Education

The Gainesville Sun reports: It’s official: U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse was approved Tuesday as the next University of Florida president, after receiving praise from trustees but criticism from students. The 13-member UF board of trustees unanimously approved hiring Sasse, R-Neb., for the job after interviewing him about his academic views and past political positions. Some of the dozen people who …

The Gainesville Sun reports: The University of Florida’s Faculty Senate approved a no-confidence vote Thursday on the selection process that led to U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse being named as the sole finalist to be the next UF president. The Senate held an emergency meeting on the resolution, which focused on a search committee’s decision to name him as the only …

West Palm Beach’s NBC affiliate reports: A Wellington father is suing the School District of Palm Beach County after he claimed his son’s teacher put up two LGBTQ pride flags in her classroom. Dr. Francisco Deliu’s 12-year-old son is in seventh grade at Emerald Cove Middle School. Deliu filed a lawsuit on Oct. 12 against the school district, Palm Beach …

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports: At least three people were killed, including the suspect, and six others injured after a shooting Monday morning at Central Visual & Performing Arts High School in south St. Louis. A woman died at a hospital, and a teen girl was pronounced dead inside the school, both of gunshot wounds. Injuries ranged from gunshot wounds …

The New York Times reports: A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily halted President Biden’s student debt relief plan, preventing the government from moving forward with the debt cancellation it had said could start as early as next week. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit granted a stay in response to an appeal filed by six Republican-led …

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: Diwali will be a New York City public school holiday starting next year in 2023. Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks announced Thursday the school calendar was moved around to make room for the important holiday for many religions. Officials eliminated “Anniversary Day” as a holiday, allowing the school system to add …

From GOP Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft: Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office has submitted a proposed rule that would establish a certification requirement for libraries receiving state funds and institute measures to protect minors from non-age-appropriate materials. As stated in the proposal, libraries would adopt written policies determining what material is age-appropriate. As well, state funds could not …

The Ventura County Star reports: A Goleta man was taken into custody Saturday for allegedly calling in a threat to “put a bullet” through the skull of Conejo Valley Unified Superintendent Mark McLaughlin, authorities said. Thousand Oaks police arrested Randell Graham, 45, at his home in Santa Barbara County on suspicion of making felony criminal threats, according to the Ventura …

ABC News reports: A considerable amount of radioactive waste was found at a Missouri elementary school near St. Louis, according to a new report. In August, Boston Chemical Data Corp. studied soil, dust and plant samples at Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri, according to the company’s report. The school is in the flood plain of Coldwater Creek, which was …

The Houston Chronicle reports: Texas public school systems are set to distribute DNA and fingerprint identification kits for K-8 students to parents who wish to participate. The state Legislature passed a law in spring 2021 requiring the Texas Education Agency to give inkless in-home fingerprint and DNA identification cards to each public school system in Texas. The kits will be …

Little Rock’s CBS affiliate reports: The Conway School Board voted on Tuesday to issue new regulations on bathroom use and overnight hotel stays, based on a student’s sex assigned at birth. Hundreds expressed their opinion leading up to the vote, which resulted in a mixed, but strong reaction among residents. Some members of the LGBTQ+ community in the audience also …

The Associated Press reports: As Republicans and Democrats fight for control of Congress this fall, a growing collection of conservative political action groups is targeting its efforts closer to home: at local school boards. Their aim is to gain control of more school systems and push back against what they see as a liberal tide in public education classrooms, libraries, …

The Freedom From Religion Foundation reports: Jenny Savoy, a reading enrichment teacher at Richards Middle School in Gwinnett County, Ga., has been openly bragging on Facebook about using her position to convert students to Christianity. She runs a religious club at her middle school and regularly preaches to students. Disturbingly, Savoy described in detail in a Facebook post on Sept. …

The Washington Post reports: Six Republican-led states sued on Thursday to overturn President Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for millions of borrowers, as conservatives advance legal challenges to one of the administration’s signature economic policy initiatives. The lawsuit filed by the GOP-run states asks the court to block the program immediately to prevent the Biden …

The Insider reports: A Florida school district removed a high school teacher who was recorded using racist rhetoric to admonish a student who didn’t stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. A TikTok of the Wednesday incident has amassed more than 1.4 million views as of Saturday. A spokesperson for Manatee County Schools told Insider that the district launched an investigation …

Axios reports: Led by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, 22 GOP governors on Monday sent a letter to President Biden urging him to withdraw his student loan forgiveness plan, citing its negative impact on lower-income families. Biden’s plan has faced significant pushback from Republicans, who say it’s unconstitutional, illegal and unfair to working-class Americans. “Only 16-17 percent of Americans have federal …

The New York Post reports: New York City public schools are expanding active shooter training to pre-K, 3-K and other early childhood programs, Department of Education officials said Wednesday. Schools Chancellor David Banks [photo] announced the new prep for staffers taking care of the Big Apple’s learners under 5 during a press conference in Queens ahead of back-to-school on Thursday. …

Via press release: To protect free speech, the government must censor. That’s the absurd argument put forth by Florida lawmakers in the controversial “Stop WOKE Act.” The law suppresses viewpoints disfavored by Florida lawmakers, threatens tens of millions of dollars in annual funding for universities that don’t crack down on faculty who “promote” an opinion on a government blacklist, and …

AM New York reports: The snow day tradition for New York City public school students is no more, Schools Chancellor David C. Banks said Tuesday. During an interview on Fox 5’s Good Day New York, Banks said that snow days or bad weather days would no longer be practiced in NYC public schools when the new school year starts this …

The Florida Phoenix reports: In Florida’s public schools, the 10th grade statewide English Language Arts assessment has been a crucial exam — kids have to pass it to get a standard high school diploma. But the 2022 spring exam results show that fewer than half of Florida’s 10th graders passed the ELA exam, troubling because students will be getting closer …