Education

The Hill reports: Parents and political groups lodged complaints against nearly 1,600 books in more than 700 libraries and library systems across the country in 2021, a new record of conservative activism that largely targeted tomes involving race, gender and the LGBTQ community, a new report has found. The American Library Association (ALA) said in its annual assessment that twice …

Click Houston reports: A former Klein ISD student has won a $90,000 settlement years after a lawsuit was filed claiming she was subjected to harassment and discrimination for sitting out the Pledge of Allegiance, according to the civil rights group American Atheists. “I’m glad that the defendant finally made the smart decision and settled the case before we went to …

The Washington Post reports: All 133 Virginia public school division superintendents have urged Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) to scrap the “tip line” set up to let parents complain about teachers and principals and have asked him to stop his campaign against the teaching of “divisive” content in schools. The superintendents voiced their concerns in a letter Thursday to Jillian Balow, …

Via press release from the Human Rights Campaign: After remaining silent as the bill made its way through the Florida state legislature over the past few weeks, [Disney CEO Bob] Chapek spoke out against pending anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and spoke up for LGBTQ+ people in Florida and across the country. In his statement, Chapek shared that Disney recently joined more than …

Patch New York reports: A bipartisan group of New York City’s congressional representatives this week tried to moooo-ve Mayor Eric Adams to reconsider a potential chocolate milk ban. Children who drink flavored milk consume more nutrients than non-milk drinkers, among other health benefits extolled in a letter written and signed by the delegation — and published on the National Milk …

The Associated Press reports: The Florida Senate on Tuesday passed controversial legislation that regulates lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity in public school classrooms, despite concerns from activists and student groups that argued the bill would have a chilling impact on gay, lesbian and transgender students. The legislation, which Florida Democrats and LGBTQ activist refer to as the “Don’t …

First Coast News reports: Students across Florida protested the ‘Don’t Say Gay bill’ Thursday by walking out of their classrooms, according to multiple sources. The walk-out protests happened across the state at noon. “With the internet access that children have today, there are children that age asking questions, trying to figure out what it is, even if they don’t know …

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, …