Education

Today reports: Openly gay actor Maulik Pancholy was disinvited from speaking at a middle school anti-bullying assembly after concerns were raised about his political activism and what two school board members called his “lifestyle.” Pancholy’s scheduled appearance at Mountain View Middle School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was unanimously overturned by the district’s school board in a public meeting on April 15. …

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: Florida residents who don’t have children attending school will have significantly fewer chances to challenge books in local K-12 libraries under a new law signed Tuesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Residents who don’t have a child in school will only be able to challenge one title per month under the new law. Meant to curb what …

Wisconsin Public Radio reports: School board members in a Sheboygan County district listed “Christian values” and “conservative politics” as desired characteristics in a posting for a superintendent position at a public school. The original post for the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District job was amended after potential candidates raised questions. Retired St. Francis Superintendent Carol Topinka became aware of the posting …

Pew Research reports: About a quarter of teachers (23%) say they experienced a lockdown in the 2022-23 school year because of a gun or suspicion of a gun at their school. Some 15% say this happened once during the year, and 8% say this happened more than once. High school teachers are most likely to report experiencing these lockdowns: 34% …

“The word ‘Christian’ means ‘Like Christ,’ and it was given to the followers of Christ because they acted just like Jesus. Remember those bracelets from the 2000s that asked, ‘WWJD?’ If Jesus Christ led Trinity, would HE have an Autism Awareness Week? Of course not! Why? Because anything that exalts itself above the name of Christ should be brought down. …

NPR reports: Prosecutors in Oklahoma say they will not pursue charges in the death of Nex Benedict. Bullying someone to attempt or complete suicide is a felony in Oklahoma, reported member station KOSU. But Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler says the fight was not one-sided and there’s not enough evidence to press charges. “Based upon the investigation of the …

ABC News reports: Oklahoma 16-year-old Nex Benedict died by suicide, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday by the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Benedict, a member of the 2SLGBTQ community, died one day after getting into a physical fight with several other students at Owasso High School. Benedict was nonbinary and went by they/them pronouns, according to …

Media Matters reports: Michele Morrow, the Republican nominee for state superintendent of public instruction in North Carolina, frequently promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory in newly unearthed social media posts. She also referenced a QAnon-fueled conspiracy theory to suggest that actor Jim Carrey drinks the blood of children. Morrow is a far-right commentator who has written for Newsmax and appeared on …

Axios reports: Conservative states are pushing to allow chaplains in public schools, in theory to help solve a persistent shortage of counselors. Since Texas introduced it own blueprint last year, allowing schools to use safety funds to hire chaplains who do not have the same licensing as counselors, similar bills have ricocheted across more than a dozen states including Florida, …

Florida Politics reports: The mistakes made by the Soviets, the Chinese and other communist regimes are one step closer to being part of Florida K-12 classrooms. The House passed by a 106-7 vote SB 1264, a “History of Communism” product previously passed by a 25-7 vote in the Senate, putting the bill on a path for a Gov. Ron DeSantis …

The Associated Press reports: Kentucky school districts could hire retired law officers or military veterans to serve as armed guardians offering security at schools under a bill advanced by a state Senate committee on Thursday. The proposal cleared the Senate Education Committee and heads to the full Senate next. It would still need House approval if it gains Senate passage. …

The Dallas Morning News reports: A Keller high school production of The Laramie Project — a play about the aftermath of the 1998 murder of a gay student in Wyoming — was canceled. Timber Creek High School parents received an email Friday night saying that students would no longer perform the show this spring. The email did not provide an …

Florida Politics reports: Bipartisan legislation that could put religious figures in your child’s classroom passed the House by an 89-25 margin, after a spirited debate in which one of the sponsors called herself a “Holy Roller” and said she “casts out devils.” HB 931, sponsored by Republican Rep. Stan McClain and Democratic Rep. Kim Daniels [photo], would “authorize volunteer school …

NBC News reports: Authorities in Oklahoma will release video from inside the school where the family of an LGBTQ student said the teen was attacked and assaulted in a bathroom one day before their death, police said Wednesday. Hallway cameras inside Owasso High School West Campus show the student, Nex Benedict, before and after the Feb. 7 fight, Owasso Police …

The New Republic reports: The Republican-controlled West Virginia House of Delegates has passed a bill that could see librarians facing jail time. House Bill 4654 passed the chamber Friday by a vote of 85–12, along party lines. The bill would remove criminal exemptions for schools, public libraries, and museums that distribute or display “obscene matter” to a minor, even if …

Dallas’s ABC affiliate reports: A Keller ISD school board member announced on Facebook Sunday she will resign from her position. In a post from her now-deleted page, Sandi Walker wrote she decided to resign as a trustee after prayer and conversations with friends and family. Walker added she was proud of what the board had accomplished in her nearly two …

Dallas’s ABC affiliate reports: As they stood together near Keller ISD’s Central High School on Friday, a group of parents shared their anger and frustration. “I’m livid,” said Laney Hawes, a parent whose child attends Central HS. “Our rights and our kids rights have been violated.” Their anger stems from what the district confirmed happened last Friday, February 9. Sandi …

Florida Politics reports: Tuesday’s PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee will mull Rep. Chuck Brannan’s HB 1349, which would compel schools to start teaching the “History of Communism” in grades K-12. The lessons are intended to be “age and developmentally appropriate,” and it would indeed be interesting to see how teachers of young students deal with such heady topics as the history of …

The Indiana Capital Chronicle reports: A new dashboard unveiled by the Indiana Attorney General’s Office makes public more than two dozen allegations of “potentially inappropriate materials” in Hoosier schools, like critical race theory materials and gender identity policies. But numerous local officials told the Indiana Capital Chronicle they weren’t made aware of the complaints and contend the allegations were not …

NBC News reports: A Utah state school board member is facing widespread condemnation and calls to resign after she shared a post on social media that appeared to suggest a 16-year-old girl on her school’s basketball team is transgender. Natalie Cline, a member of the Utah State Board of Education, posted earlier this week on Facebook a flier for a …