Education

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 …

The Hill reports: A federal judge on Wednesday rejected a lawsuit from two Nevada parents seeking to challenge the state’s public school mask mandate, saying in her ruling that parents did not have the constitutional right to dictate school policies. In their lawsuit filed in August, two Nevada parents claimed that the mask mandate, as well as their exclusion from …

The Washington Post reports: The Biden administration announced Wednesday it will extend a pause on student loan payments through May 1 as the omicron variant threatens to hurt the U.S. economy. President Biden depicted the move as an essential step to help millions of borrowers at a moment of ongoing public health challenges. Until now, the payment moratorium had been …

New York Magazine reports: The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard a case involving just 4,800 students in rural Maine. But because of the way the Court seems certain to rule, the case will affect everyone in America. The reason is a single word: discrimination. At one point, Justice Kavanaugh said that “discrimination against all religions, as opposed to secular, is …

CNN reports: The American Library Association says it has provided legal guidance and support to a number of libraries impacted by the “dramatic uptick” of attempts to remove books concerning LGBTQ issues and people of color. Since June 1, the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has tracked 155 incidents across the country and has provided support and consultation in 120 …

The Tennessean reports: The complaint, the first directed to the state under the new law passed this spring, was filed by Robin Steenman [photo], chair of the Moms for Liberty Williamson County chapter, a conservative parent group sweeping the nation. The 11-page complaint alleged that the literacy curriculum, Wit and Wisdom, used by Williamson County Schools and at least 30 …

Issues In Higher Education reports: According to Dr. Joel Mittleman, an assistant professor of sociology at Notre Dame and author of the study, 52% of gay men in the U.S. have a bachelor’s degree, a total of 16 percentage points higher than the national average. Putting that number into a global perspective, Mittleman writes, “If America’s gay men were considered …

NPR reports: In the latest call from Republican leaders to ban certain books in schools, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is telling his state’s department of education to investigate a graphic novel on queer identity being available at a school’s library. He says the content in the book is “sexually explicit” and “pornographic.” The book, Gender Queer: A Memoir, by …

The Fredericksburg Lance-Star reports: The Spotsylvania County School Board has directed staff to begin removing books that contain “sexually explicit” material from library shelves and report on the number of books that have been removed at a special called meeting next week. The directive came after a parent raised concerns at the School Board’s meeting Monday about books available through …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott asked the Texas Association of School Boards on Monday to determine the extent to which “pornography or other inappropriate content” exists in public schools across the state and to remove it if found. “A growing number of parents of Texas students are becoming increasingly alarmed about some of the books and other content …

The Houston Chronicle reports: The Austin school district, one of the largest in the state, will not comply with a request from the Republican leader of the Texas House General Investigating Committee to confirm whether it carries certain books in its libraries. “After doing more legal research, we’ve decided that a response is not necessary, especially since anyone can search …

The Los Angeles Times reports: The Los Angeles Unified School District was among the first school systems in the nation to require employees to be vaccinated. The Oct. 15 deadline prompted a last-minute surge among thousands who were hesitant. No vaccine meant no entry onto a campus — and likely no job. Similar vaccination deadlines — and decisions — are …

From the Texas Teachers Association: Rep. Krause’s letter demanding that school superintendents provide him with lists of books dealing with certain subjects on their school bookshelves is disturbing and political overreach into the classroom. Nothing in state law, not even in HB3979 or SB3, gives a legislator the authority to conduct this type of witch hunt. This is an obvious …

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: The families of 52 people killed, injured or traumatized during the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High have reached a $25 million settlement with the Broward School District, the lawyer for the families confirmed Monday. The largest payments will go to the 17 families whose children or spouses were killed, and they will each …

The Associated Press reports: A Vermont high school homecoming football game turned into a “drag ball” runway at halftime, with a mix of students and faculty members parading in gowns, wigs and makeup — and a big crowd in rainbow colors to cheer them on. “Things went amazing,” Ezra Totten, student leader of the Gender Sexuality Alliance at Burlington High …