Education in Focus

(The Center Square) - Following the Beverly Hills Unified School District board's vote to display Israeli flags on all its campuses, Superintendent Alex Cherniss overruled the decision, citing safety concerns. “In light of heightened safety concerns around the displaying of flags on our campuses, I have made the decision to take immediate action for the safety and security of our students,” Dr. Cherniss wrote in a statement. “Until further notice, no flags will be displayed on our campuses other than the flag of the United States of America and the flag of the state of California.” 

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(The Center Square) - The California Senate Appropriations Committee sent Assembly Bill 495 on its way to the Senate floor, despite strong opposition from Republicans. The committee Friday voted 5-2 to send AB 495, known as the “Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025," to the full Senate for consideration. If approved, the bill, authored by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez, D-San Fernando, will move directly to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. 

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(The Center Square) — Arizona lawmakers violated the constitutional requirement to fund public schools, ruled Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Dewain Fox. In a 114-page decision, Fox stated on Aug. 11 that Arizona schools did not meet the minimum standards in providing adequate equipment for building repairs, even though the Arizona Constitution requires the Legislature to organize and fund a “general and uniform public school system.” The case, Glendale Elementary School District v. State of Arizona, was filed in 2017 by Glendale Elementary School District, Crane Elementary School District, Chino Valley Unified School District and Elfrida Elementary School District, alongside Arizona School Boards Association, Arizona Education Association and Arizona School Administrators. 

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(The Center Square) – According to event officials, a July 26 event held at Donald Eismann Elementary School, part of the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District in Washington state, that included a “Drag Queen Story Hour” and other controversial drag performances, has inspired death threats against organizers and participants. In the meantime, school board members have been getting an earful from community members concerned about the event. Some parents spoke out at Wednesday’s school board meeting. 

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(The Center Square) — Virginia Public Schools in Loudoun County voted this week to keep their gender policy, allowing transgender students to use facilities, despite the U.S. Department of Education finding the policy violates Title IX. According to the federal law, sex-separated spaces are required on federally funded school campuses, but with Loudoun County rejecting this compliance, almost $46 million in federal funds may be cut. In July, the Education Department found five Northern Virginia schools in violation of Title IX over policies that allowed transgender students to access bathrooms and locker rooms. 

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(The Center Square) — California schools are providing resources for students if immigration officials visit their campus. As students get ready to go back to school, Southern California schools are taking proactive measures to protect students from federal immigration agents on campus. After federal agents detained a 15-year-old boy outside his Los Angeles high school last week, many families are fearful of immigration raids within schools. Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, said there should be restrictions on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement near schools so that students can focus on their education. 

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(The Center Square) - A California bill that aims to provide a solution to immigrant families poses a legal loophole for kidnapping children, says the California Family Council. Assembly Bill 495, known as the “Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025,” authored by Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez, D-California, claims to give immigrant families that face deportation solutions in taking care of their children. Rodriguez argues that AB 495 protects children and ensures that they are not left vulnerable if a parent is unexpectedly detained by immigration officials. 

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(The Center Square) – As Denver Public Schools move forward with finalizing a new teacher contract, parental rights groups are raising concerns about inclusion of diversity, equity, and inclusion provisions in the contract. Defending Education, Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, and Protect Kids Colorado joined to send a letter to Denver Public Schools and Denver Classroom Teachers Association expressing “deep concern about the inclusion of ideological programming and discriminatory mandates” in the Denver Public Schools Collective Bargaining Agreement. The DPS and DCTA plan to agree to a new contract by Aug. 31. In a joint statement to The Center Square, the DCTA and DPS said they are standing by the contract. 

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After the Trump administration suspended research funding from the University of California, Los Angeles over claims of antisemitism, Gov. Gavin Newsom called the freeze “cruel manipulation.” Last week the Trump administration sent a notice to UCLA that it was suspending all science and medical research funding. This abrupt funding freeze comes after claims from the U.S. Department of Justice that UCLA violated federal civil rights laws in dealing with antisemitism on campus, following pro-Palestine protests since Oct. 7, 2023 and the start of the Israel-Hamas War.

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(The Center Square) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order  to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test to American schools.  The fitness test was introduced in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but was phased out in 2012 during the Obama administration. The fitness test requires students ages 10 to 17 to run, do sit-ups, pull-ups or push-ups and a sit-and-reach test. After 2012, it was changed to the Youth Fitness Program. The Obama administration said it wanted to focus less on athletic performance and more on student health.

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