Schools

Charges Dropped Against Ellicott City Man Arrested at Common Core Meeting

The Ellicott City man was charged with disturbing school operations and second-degree assault after attempting to question school officials at a public meeting in Towson.

By Bryan Sears

Charges against an Ellicott City man who was arrested after speaking out at a public meeting on new national education standards known as the Common Core were dropped Monday by the Baltimore County state's attorney.


Larry Small, of the 10200 block of Maxine Street in Ellicott City, was charged Thursday night with disturbing school operations and second-degree assault after being accused of disrupting a public meeting with Maryland State Schools Superintendent Lillian Lowery.

A video of the incident went viral Monday.

"It was clear that Mr. Small violated the rules of the meeting and disrupted the meeting," State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger said. "It was also clear that the officer acted appropriately and did have probable cause to make an arrest on both charges."

"In the interest of justice, further prosecution will not accomplish anything more," Shellenberger said. "Therefore, the charges have been dismissed."

The Baltimore County state's attorney said he would make no further comment on the issue.

The statement by the prosecutor comes on the same day that Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson said he would review the charges stemming from the incident.

The town hall meeting on the new national standards was hosted Thursday by Baltimore County Public Schools and is one of a number of regional meetings state education officials are holding around Maryland.

In a statement released Monday, police said the incident was under review.

"The established meeting format requires participants to submit written questions to the panel," the department said in the statement, adding that the department "strongly supports a citizen's right to exercise his or her First Amendment rights; it also recognizes that meeting organizers have the right to establish rules of order."

Small and other parents complained that Lowery and other school officials were answering "softball questions" about the new and controversial education standards.

In a video posted online, a plain clothed officer approaches Small and shows him his badge and attempts to quiet the Ellicott City man.

A few moments later the officer appears to push Small out a door.

The Baltimore Sun reported that a police report said Small pushed the officer.

Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Dallas Dance Monday afternoon released a statement saying the "meeting helped us realize that we must do a better job of communicating what the Common Core is and what it is not."

"We have to ensure that our parents and community members understand that the Common Core allows us to implement our own curriculum, written by us, for us," Dance said in his statement. "This gives us the flexibility to ensure that we are meeting the needs specific to our children in Baltimore County."

Dance said additional questions from the meeting that were not answered would be posted online with answers from school officials.


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