Parents: Growing Concerns Over Common Core Content, Data Mining

Kings Park parents are have growing concerns over the Common Core as the school year gets into full swing, while still left with unanswered questions about the district's stance and implementation of the new curriculum. 

"My son is losing his interest in school," said Debra Morsello, who has a third-grader in Kings Park. "I'm seeing him fight me, I'm seeing him in tears and I'm seeing him upset over the tests." 

Morsello was one of approximately 50 parents who attended Kings Park administrator's second Common Core Roundtable on Tuesday night at Kings Park High School. She said she attended in hopes of asking questions on Common Core's content, the state's data collection students and the district's stance on Common Core. 

She was not alone. Kings Park resident Dolores Riconda said she attended over concern what her grandchildren are being taught under Common Core. 

"I'm concerned for the future of the next generation. Common Core is a nationalized education system,"Riconda said. "Our Constitution says each state has the right to make their own education system, each state has the right to educate their kids as they see best but Common Core leaves us no choice." 

Robin Cramer, of Kings Park, said she became concerned when her daughter, in kindergarten, didn't know why she had Columbus Day off from classes. 

"My concern with Common Core is are they re-writing our history? What is the content," Cramer said. "I don't have a problem with higher standards but I question what they are being taught and what hey are doing with that data they are collecting." 

The roundtable event featured three break-out sessions featuring different samples of classroom readings, listening and speaking and college and career readiness. Parents had a chance to see reading samples from Charlotte's Web intended for third-grade students, and take part in a K-2 listening module.

"It was very helpful and insightful," Cramer said, noting she would have liked an opportunity to ask district administrators and teachers further questions. 

"What was missing was that the parents could ask questions," Morsello said. "We need to ask our questions that concern us." 

Among the voiced concerns included what New York State and the federal government intend to do with data its collecting from students and their parents during assessments, which parents said has included religion, socio-economic class, how they vote and more. 

"All the data will go into a bank and I am losing my privacy, my son is losing his privacy," Morsello said. 

She did not get an answer on Tuesday night. 

Kings Park administrators have made a section of the school district's website dedicated to Common Core, found here. It includes FAQs on Commonly Asked Questions, letters to elected officials, and information on student participation in state assessments.