Less than a decade ago, Tennessee author Bill Carey couldn’t sell his historical booklets to school districts and teachers without a Common Core stamp on them.
Today, he fears his publications are being trashed because of a new state law banning Common Core supplemental materials after they fell out of political favor as the state adopted its own curriculum standards.
With an eye toward that measure, the General Assembly passed bill from Gov. Bill Lee’s administration this year, House Bill 782/Senate Bill 769, and Lee signed it into law in April, effectively banning those items.
The law prohibits the State Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission, state Board of Education and public schools from recommending, approving or using textbooks, instructional and supplemental materials created to align exclusively with Common Core standards or that are marketed or identified as Common Core. If districts or teachers intentionally violate the law, they run the risk of having state funding withheld.
Reacting to the action, Carey said, “I’ve been writing for years, and this is the first time I’ve written something that’s been banned.”