Education

Florida “Permanently” Bans College Diversity Programs

Via press release from the state of Florida: Today, the State Board of Education implemented strict regulations to limit the use of public funds for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, activities, and policies in the Florida College System (FCS). The rule adopted by the Board defined, for the first time, DEI and affirmatively prohibits FCS institutions from using state …

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FL School District Removes Dictionaries From Libraries

Popular Information reports: The Escambia County School District, located in the Florida panhandle, has removed several dictionaries from its library shelves over concerns that making the dictionaries available to students would violate Florida law. The American Heritage Children’s Dictionary, Webster’s Dictionary for Students, and Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary are among more than 2800 books that have been pulled from Escambia County …

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Harvard President Resigns Amid Plagiarism Allegations

The Harvard Crimson reports: Harvard President Claudine Gay will resign Tuesday afternoon, bringing an end to the shortest presidency in the University’s history, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. It is not clear who will be appointed to serve as interim president. University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain declined to comment on Gay’s decision to step down. Gay’s …

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Federal Judge Blocks Iowa’s “Don’t Say Gay” Law

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked key parts of an Iowa law that bans some books from school libraries and forbids teachers from raising LGBTQ+ issues. Judge Stephen Locher’s preliminary injunction halts enforcement of the law, which was set to take effect Jan. 1 but already had resulted in the removal of hundreds of books …

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Inside The Push To Establish Christian Public Schools

Politico reports: Groups aligned with the conservative legal movement and its financial architect, Leonard Leo, are working to promote a publicly funded Christian school in Oklahoma, hoping to create a test case to change the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the First Amendment’s separation of church and state. At issue is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma’s push to create the …

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Court: Teacher Fired Over Dolly/Miley Song Can Sue

Courthouse News reports: A federal court in Wisconsin declined to dismiss a teacher’s First Amendment retaliation claim against the school district that fired her for publishing a tweet critical of its decision to prohibit her first-graders from singing “Rainbowland” by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton at a school concert. She has shown that her employment was terminated for exercising her …

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Missouri School Board Drops Black History Course

The Associated Press reports: A conservative-led Missouri school board has voted to drop elective courses on Black history and literature, five months after the same board rescinded an anti-discrimination policy adopted in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd. The Francis Howell School Board voted 5-2 Thursday night to stop offering Black History and Black Literature. In July, the …

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NYC Teachers Union Sues Mayor Over Slashed Budget

ABC News reports: New York City’s teachers union is suing to block planned cuts to the city’s public schools, warning that steep budget reductions proposed by Mayor Eric Adams would weaken key education initiatives and violate state law. For months, Adams has argued that slashing city spending – including a $550 million cut in education funding – is necessary to …

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Florida County School District Removes 673 Books

The Orlando Sentinel reports: A total of 673 books, from classics to best-sellers, have been removed from Orange County classrooms this year for fear they violate new state rules that ban making “sexual conduct” available to public school students. The list also includes popular novels by Stephen King, Sue Monk Kidd and Jodi Picoult, classics like “A Tree Grows in …

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NY Teen Charged With School Mass Shooting Threat

The Long Island Press reports: Suffolk County Police have arrested a 17-year-old for threatening to “shoot up” Sequoya High School in Holtsville, according to District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office. Tierney’s office said in a news release that police had been made aware of an email sent to school administrators threatening to “shoot up the school” and warning them to “be …

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Police Search MA Middle School For “Queer” Book

The Berkshire Eagle reports: The plainclothed police officer who entered an eighth grade classroom to search for a book wore a body camera and recorded the incident, leading to more legal questions and concerns. The ACLU and other free speech advocates say they are alarmed by the recording, as well as the entire Dec. 8 incident that took place after …

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Mother Of Boy Who Shot VA Teacher Gets Two Years

The Associated Press reports: The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia was sentenced Friday to two years in prison for felony child neglect by a judge who chastised her for abdicating her responsibilities as a parent. The sentence given to Deja Taylor by Circuit Court Judge Christopher Papile was much harsher than the maximum six-month …

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UPenn President Resigns After Antisemitism Hearing

The New York Times reports: The president of the University of Pennsylvania, M. Elizabeth Magill, resigned on Saturday, four days after she appeared before Congress and appeared to evade the question of whether students who called for the genocide of Jews should be punished. Support for Ms. Magill, already shaken in recent months over her approach to a Palestinian literary …

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Florida Sinks In New SAT Rankings To 46th Place

The Orlando Sentinel reports: New rankings show Florida students are posting some of the lowest SAT scores in America. We’re talking 46th place. Down another 17 points overall to 966, according to the combined reading and math scores shared by the College Board. Florida trails other Southern states like South Carolina and Georgia. We trail states where more students take …

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New Pennsylvania County School Board President Gets Sworn In On Stack Of Frequently Banned LGBTQ Books

The Bucks County Courier Times reports: While most of the newly sworn in members to the Central Bucks school board chose to swear their oaths on a bible, incumbent Karen Smith brought a stack of books to Monday’s meeting. Smith stood out at the Dec. 4 reorganization meeting as she took her oath of office with her hand placed on …

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OK Education Chief Vows To Sue Group That Forced School To Stop Daily Christian Prayers Over Intercom

Tulsa World reports: State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters is considering legal action against a Wisconsin-based group calling for his resignation, he said last week. “To think they’re going to continue to bully teachers is outrageous,” Walters said, referring to the Freedom from Religion Foundation. “The options we’re looking at are very wide, very broad. Could be legal memos. …

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Christian Home School Sells HS Diplomas For $465

The Associated Press reports: Springfield Preparatory School, bills itself as an umbrella school for Christian homeschoolers. Most students there do attend the school to work toward an education through actual classes or tutoring. However, principal Kitty Sibley Morrison is also willing to grant a diploma to anyone whose parents say they were homeschooled, even years earlier. Morrison says she is …

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Iowa School District Sorry For Nazi “Loyalty” Quote

Des Moines’ CBS affiliate reports: The superintendent of Indianola Schools is apologizing after parents say a quote tied to Nazis was included in the morning announcements. On Monday, some Indianola parents shared an email with KCCI, which appears to be the day’s middle school morning announcements. At the bottom, it included the “Respect Quote of the Day,” which was “My …

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Democrats Who Swept Moms For Liberty Off PA School Board Battle Superintendent’s $700K Severance Deal

The Associated Press reports: A Pennsylvania school board that banned books, Pride flags and transgender athletes slipped a last-minute item into their final meeting before leaving office, hastily awarding a $700,000 exit package to the superintendent who supported their agenda. But the Democratic majority that swept the conservative Moms For Liberty slate out of office hopes to block the unusual …

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Iowa State Universities To Abolish Diversity Efforts

Cedar Rapids’ ABC affiliate reports: The Iowa Board of Regents has voted to approve recommendations from a study group that would water down currently existing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) functions. The Board of Regents formed a study group earlier this year after Governor Reynolds [photo] signed a bill directing a “comprehensive study and review of the diversity, equity and …

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