A panel on Common Core. An irate parent. An arrest. Who went too far?
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September 20, 2013
A reader asked that we discuss the incident at a Baltimore County Schools parent meeting this week in which a police officer arrested a parent who interrupted the presentation to ask a question about Common Core State Standards and refused to back down.
I have watched the video twice and think the parent went too far. As a beat reporter, I covered more than 200 meetings of school boards, city councils, county commissions, planning and zoning boards and library boards. And there was often a citizen just like this one who stood up to ask a question but whose intent was to give a speech. While there were always people in the audience who applauded these fiery speakers, there were others who resented the hijacking of the meeting.
Those citizens complained that they had come to hear the featured speaker -- in this case the state schools superintendent for the state of Maryland -- and not an irate parent. As a moderator of a lot of panels, I dread the Q&A sessions in which someone approaches the microphone and announces, “I don't have a question but I would like to make a comment." That often leads to a rambling speech that eats up most of the Q&A time and irks the audience.