criticized the rollout of the testing.

Lawmakers in Albany are debating a budget that would keep Common Core test scores off the transcripts of students from third to eighth grades trough 2018.

However, his planned protest has some Common Core supporters outraged. A pro charter school education reform group called the remarks “shockingly irresponsible.”

"Rob Astorino is shameless; either he doesn't understand the importance of preparing kids to compete and succeed in the 21st century global economy, or he is purposely trying to stoke fear as a cheap political stunt," the group Students First NY said in a statement.

New York News