Education in Focus

A parental rights organization is criticizing a Southeast Michigan school district after its board voted to change its sex education policy so that parents would not be able to opt students out of learning about gender or sexuality outside of health classes. Parents Defending Education raised concerns over the Dexter Community Schools Board of Education’s sex education policy from its October meeting. The action comes as Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland has removed a parental opt-out option for LGBTQ+ reading materials in elementary classes in a push for inclusivity that has garnered national attention.

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Mariyah Green was a junior when she transferred during the 2018-19 school year from a charter school to Bogan High School, where she played volleyball and basketball. Green had no idea when she transferred to Chicago Public Schools that she would end up suing the school, alleging violations against her First Amendment rights. She told Chalkboard that students were made to participate in the district’s Quiet Time program, where instructors encouraged students to participate in transcendental meditation, including initiation rites conducted in a darkened classroom. She was recently awarded $75,000 for damages and legal fees in a judgement. 

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Students have opportunities to cheat on online learning courses provided by Edmentum and other virtual course providers, according to a former public school teacher, researchers and in-depth reporting by Chalkboard that resulted in TikTok removing videos and accounts. But despite the concerns over vulnerabilities that online learning platforms allow cheating and research showing that students who take online credit recovery courses experience long-term negative effects, several states and accreditation organizations approve of Edmentum’s online academy. When initially asked about claims from former Atlanta public school teacher Jeremy Noonan who told Chalkboard that students could cheat on Edmentum’s coursework, the company provided a statement that its programs are accredited and approved by state agencies.

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Leaders of the Oakland Education Association in Oakland, California, called on school leaders to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and called for a ceasefire as tensions between the terrorist organization Hamas and Israel continue to increase. The union’s leadership shared curriculum resources it encouraged educators to employ in their classrooms, which accuse Israel of carrying out genocide and ethnic cleansing, something a Jewish parent said is concerning for her family as antisemitism is on the rise. Megan Bacigalupi, a Jewish parent of students who attend schools in the Oakland Unified School District, said the union leaders’ statement is concerning given the increase in antisemitic incidents nationwide and in the area, including graffiti and the removal of hostage posters for Israelis taken to Gaza. 

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Even after losing its position as the third largest school district in the country, Chicago Public Schools continues to seek budget expansions for building investments, despite more empty schools. The district’s 2023 Education Facilities Master Plan identifies a rapid need for investments, especially for the school systems’ aging buildings. But between the 2013-14 school year and the 2022-23 school year, CPS enrollment has dropped by nearly 20%, or 78,439 students. Despite enrollment declines, the district is asking for more over $14 billion to update its buildings. 

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A congressional panel in the House of Representatives heard testimony from witnesses about the different perspectives on graphic books in school libraries. Such debates over the appropriateness of explicit books that students can access have occurred nationwide in school board meetings. The Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education held a hearing Thursday on “combating graphic, explicit content in school libraries.” Republican lawmakers favored the removal of inappropr

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation that changed requirements for retired public-school teachers to work while receiving pension benefits, citing the teacher shortage in the state. Data show the number of teachers has increased in recent years relative to students. While the number of teachers has increased and the number of students has decreased overall in the state, lawmakers passed legislation that would make it easier for retired teachers to receive their pensions and return to work for school districts.

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Standardized test score results show academic achievement declines for the sixth year in a row, highlighting the impact of COVID-19-related school closures on student learning. The nonprofit behind the ACT said this week that scores fell again in all testing subjects in the 2022-23 school year. This comes as graduation rates in school districts have increased despite test scores showing academic declines, as Chalkboard News previously reported. Students nationwide tested during the 2022-23 school year had an average composite score on the ACT of 19.5, which was down from 19.8 the previous year and 20.7 in the 2018-19 school year. 

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Kalamazoo Public Schools said late last month that over half of last year’s senior class from one of its high schools graduated despite not meeting the criteria to do so. The school will allow the students to keep their diplomas. Phoenix Alternative High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan, allowed at least half of the class of 2023 to graduate without meeting state or district requirements, according to a statement from KPS. 

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Cheating is nothing new. But the methods of how it’s done are constantly changing. There is currently a market hidden in plain sight for the subset of students looking to graduate high school without completing their online coursework. 

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