Florida and Georgia were among 10 states released Thursday of federal education requirements.

President Barack Obama said his decision to lift the No Child Left Behind education law will give the states the flexibility they need to set high standards for students and hold schools accountable.

Saying he's acting because Congress failed to update the law despite widespread agreement it needs to be fixed, Obama says states need to ensure that "every student should have the same opportunity to reach their potential."

Under the federal standards enacted a decade ago during the George W. Bush administration, all students had to be 100 percent proficient in reading and in math by 2014. Penalties for not reaching this goal range from pulling a teacher's certificate to closing down a school.

School officials say they can now work with more realistic goals and timelines, although significant improvement needs to be demonstrated by 2016-2017. It also means some intervene schools can drop that status more easily.

"This is really a good thing in terms of being able to come up with a plan that actually works," said Ed Pratt Dannals, superintendent of Duval County Public Schools. "The problem was, this idea that we were going to get to 100 percent in a very short period of time was simply unrealistic, particularly seeing the resources we've had."

Terrie Brady, president of the Duval County teacher's union, is also happy that Florida was given this chance.

"I’m excited, but that doesn't mean that we'll stop the work that we're doing," Brady said.

Education officials in Clay and St. Johns counties also applauded Obama's move.

"The demands of two competing accountability systems has been confusing and has placed additional and restrictive mandates on our Title I schools," said Diane Kornegay, assistant superintendent for instruction in Clay County.
"We are pleased that Secretary (of Education Arne) Duncan has chosen to approve Florida's waiver," St. Johns County Superintendent Joseph Joyner said. "It will allow much closer alignment with Florida's accountability system."

Not everyone Channel 4 reporter Vickie Pierre spoke with is happy about the president's decision to relax the requirements.

"I think it makes the children lazy because they're not being challenged to go to a higher, more productive and stimulating level," said parent Patrice Simmons.

In addition to Florida and Georgia, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee will now be able to set their own standards.

Pratt-Dannals and Brady, along with representatives of two other Florida school districts, are expected to meet with Duncan on Friday about the state's lowest-performing schools, which receive school improvement grants.

Duval County has 11 schools that receive these grants, including several of the county's seven intervene schools.