Education in Focus

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights said in a report that over two-thirds of all Title IX complaints came from one individual as it seeks to increase its staff for the next fiscal year. The branch of the education agency that enforces federal funding statutes tied to civil rights legislation said 5,590 out of 8,151 complaints related to alleged sex discrimination came from one person, continuing a consistent trend where an individual has filed thousands of cases every year.  According to the annual report to the president and secretary of education, the OCR said that it had seen the largest number of complaints ever during the 2023 fiscal year (FY).

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A new parents bill of rights took effect Thursday in Washington, but State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal is telling school districts to ignore it. The measure approved by lawmakers back in March was introduced by a voter initiative. Supporters said it was a way to ensure parents don’t feel left out of their child’s education and, among other things, have access to medical or counseling records if children are questioning gender identity or sexual orientation.

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As school board candidates run and win on more conservative-leaning platforms promising public school reforms, alternatives to traditional school board member associations have launched in states like Virginia and Pennsylvania in an attempt to redefine the role. Alternatives for conservative-leaning school board members have proven to be contentious, but proponents say they are following the law and holding school systems more accountable to promote student success. The York County School Board in Yorktown, Virginia, recently debated whether to use an alternative to the Virginia School Board Association. 

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A federal judge ruled earlier this week that New Hampshire laws limiting classroom discussions around critical race theory and divisive topics are unconstitutionally vague and violate the Fourteenth Amendment. New Hampshire was one of the dozens of states to pass laws limiting classroom instruction related to the legal framework that seeks to explain how racism permeates societal institutions, which critics of critical race theory call “divisive.” The law was challenged by the New Hampshire chapter of the ACLU as well as teachers unions in the state, who were concerned with what they could teach students given the scope of the law. The judge agreed that the laws were too vague. 

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Notable author and outspoken scholar Ibram X. Kendi told educators and others in a taxpayer funded equity webinar Thursday that influencing school systems offers a “bigger bang for your activism” and said "antiracist" education should start before age 3. A Wisconsin state agency paid Kendi $15,000 using federal special education funding for a wide-ranging one hour and 15 minute “generative conversation” on antiracism. During the conversation, Kendi said kids should be getting an antiracist education and the current education system damages children. Another presenter, Laura Minero, told educators and equity workers  that “we want our children to be queer” and stressed the importance of gender-affirming care, which has been prohibited by dozens of states.

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'Antiracist' speaker calls schools 'dangerous' and wants to drive out those who ban books

Taxpayer-funded equity event tied invention of 'gender binary to anti-Blackness'

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While the Montana Legislature passed measures that would enable the state to begin approving charter schools last year, a lawsuit could dramatically delay when the publicly-funded alternatives to traditional public schools would be able to open. The “Treasure State” passed HB 562 in 2023, establishing the Community School Choice Commission, tasked with approving prospective charter schools, also known as “Community Choice Schools.” But its implementation has been challenged in the courts. 

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Two teachers were fired from a Tennessee high school in a board meeting last week over allegations that they changed and interfered with almost 1,500 student grades at the behest of a former principal of the year. Teachers allegedly modified student’s courses so they would not have to learn. A document presented to the board by an Anderson County School official says former Clinton High School principal Dan Jenkins instructed teachers Rachel Jones and Clay Turpin to manipulate online course data in order to improve the district’s graduation rate. A criminal investigation is ongoing.

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Chicago Public Schools has spent an increasing amount of taxpayer funds on balloon displays in the last five years. The school district has put more than half a million dollars toward elaborate displays for events and celebrations in that time. The district has in recent years rapidly inflated its budget for balloon displays to mark occasions like back-to-school, graduation or Black History Month, according to CPS supplier payment data reviewed by Chalkboard. District-provided data show CPS payments for the decorations have swelled: The district spent less than $15,000 for balloon-focused vendors in fiscal year 2019, but for 2023, payments grew to over $278,000. The district has also spent over $142,400 during the current fiscal year on balloon services. 

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A Republican-led congressional committee asked school leaders whose districts have seen antisemitic incidents about what they’re doing to prevent further incidents in their schools since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. Leaders of schools in New York City and Berkeley, California and Montgomery County, Maryland told the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education their districts had taken action against antisemitism and other hate through policies, training for staff and curriculum for students. David Banks, chancellor of the New York City Public School District, said that the school district has fired teachers and suspended students over antisemitic incidents. He said it was crucial that students feel safe, citing his past experience as a school resource officer.

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/safety/article_4238b03c-0d63-11ef-8c1d-b739091c05d0.html 

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A taxpayer-funded workshop for Oregon sex education teachers instructed teachers to embrace fat positivity, explained the “racist origins of fatphobia” and what it means to have “thin privilege.” It also told educators to normalize fat bodies when teaching physiology and anatomy to students. The Oregon Department of Human Services’s February workshop, presented to teachers under the umbrella of the agency’s My Future My Choice sex ed curriculum, said fat positivity “explicitly affirms fat bodies.” The event was facilitated by Tory Sparks, a Michigan-based sex educator and social justice consultant, who previously authored a curriculum called the “Queer Sex Ed You Never Got In School,” according to the presentation.

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https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/cultural-issues/article_f2a770a6-0ef9-11ef-ae0e-7b8a9f422b2f.html

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