Supporters of the legislation argue that it is designed to protect prospective applicants for executive positions at universities by keeping private all application records until finalists are named. This confidentiality is crucial for individuals who wish to apply without alerting their current employers.
The CARE Act is "model legislation" created by the Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-abortion, conservative Christian legal advocacy group. The Wyoming bill says that pregnancy centers, many of which are affiliated with religious organizations, need legal protection after facing "unprecedented attacks" following the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The Palo Alto Unified School District is in the middle of at least 11 different lawsuits, including cases that allege unchecked bullying, racist attacks, injured students, inadequate special education and retaliation by district leadership.
What makes the program tricky is that it blurs the party lines on school choice. It's not a traditional voucher. But opposition to any school choice policy is deeply ingrained for many Democrats. If governors opt in to the program, tax dollars will go toward private school tuition for children in their states, something many Democrats are uncomfortable with.
While faculty at the state's public research universities-Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma-will keep their tenure, new teaching staff at the 23 affected colleges will shift to renewable contracts tied to "teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment."
Protecting students from immigration raids was a priority for state legislators this year, resulting in several new laws, including one prohibiting school staff from allowing immigration officers to enter campuses or providing student or family information. The most controversial of the new laws is one meant to target antisemitism, although amendments made during the legislative session resulted in a bill that defines discrimination more broadly.
Rep. Chappell is one of several politicians trying to overturn Amendment 3, the ballot measure that codified the right to abortion until fetal viability in the state constitution. His bill says fertilized eggs are 'entitled to the protection of rights guaranteed under the Fifth and the Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution of the United States.'
The central aspect of the PACE plan calls for removing the state superintendent as the head of the California Department of Education. Instead, that department would be run by an appointee of the state Board of Education. Members of the state board are appointed by the governor to fixed four-year terms. The PACE report envisions the "governor as the chief architect and steward responsible for aligning and advancing California's education system."
How do you get teenagers to put their phones away for hours at a time? That is the question many schools are trying to solve as bans on cellphones sweep the U.S. more than 30 states so far now restrict their use during the school day. One of those states is Kentucky, where all public school classes must now be cellphone free. Districts can set their own policies to achieve that goal.
A mental health diversion granted to a former Kern County politician is coming under fire from numerous California lawmakers and child welfare advocates, who say a repeatedly amended state law is allowing an accused child abuser to avoid prosecution and possible jail time. Zack Scrivner, a former Kern County supervisor, was charged with felony child abuse in February after he was accused of inappropriately touching one of his children in 2024. But because of a Dec. 19 ruling by a judge, he will avoid a trial and instead be funneled into a mental health diversion program - an initiative aimed at helping defendants with mental health disorders get treatment instead of imprisonment for certain crimes.
The investigations will determine if LGBTQ+ content, which the department describes as 'sexual orientation and gender ideology (SOGI) content', is included in any classes for grades pre-K-12 and if the schools have notified parents of their right to opt their children out. Further to this, the DOJ investigation will assess whether the three school districts restrict access to single-sex spaces based on 'biological sex'.
California is one of six states that fund public schools based on how many students attend classes on an average day. Under California law, Average Daily Attendance is calculated by dividing the total number of days students attended class by the number of days of instruction. A student who leaves campus for only part of the day to protest, or for any other reason, still counts as having attended school for the purposes of calculating ADA.
The mother of a transgender child has said she was forced to home-school him after the government's controversial sex education guidance posed "safeguarding concerns". The seven-year-old trans boy was reportedly removed from public education after being subjected to "inhuman" statements about his gender identity during lessons. Speaking exclusively to PinkNews, the parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said she received "zero support" from staff at the school despite making numerous complaints about safeguarding concerns.
On a chilly day before Christmas, Teresa Rivas helped a tween boy pick out a new winter coat. "Get the bigger one, the one with the waterproof layer, mijo," she said, before helping him pull it onto his string-bean frame. Rivas provides guidance counseling at Owen Goodnight Middle School in San Marcos, Texas. She talks with students about their goals and helps if they're struggling in class. She's also a trained navigator placed there by a nonprofit called Communities in Schools.
Los Alto School District board trustee Vladimir Ivanovic is resigning in protest over the district's plan to build a new campus for Bullis charter school, a move he believes will impose a large tax burden on residents and jeopardize future bond measures. The long-time trustee announced his decision at the board's meeting on Jan. 12, and submitted his resignation letter. Ivanovic, whose four-year term was set to expire in December, will stay in the position until March 11.
Teachers have almost no authority over student behaviors or academic grading, and are given little, if any, respect from administrators, parents or even students. Instead, students have all the authority but no responsibility for their success. Students do (or don't do) whatever they wish, while empty-handed teachers are left to take the blame. Teachers no longer have the ultimate tool of flunking students.
