Bobby Jindal Sues White House Over Common Core

Says education standards amount to nationalizing education
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 27, 2014 11:49 AM CDT
Bobby Jindal Sues White House Over Common Core
In this Feb. 11, 2012, file photo, Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana addresses activists.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is suing the Obama administration over Common Core education standards, arguing that they represent a federal effort to wrest control over education from the states, the AP reports. According to the suit filed today, the White House has "effectively force[d] states down a path toward a national curriculum" using federal grant money, and that's a violation of both the Constitution and federal law ensuring state control of education. The suit aims to ban the US education department from using participation in the program as a prerequisite for receiving federal education funds.

The program, built by states, sets standards for what kids should know at the end of every school year. Forty-three states have adopted the standards, the Hill notes; they include Louisiana, where lawmakers and Jindal's education chief support them, the AP reports. Jindal, a possible 2016 presidential contender, initially supported the Common Core, but "what started as good state intentions has materialized into the federalization of education policy through federal economic incentives and duress," the suit says. He's not the only one suing President Obama: House leaders have authorized up to $350,000 to pay for their legal action. (More Bobby Jindal stories.)

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