HAMILTON, OH ‒ In a GOP stronghold, Republicans' gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy addressed a crowd at a county fair on July 29.
Ramaswamy, who grew up in the Cincinnati suburbs of West Chester and Evendale
, answered questions at the Butler County Fair about property taxes, public school funding and Flock cameras. He said Ohio public schools lack "standards" and complained that Cincinnati is "rampant" with crime, something he blames on "activist" judges."The number one thing that our public schools are missing right now is not actually money, it is standards," said the St. Xavier High School grad. "We have abandoned civic education standards, math standards, reading standards, writing standards, physical education standards."
There are statewide
learning standards and tests for a variety of school subjects ‒ math, language arts, health, science, social studies and more ‒ set by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
Ramaswamy pledged to increase students' literacy rate and require high schoolers to pass the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' naturalization test, which immigrants must pass when becoming U.S. citizens. The oral test includes questions about American government and history.
Ramaswamy, 40, is running a tight race against Democrat Amy Acton. The Enquirer asked a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party for a response to Ramaswamy's claims about public school standards, but did not receive a response prior to publication.
If elected governor, Ramaswamy said, he'd ensure Cincinnati would no longer be a sanctuary city. It's a symbolic label that Cincinnati City Council declared in 2017 that hasn't led to any new policies.
He's visited Greater Cincinnati a few times this week. On July 27, he stopped by his old Evendale Elementary School and other local spots. After the fair, he spoke at St. Xavier.
@vmoorwoodreports #VivekRamaswamy complains about “rampant” crime and “activist” judges in #Cincinnati while addressing a crowd at the ButlerCountyFair. Ramaswamy, a Republican, is running for Ohio governor #politicstiktok
♬ The Empty Mall at 4AM - edivieira
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Vivek Ramaswamy says Ohio public schools lack 'standards'
