Parent ‘Manhandled’, Arrested While Speaking Out Against Common Core at Public Forum

From The Blaze.com (Sept. 20):

A parent in Towson, Md., was arrested Thursday night at a public forum after vocally expressing his concerns about the Baltimore County School District’s plan to use Common Core standards in its curriculum.

Robert Small, a concerned father, was forcefully removed from the meeting by a police officer after he interrupted Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Dallas Dance during the question-and-answer portion of the forum.

The meeting apparently didn’t allow parents to stand up and ask questions or comment. Parents and other attendants were instead asked to write their questions on a piece of paper and officials would read them.

However, Small began speaking out against the district’s use of Common Core, prompting a security guard, who was also a police officer, to approach him and order him to leave. “Let’s go!” he said sternly.

When Small didn’t immediately comply, the officer began pulling his arm and pushing him towards the exit. Some audience members gasped at the cop’s use of force.

“Don’t stand for this,” the father said as he was dragged out. “You are sitting here like cattle! Is this America?”

Small also urged other parents to demand answers on Common Core and the curriculum being used to educate their children.

Small was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer and faces a $2,500 fine and up to 10 years in prison. He was also charged with disturbing a school operation, which carries an additional $2,500 and up to six months in jail.

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The good news is (if you can call it that) the charges were dropped by the state attorney. He said “in the interest of justice, further prosecution will not accomplish anything more.” Not that what Small did was constitutional or legal (the attorney said Small “disrupted the meeting”), but having him arrested was good enough. Also, he said the security guard did nothing wrong. Okay, I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to the security guard who thought he was just doing his duty.

Clearly arresting Small is bordering on 1st amendment right violations.

I wonder why the parents could not ask questions out in the open anyway. Could it be the superintendent wanted to filter out any questions or comments he didn’t want the other parents to hear because maybe he believes the Common Core curriculum has issues or even dare I say a fraud? Or maybe he thinks the parents are like raucous cattle (like Small suggested) who need to be controlled. Or both? Yes, to either answer should any sane person nervous.

I hope this isn’t a trend where parents are treated like children in public school forums and  seen but not heard. After all parents have to trust the gov’t public schools and not question them like good sheep followers.