Lupinacci Opposes Opt-Out Penalties

Assemblyman Chad A. Lupinacci (R,C,I-South Huntington) is fighting back against a newly proposed federal plan that would punish New York schools and students for opting out of Common Core’s stressful testing regiment. U.S. Secretary of Education John King, the former head of New York’s State Education Department, recently announced he would be implementing a regulation that requires states to develop a “punishment plan” for any school district whose Common Core testing quota is below 95 percent. Starting in the 2017-2018 school year, the drafted regulations would also require that every public school receive a grade based on test scores and other factors.

“Requiring states to develop penalties for opting out of Common Core testing illustrates the Department of Education’s complete disconnect with not only New York’s parents, students and teachers – but parents, students and teachers across America,” said Lupinacci. “Instead of working with states’ school districts to develop a better plan for our students, Secretary King has doubled down with harsh repercussions which punish school districts for listening to the will of the people. This is a perfect example of government overreach by the federal government and I am extremely disappointed that New York’s own, Secretary John King, is so out-of-touch with the will of the people in his home state.”

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