Education

The Wall Street Journal reports: A federal judge has ruled that Indiana University may require its students to submit proof of Covid-19 vaccination before returning to campus this fall, dealing a setback to a brewing legal effort against vaccination requirements in higher education. In a 101-page decision handed down Sunday, U.S. District Judge Damon R. Leichty said the university system …

From the American Academy of Pediatrics: In updated guidance for the 2021-22 school year, the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends in-person learning and urges all who are eligible to be vaccinated to protect against COVID-19. In addition to vaccinations, the AAP recommends a layered approach to make school safe for all students, teachers and staff in the guidance here. …

Via press release from the Department of Education: The U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced today the approval of over 1,800 borrower defense to repayment (borrower defense) claims for borrowers who attended three institutions: Westwood College, Marinello Schools of Beauty and the Court Reporting Institute. This is the first time the Department has announced approved borrower defense claims for students …

The Guardian reports: A school principal in Arkansas has apologized for “political inaccuracies” in a yearbook falsely stating that Donald Trump was not impeached and that last year’s racial protests in the US were “Black Lives Matter riots”. Josh Thompson, principal of Bentonville’s Lincoln junior high school, admitted that some of the contents of the yearbook, which also included a …

The Dallas Morning News reports: Texas is poised to let home-schooled students compete in public school sports and other extracurricular activities, after the Senate advanced the proposal in one of its closest votes this session. The bill passed 16-14 on Saturday and now goes back to the House, where representatives can accept the Senate’s changes or convene a conference committee …

The New York Times reports: New York City will no longer have a remote schooling option come fall, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced during a television appearance on Monday, a major step toward fully reopening the nation’s largest school system. This school year, most of the city’s roughly one million students — about 600,000 — stayed at home for classes. …

NBC News reports: Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos must testify in a class-action lawsuit about her handling of student loan forgiveness claims, which involved delays in the administration’s decision-making and ultimate denial of a significant number of the applications, a federal judge ruled. In a 12-page ruling, Judge William Alsup denied a motion to quash a subpoena for the Cabinet …

The Birmingham News reports: Gov. Kay Ivey has signed into law a bill allowing Alabama public schools to offer instruction in yoga. The law ends a ban on yoga adopted by the State Board of Education in 1993 because of yoga’s connections to Hinduism. The Senate amended the bill to say that “School personnel may not use any techniques that …

The Albany Times Union reports: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Monday that State University of New York campuses will require COVID-19 vaccinations for students starting in the fall semester. The policy will also apply to the City University of New York, and Cuomo said he would encourage private colleges to adopt it as well. It starts by September, and if …

Law & Crime reports: A Florida teenager and her mother stand accused of rigging a homecoming election last fall. Both will be prosecuted as adults, local prosecutors told the media on Tuesday. Emily Rose Grover, 18, was still a minor when she and her mother, Laura Rose Carroll, 50, allegedly hacked into the Escambia County School District’s internal computer system …

The New Jersey Advance reports: She’s a school nurse who claims face masks are dangerous to kids and do nothing to stop the spread of COVID. After refusing to wear a mask herself, Erin Pein said she was suspended from her job in the Stafford Township school district. Now her supporters are planning a rally and her cause has become …

The Hill reports: President Biden in an interview that aired Friday said that schools should all be open for five days a week in-person learning in the fall despite the fact that children likely will not be vaccinated by then. “Based on the science and the CDC, they should probably all be open,” Biden said in an interview that aired …

MetroWeekly reports: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) has signed a bill into law reforming the state’s sex education standards, removing anti-LGBTQ language that previously required teachers to condemn homosexuality and portray it in a negative light. It removes the requirement that teachers must tell students that homosexuality is “not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public” and that “homosexual conduct …

The Hartford Courant reports: Gov. Ned Lamont Wednesday signed legislation that would end Connecticut’s religious exemption for mandatory school vaccinations beginning in the 2022 school year. “When it comes to the safety of our children, we need to take an abundance of caution,” Lamont said, in a written statement. “This legislation is needed to protect our kids against serious illnesses …

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports: A bill stating that Arkansas teachers may teach religious beliefs of creation alongside scientific theories failed to advance from the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. The sponsor, Rep. Mary Bentley [photo], R-Perryville, said many teachers had asked her for the ability to teach “counter-theories” and open up the class for debate among students. Six of the …

The Arizona Republic reports: Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed a controversial sex education bill but issued an executive order requiring public notice of any such curriculum before it can be used in Arizona classrooms. The dual actions appeared to be a compromise between the provisions of Senate Bill 1456 and critics who said it would marginalize LGBTQ children by, among other …

The Grand Forks Herald reports: Gov. Doug Burgum signed legislation Friday, April 16, authorizing North Dakota public schools to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The bill cleared the House and Senate by wide margins earlier this session after lawmakers included provisions to gird against possible lawsuits, including one portion requiring that displays of the Judeo-Christian text appear alongside other …

Oklahoma City’s ABC News affiliate reports: It was lunchtime at Prairie Vale Elementary School when cafeteria manager Yanet Vilamontes Lopez and her team were preparing chicken nuggets for the young students. An immigrant from Cuba, Lopez moved to Oklahoma from Houston a few years ago with her family for better job opportunities. It was a dream that was fulfilled Monday. …

Axios reports: Nearly 90% of college students say they probably or absolutely will get vaccinated, according to a Beat The Virus poll exclusive to Axios. Why it matters: College students have contributed to the nationwide spread of the virus, and their vaccination is necessary in bringing the pandemic under control before variants spread any further. More than 120,000 cases of …

Orlando’s NBC News affiliate reports: The raffling of an assault rifle to raise money for a Central Florida high school’s graduation event is raising concern from some people and support from others. Flyers for the raffle have been spread on campus and made their way online. Brevard County School District officials said a message was sent home to parents to …