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Lawmakers Look to Repeal Common Core, PCB Alcohol Ban to Expire, A&M Confucius Institute

Confucius Institute
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A Senate committee has approved a bill that would repeal Common Core standards in Alabama public schools.

The State Senate Committee on Education and Youth Affairs voted 5-3 yesterday morning in favor of repealing current standards applying to math and English curriculums.

Those standards are built into the state's Alabama College and Career Ready Standards.

Supporters of the bill say repealing Common Core gives more control to state and local educators.

Opponents say it would put Alabama behind other states and disrupt learning.

Legislators have tried to repeal common core standards in previous years, but haven't succeeded.

Local leaders in Panama City, Florida say they’ll be spending the next few months looking at the impact of their Spring Break alcohol ban.

Panama City Beach and Bay County imposed an emergency ban on booze at local beaches and in parking lots. The order expires on Saturday. The ban was imposed late last month following problems with crowd control, crime and other incidents during Spring Break.

Bay County spokesperson Valerie Sale says the city council and the county commission are looking at what to do during next year’s spring break.

“Other things that they’re looking at pertain to rules regarding house parties, potentially rules regarding nuisance businesses - or business that require an ordinate amount of law enforcement response.”

Sale also says that rental scooters have caused traffic problems during spring break. Local law enforcement may take action on that next year.

Students at Alabama A & M University will soon get the chance to benefit from the wisdom of an ancient Chinese philosopher through the new Confucius Institute.

Today’s ribbon cutting ceremony at the Van Braun Center is the result of six years’ worth of work on the new Confucius Institute.

The new facility is the result of a collaboration between Alabama A & M and the Nanjing Forestry University in China. Confucius Institutes are in operation around the world to teach Chinese culture and language. The schools also help expedite business ties between the U.S. and China.

Alabama A & M’s institute specializes in introductory Chinese, Chinese writing, and the history and culture of China. Confucius was a Chinese philosopher during the Cho dynasty whose writings focused, in part, on education.

Alabama's community college system is another step closer to receiving a new governing board.

The House Education Policy Committee approved a bill yesterday to remove the Alabama Community College System from the state Board of Education's oversight. That bill now heads to the House floor. Senators previously passed the bill 27-5.

The bill would establish a new board including members appointed by the governor and approved by the Alabama Senate.

Bill sponsor Sen. Trip Pittman says allowing the junior college system to have its own board will bring about better quality and coordination.

The state school board unanimously opposed the changes in a March resolution.

Opposed lawmakers have said the two-year college system should be controlled by an elected board, rather than one appointed by the governor.

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