Riverhead Chosen As Site For Common Core Forum

This article was written by Jennifer Sloat.

Riverhead will be one of two locations on Long Island where State Education Commissioner John B. King will meet with community members to discuss the Common Core standards.

According to the state education website, the forums will be moderated by state legislators. State Sen. John Flanagan's office is coordinating the event. 

King was heavily criticized for canceling a tour of Common Core town hall meetings scheduled to take place across the state, after attending only one in Poughkeepsie on Oct. 10. According to King's office, that meeting, which has been described as heated, "was not constructive for those taking the time to attend." 

In a statement, King said "I want to have a respectful, direct, and constructive dialogue with parents. More and smaller discussions will make sure there's a real opportunity for parents to be heard. This is just the first round; we'll continue to schedule forums for parents. We want these to be regular events. We want the conversation to rise above all the noise and make sure parents understand the Common Core, and, just as important, we want to understand parents' concerns. We all share the same goal: to make sure our students have the skills and knowledge to be successful in a changing world."

The first stop on Long Island will be at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket on Nov. 12; the Riverhead meeting will be held at a location to be disclosed, on Nov. 26 from 6 to 8 p.m.