The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm in Michigan, has filed a third suit in its battle against the constitutionality of the implementation of Common Core and SBAC assessments in South Dakota.

"This latest challenge to the Common Core Curriculum and SBAC was filed last week against South Dakota Governor, Dennis Daugaard, and other state officials on behalf of two South Dakota taxpayers, Shelli Grinagerand Amber Mauricio. Shelli Grinager is the mother of three school aged children and Amber Mauricio is the mother of five,” the Thomas More Law Center said in a statement.

According to Center, the lawsuit and the two others before it waged in North Dakota and West Virginia are seeking to stop the state "from paying yearly SBAC membership fees totaling over $600,000 by state taxpayers on the grounds that SBAC is an unconstitutional compact” because it wasn’t approved by Congress before being implemented.

"Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented on behalf of the Law Center, 'Employing an insidious bureaucratic system, the Federal Government directs what and how American students learn, and effectively eliminates the fundamental rights of parents to control the education of their children.’"

The lawsuits are an attempt for parents to take back this control, with parent Amber Mauricio saying she’s decided to file her suit after being sick of watching her children reduced to tears over assessments and not being afforded the option to opt-out.

The Thomas More Law Center is committed to helping parents throughout the country combat the Common Core, and has several resources for parents who might be interested in doing so.

These resources include a Common Core Resource Page and a Test Refusal and Student Privacy Form.

Read more about the Thomas More Law Center here. 

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

11/17/2015