Education

The New York Daily News reports: New York state’s mandate requiring mask use at schools will end on Wednesday, Gov. Hochul said Sunday. She cited steep declines in COVID numbers in announcing the move. Cities and counties can keep mask mandates in place as they see fit, she added. On Friday, Mayor Adams announced the end of mandatory mask use …

The Columbus Dispatch reports: The Ohio House approved a bill that would require school districts to teach child sexual abuse prevention in kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms and sexual violence prevention in grades 7-12. The vote was opposed by only eight Republicans. Sponsors say the bipartisan bill has enough support to pass the GOP-controlled Senate and move to Gov. Mike …

The New York Times reports: Georgia’s public university system said on Tuesday that former Gov. Sonny Perdue was its sole finalist to become chancellor, a choice that has outraged some professors and led a regional agency to threaten the accreditation of the 26-school system. The likely appointment of Mr. Perdue, a Republican, comes during a volatile time in Georgia politics, …

Odessa’s NBC News affiliate reports: Five people were in jail after Midland Police made arrests at Midland Christian School Wednesday morning. According to the Midland Police Department, three administrators and two coaches at Midland Christian School were arrested and charged with Failure To Report With Intent To Conceal Neglect Or Abuse. The assault reportedly took place at Christensen Stadium around …

Indianapolis’s NBC News affiliate reports: Sprunica Elementary School in Brown County allegedly sent a letter home to parents allowing students to opt out of Black history lessons. A photo of the letter was shared on social media, where the response has gone viral. The last line of the letter shown in the picture reads, “If you would like to opt …

The Associated Press reports: Between calculus and European history classes at a West Virginia public high school, 16-year-old Cameron Mays and his classmates were told by their teacher to go to an evangelical Christian revival assembly. When students arrived at the event in the school’s auditorium, they were instructed to close their eyes and raise their arms in prayer, Mays …

Knoxville’s ABC News affiliate reports: Dollywood’s parent company is picking up the education tab for all of its employees, beginning this year. Herschend Enterprises is the operating partner of Dollywood and the nation’s largest privately-owned themed attractions corporation. This week the company announced it will cover 100% of employees’ tuition, fees and books for employees who wish to further their …

The Washington Post reports: A school board outside Denver voted to fire the district’s superintendent Friday night in a controversial move that came amid accusations that the newly elected conservative majority had violated state open-meeting laws. The Douglas County, Colo., school board voted 4 to 3 in a special meeting Friday night to fire Corey Wise without cause, dismissing the …

St. Louis Public Radio reports: Two local organizations are partnering to distribute free copies of controversial books in response to the recent increase in attempts to remove titles from school libraries. In Purpose Educational Services and the St. Louis bookstore EyeSeeMe will deliver free copies of “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morisson to Missourians who request it. The organizations raised …

Kansas City’s ABC News affiliate reports: A Gladstone man, who recently spoke in support of banning books from North Kansas City School District libraries that depicted sexual acts, is facing a felony charge of second-degree child molestation and a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree domestic assault. Ryan Utterback, 29, is also facing a misdemeanor charge of furnishing pornographic material or attempting …

NBC News reports: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin clearly thought a tip line (read: snitch line) that would allow conservative parents to rat out educators accused of teaching critical race theory would go over well. In light of recent news, I have to agree. After Youngkin on Monday announced a new email address for parents to send in their complaints, zealous …

CNBC reports: A Tennessee school board has voted to remove the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel “Maus” from an eighth-grade language arts curriculum due to concerns about profanity and an image of female nudity in its depiction of Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust. The Jan. 10 vote by the McMinn County School Board, which only began attracting attention Wednesday, comes …

Media Matters has the transcript: TUCKER CARLSON (HOST): Well, a new bill just passed the state Senate in Mississippi that would ban public schools from teaching racism, in other words, from teaching that any one race is superior to or inferior to any other. Now, you would think the other 49 states would have similar laws on the book because, …

The Washington Post reports: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday invoked the biblical call to “love your neighbor” as school systems around the state struggled with strong reactions to his ban on local mask mandates, but the Republican also fanned the flames of partisan division in the face of court challenges and protests. In the interview, Youngkin also touted a …

ABC News reports: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it would take up a pair of cases that could decide the future of affirmative action in college admissions. The justices will hear appeals from a conservative student group that has been challenging the use of race as a factor in undergraduate admissions at Harvard University, the nation’s oldest private …

The Houston Chronicle reports: Gov. Greg Abbott has announced plans to amend the Texas Constitution with a Parent Bill of Rights if he is re-elected. The proposal follows Abbott’s introduction of a Taxpayer Bill of Rights this week. Abbott, who is running for reelection, has made it a point to target inappropriate content in schools. In November, he directed the …

Washington DC’s ABC News affiliate reports: Page County Public Schools in Luray, Virginia will increase police presence at schools Monday after a mother made a perceived threat during a school board meeting Thursday night. Amelia King was upset about the school mask mandate and said her children would not be wearing masks on Monday and she would “bring every single …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an appeal by a Christian former high school football coach who was suspended from his job at a high school in Washington state for refusing to halt his practice of praying at mid-field after games – a case that could expand the religious rights of employees of public institutions. …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Sixteen major U.S. universities, including Yale University, Georgetown University and Northwestern University, are being sued for alleged antitrust violations because of the way they work together to determine financial-aid awards for students. According to a lawsuit filed in Illinois federal court late Sunday by law firms representing five former students who attended some of the …

The Chicago Sun-Times reports: Chicago Public Schools classes are canceled Wednesday as the Chicago Teachers Union voted to refuse in-person work, defying district plans because of post-holidays COVID-19 concerns. The cancellation came despite a last-minute proposal from city leaders that introduced improved testing and safety measures but wasn’t enough to avoid upending in-person schooling for about 290,000 students at non-charter …