Jackson Free Press

At Stennis Press Forum at the Capital Club Monday, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves called Common Core an example of government overreach and pledged to work to scrap the standards during the upcoming legislative session.

He cited the situation in Oklahoma, in which he said the U.S. government stripped the state of its ability to set its own education standards after dropping Common Core. This, he said, constituted a "hijacking" of state education standards by the Obama administration.

That was incorrect, however.

In reality, the federal government stripped Oklahoma of its waiver because when it decided not to use Common Core, it had no educational standards in place, which violates the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

A joint statement from State Board of Education Chairman Dr. John Kelly and State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carey Wright stated that Common Core has been "attached to an unprecedented level of misinformation."

"For example, Oklahoma had its U.S. Department of Education flexibility waiver revoked because it did not have standards in place when it dropped the Common Core State Standards. Having rigorous standards is a requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Mississippi remains in charge of its education policies and must remain committed to higher standards," the statement reads.