LOCAL
The Paper | Thursday, April 17, 2014
3A
GOP hears Attorney General’s concerns about Rx BY KATIE GRIFFIN
klgriffin@clickthepaper.com
Guest speakers for the April 12 meeting of the Jackson County Republican Party were Attorney General Sam Olens, State School Superintendent candidate Ashley Bell and several local Republican Party members. The meeting convened at the Jefferson Club House. Olens gave an update on the major cases that he is in the middle of right now. He spoke briefly on his stance for defining underage child sex trafficking and the importance of awareness and getting the public involved in preventing it. He then spoke about the new drug, Zohydro ER, which is a pain medicine that contains hydrocodone, an opioid found in common pain medications such as Vicodin and Lortab. However, Zohydro is the only pill on the market that contains timereleased hydrocodone and does not have any additives. “Zohydro can be prescribed in pills ranging from 10 milligrams to 50 milligrams, which is as much as five times the strength of current hydrocodone medicines,” said Olens, who noted his frustrations with the FDA’s approval of this drug are immense as this country is already dealing with serious prescription drug overdoses. He said allowing another drug to the market with this potency is very dangerous. Olens allowed a time for questions in which he was well received by the locals. He was given several midspeech applauses for his beliefs and his willingness to stand for what is right. Bell was also well received. Bell and his wife live in Hall County and he chaired the Charter School Governing Council for Gainesville Middle School and currently chairs the council for Gainesville High School. Through his work on the council, he works one on one with local school boards and has connections with students, educators and business leaders to help create in-
Katie Griffin The Paper
Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens said he is concerned about th new pain medication Zohydro ER because the state already has a serious prescription drug problem. novative education solutions. Bell said he firmly believes students are influenced by their community and that’s who should be making the decisions on their behalf. Bell spoke about his major switch from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party and how it affected his family and friends. He then spoke on how his past experiences in Hall County have prepared him to make statewide decisions. “I believe the bridge be-
Katie Griffin The Paper
Ashley Bell, a candidate for State School Superintendent, also addressed the Jackson County Republican Party on April 12.
tween goals and success is discipline. We all need someone to stand in the gap for us and support us,” said Bell. Bell continued to say that local control only works when the control is taken out of the hands of bureaucrats. He believes that Georgia schools need someone who has seen education and all the problems at the ground level and will seek solutions to the problems. Bell’s major stance in education is that community leaders and family members play vital roles in a child’s education so if the school systems and communities can work together then the children will feel more equipped to learn and succeed. Bell then spoke about his issues with “Common Core.” He opposes it because of the confusion it has created and because of what he sees every day in Gainesville City Schools. He says it has created confusion for teachers, students and parents. He has had too many parents and grandparents say they cannot help their child do their homework because the methods of reaching an answer to the problems, especially in math, are different and confusing. Bell says the relationship between home life and school life is essential to a child’s learning abilities, which is why he is against the new curriculum
standards. “When you pull the parents out of the equation, you pull out a major factor in a kid’s education,” said Bell. Bell also says that “Common Core” wants to compare each state to the other 49 states equally, yet the rubrics for comparison are not the same across the country. For example, Bell claims the first year of math scores came back as failing so the passing grade level was lowered to a 23 so that the reviews would look like the students are doing well with the new curriculum. In Florida, the passing standard is a 28 and in New York, the passing standard is a 32. “So there will never be an ‘apples to apples’ comparison with ‘Common Core’,” said Bell. He claims that it is a novel idea, but is not practical. After Bell spoke, a few members spoke about how excited they were to hear Bell’s speech and how they hope to apply what he said in Jackson County schools. Ron Johnson, chairman of Jackson County Republican Party, then addressed several Jackson County Board of Education members who were present. “There have been some hard decisions made recently, so thank you guys for being willing to make them and being willing to put an effort into making changes
as we move forward in Jackson County. I salute you guys for all the work you do,” said Johnson. Johnson would like to remind everyone that the County Commissioner’s District 4 Forum will be on April 24 in Nicholson and the District 3 Forum will be on May 1 at the Hoschton Depot. Both forums will be from 6-8 p.m. Johnson also announced the Jackson County Republican Party has joined the
Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce so if any member is interested in going to the Chamber breakfasts held the first Wednesday morning of the month at 7:30 at Jackson EMC, they are welcome to, just bring the name badge and the cost is $5. For more information about the Jackson County Republican Party, visit the Facebook page or the website at jacksongop.org.
CAMPAIGN TIME
Katie Griffin The Paper
Congressman Jack Kingston, a candidate for U.S Senate, visited Jackson County Saturday and stopped by the Jefferson Pizza Kitchen to eat and socialize. He met with several families there and met the owner, Vinnie, and said that was some of the best pizza he has ever had.
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