Five of the panelists responded to a question about whether the new Idaho core standards are constitutional. Among their comments:

Tom Luna: “The U.N. did not play any role in developing these standards. I was there from Day 1. … We wanted to approve a state effort to improve our schools by working together. … Idaho’s Constitution makes it clear that the state does have a role in public education. … The state has always set education standards.”

Bruce Cook: “I don’t know if they’re constitutional or not. We began to implement because the state department told us to.”

Dorothy Moon: “Federal powers are limited and defined and states’ powers are broad. … As far as the federal government being involved, I truly believe that they are. I have a lot of documents proving that funding for common core is coming from the federal government. ... The federal government has its name all over it. There are many documents put out by the U.S. Department of Education in reference to Common Core. … So Idaho does have the power to ignore common core, embrace common core,  take parts of common core.”

Steve LaBau: “I believe that they are indeed constitutional, and I appreciate the fact that the state and the Idaho Legislature gave us two years to prepare for implementation.”

Stephanie Zimmerman: “Bill Gates’ education agenda is the U.S.’s education agenda. Bill Gates has signed agreements with UNESCO. … Where we effect change is on the local level, so it doesn’t matter if the U.N. is involved or not – we need to deal with this at home.”