Parents of students at Liberty High School in West Virginia are receiving phone calls from the school indicating that their child will be suspended if he opts out of Common Core testing next week.
One parent named Eric Madia posted his thoughts on Facebook (h/t Conservative Byte) after receiving a phone call from the principal:
I just received a phone call from Liberty High School’s principle [sic] regarding my decision to opt Joshua out of the common core testing next week. I was told that Superintendent Machin [sic] odered the principals to “suspend any child” whose parents decide to opt them out of the testing. WHAT should I do?
It was a threat…for sure. I asked under what law is this testing enforced and by what authority can my son be punished. There is none.
Superintendent Mark Manchin called into the Mike Queen show on WAJR and confirmed that actions would be taken against students who opt out, saying it would allow kids to opt out of other rules that the school has, such as prohibiting smoking in front of the school. Manchin also compared opting out to driving 80 miles per hour down the highway, explaining:
We simply can not allow them to opt out.
If we allow that door to open, where people can unilaterally decide what parts of public education they adhere to and which they don’t, I think we’re creating a system that will be very, very difficult to work with.
Parents don’t have the right to pick and choose the provisions of public education in which they feel they want to comply with.
We will send a message to all the parents here in Harrison County.
We spoke to Mr. Madia after his Facebook post who said he will not back down on this issue.
“I am going to instruct my child to not take the test,” Madia said. “He will not be punished.”
Listen to Manchin continue to threaten students and parents with suspension below:
Cross-posted at the Mental Recession
