Groups petition race-based education goals in Fla.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Rick Scott received nearly 6,000 petitions from two civil rights groups demanding academic equality.

The Dream Defenders and Southern Poverty Law Center dropped off petitions Monday asking the governor to do away with race-based education goals in Florida. The state adopted standards in 2012 that hold different races to different levels of academic success.

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"We can't be a state telling children that the expectations that we have for them are going to differ based on the color of their skin," said Tania Galloni, of Southern Poverty Law Center. "That's unconscionable in this day and age."

The governor was not there, but the group sat with a Department of Education official to discuss its demands. The state has said the different race goals are meant to show who is struggling and needs help.