Tag Archives: education

FL Drops Plan To Ask Student Athletes About Periods

CNN reports: At an emergency meeting Thursday, the Florida High School Athletic Association approved a proposal to remove all questions about menstrual cycles from medical forms required to participate in high school sports in the state. The emergency meeting was held after the FHSAA faced months of criticism for a proposed change in policy that would require athletes to report …

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Newsom Calls “Bullshit” On College Board’s Revisions

Fox News reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday slammed College Board CEO David Coleman as a “puppet of Ron DeSantis” after the Board revised an AP African American studies course by removing much of the content the Republican governor had criticized. In response to a New York Times report on the College Board stripping down its Advancement Placement Curriculum …

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School Cancels “Vulgar” Musical With Gay Characters

Cleveland’s Fox affiliate reports: After months of planning, a local school district abruptly canceled its musical, claiming it was “vulgar.” In a statement, the Cardinal Local Schools superintendent Jack Cunningham said, “The Cardinal Local School District has decided that its spring musical production will not be ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.’ Its dialogue and song lyrics contain vulgarity …

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DeSantis Appointees Fire President Of Florida College

Florida Politics reports: New College of Florida President Patricia Okker was fired today without cause at a Board of Trustees meeting. “I understand that there is a new mandate for this college,” Okker said. At the trustee meeting, Okker slammed the new direction being pushed for the college. “I’m going to say publicly. I do not believe that students are …

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DeSantis Appointee Wants Newspaper Banned From College Board Meetings Over Comments By Readers

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports: Eddie Speir, a Christian school founder appointed by DeSantis to the New College of Florida board clashed with legal counsel David Smolker over his request to open the board meeting with prayer. He said Smolker initially denied the request, but in his latest Substack said that decision was reversed and an opening prayer will be allowed. …

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DeSantis Appointees Seek Power To Fire College Faculty

Tampa’s ABC affiliate reports: Faculty and staff at New College of Florida got their first glimpse Wednesday at what the future of the liberal arts college may look like. Two newly appointed — and politically conservative — members of the school’s board of trustees met with faculty for the first time for two question-and-answer sessions that were, at times, contentious. …

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FL College Cancels “Illegal” Faculty Classes On Diversity

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Valencia College has canceled optional faculty development courses on diversity-related topics, another casualty of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to rid campuses of what he calls “woke indoctrination.” College leaders determined eight courses planned for the spring semester might violate House Bill 7, which Republicans dubbed the “Stop WOKE” law, prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory …

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Superintendent Fired After Shooting By 6-Year-Old

NBC News reports: The Newport News School Board on Wednesday voted to replace its embattled superintendent amid the continuing fallout from a 6-year-old boy shooting his first-grade teacher this month. The board voted 5-1 to remove George Parker III as the head of the district of about 26,500 students. His separation is effective Feb. 1, School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law …

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Teacher Shot By Six-Year-Old To Sue School District

The Associated Press reports: A Virginia teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student during class will sue the school district, the teacher’s attorney announced Wednesday. Diane Toscano, a lawyer for Abigail Zwerner, said Wednesday that on the day of the shooting, concerned teachers and employees warned administrators three times that the boy had a gun on him and was …

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Fox Host: “Daddy Issue” Teachers Are Poisoning Kids

Media Matters has the transcript: JESSE WATTERS (CO-HOST): The next thing you know CRT is everywhere. And you have to look out as a parent for code words — if they have a “wellness officer” at the school. They don’t use things like CRT if they say, “A class is about belonging.” That’s what you got to look out for. …

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FL Teachers Threatened With Felony Charge Over Books

Popular Information reports: Teachers in Manatee County, Florida, are being told to make their classroom libraries — and any other “unvetted” book — inaccessible to students, or risk felony prosecution. The new policy is part of an effort to comply with new laws and regulations championed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R). It is based on the premise, promoted by right-wing …

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VA School Ignored Warnings About 6-Year-Old Shooter

The Washington Post reports: The Virginia teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student repeatedly asked administrators for help with the boy but officials downplayed educators’ warnings about his behavior, including dismissing his threat to light a teacher on fire and watch her die, according to messages from teachers obtained by The Washington Post. The previously unreported incidents raise fresh …

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Florida GOP Unveils Bill For “Universal” School Vouchers

Florida Politics reports: Parents of a K-12 public school-age child in Florida would be eligible to receive a voucher to send their student to a private school next year under a bill filed in the Florida House. The bill (HB 1) is a top priority for House Speaker Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, who touted the measure at a …

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Florida Universities Are Renaming Their Courses

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Yovanna Pineda, hired more than a decade ago to teach Latin American history at the University of Central Florida, rebranded one of her signature courses last fall. Striking references to “dictatorships” and “human rights” from the title, she decided to simply call her class “History of South America.” Pineda said many of her colleagues are making …

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Florida Demands Universities Report “Woke” Actions

Florida Politics reports: A court challenge to stop Gov. Ron DeSantis’ survey of “woke” activities on the state’s campuses has been rejected, and now Speaker Paul Renner is sending a more extensive request regarding institutions’ diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory. His memo asks for 16 different items, due by Feb. 13. The request includes emails, text messages …

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8 TX Students Hospitalized After Push-Ups Punishment

The Dallas Morning News reports: Rockwall-Heath head football coach John Harrell has been placed on administrative leave after multiple players were hospitalized following an intense workout last week that required athletes to do nearly 400 push-ups. A Heath parent, who didn’t want to be identified because of fear of retaliation, said her son has been hospitalized and diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, …

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School Official Halts Reading Of Dr. Suess “Race” Book

The Columbus Dispatch reports: Shale Meadows Elementary School third grade teacher Mandy Robek was reading “The Sneetches” to her class as part of NPR’s latest episode of “Planet Money” about the economic lessons in children’s books. During the podcast, which aired Friday, Amanda Beeman, the assistant director of communications for the school district, stopped the reading part way through the …

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Florida School District Bans Book About Gay Penguins

Tampa’s Fox affiliate reports: A Florida school district banned a book about a real-life same-sex penguin couple from classrooms and school libraries. The award-winning 2005 children’s book, “And Tango Makes Three,” tells the story of a real-life same-sex penguin couple that creates a family together. “We removed access to ‘And Tango Makes Three’ for our Kindergarten through third-grade students in …

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Police: Child Shot Virginia Teacher With Mother’s Gun

CBS News reports: The teacher, identified as 25-year-old Abigail Zwerner, was teaching a lesson when the child drew the weapon, Police Chief Steve Drew said a a news conference. The teacher “took a defensive position” and held up her hand, Drew said; the bullet passed through her hand and entered her chest. He said there had been no physical fight …

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REPORT: “Openly Racist” Teacher Pushes FL Books Ban

Popular Information reports: Vicki Baggett, an English teacher at Northview High School in Florida, is pushing for the Escambia County School District to remove nearly 150 books from school libraries. In an interview last month, Baggett told Popular Information that she is challenging books like When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball — the story of a sprinter who overcame racial discrimination …

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