(The Center Square) - A California federal judge issued a preliminary injunction requiring parental notification and opt-outs for gender identity topics in an elementary school’s buddy program pairing older elementary students with younger mentees, citing concerns from the program’s controversial lesson in which fifth graders were enlisted to teach kindergarteners about gender identity. At issue is a specific buddy session, in which teachers selected and read the gender identity book “My Shadow Is Pink,” which the ruling says is “about a boy who liked to wear dresses and play with toys associated with girls.” The session took place at an elementary school in the Encinitas Union School District.

Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_1fd5d4de-cd60-440c-bf07-dd0eb9da638a.html

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – About 30 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested late Monday night after occupying a University of Washington building and lighting dumpster fires. In a social media post, the “Super UW” group – Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return – stated that it occupied the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building to demand the university cut ties with Boeing, a major employer of UW engineering graduates. The protesters’ anger concerns a $10 million donation made by Boeing toward the construction of the $90 million learning facility in 2022. 

Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_3ca01ff3-3af1-4e05-8c28-2d9a6137addf.html

Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Legislation targeting harassment of Jewish students at higher education institutions will likely reach the U.S. House floor by May, intensifying the broader crackdown on antisemitism by the Trump administration. The Republican-led Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will vote on the Protecting Students on Campus Act and the Antisemitism Awareness Act on April 30. As reported by The Center Square, the Protecting Students on Campus Act would require universities to communicate to students how to file civil rights complaints and mandate universities to report the number of civil rights complaints they receive, as well as actions taken to address those complaints.

Read more:  https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_8b319b1f-0d50-495f-bae1-2b76283a4c11.html 

Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – After seeing billions of dollars in research funding frozen and facing multiple federal demands for internal reform, Harvard University is suing the Trump administration under the claim that it has violated the school’s First Amendment rights. On April 14, the U.S. Department of Education announced it was freezing $2.2 billion in taxpayer-funded federal grants to the school, as The Center Square reported. The decision followed Harvard’s refusal to comply with the Trump administration’s demands that it more effectively curb unlawful student activity and reform any programs “with egregious records of antisemitism or other bias.” 

Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

 Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_54d67fd0-dc8a-43e1-b214-22b57497d67f.html

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Education late Monday said it is freezing more than $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University after its president said earlier in the day it would not comply with President Donald Trump's demands over antisemitism on campus and diversity, equity and inclusion policies. "Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation's most prestigious universities and colleges – that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws," the department's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said in a statement, citing the "harassment of Jewish students" that "has plagued campuses in recent years..."

Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_d49984cd-0400-4da0-bc54-bf32fb1d5b9e.html

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – As cellphone bans in schools are gaining steam in dozens of states, one lawmaker is taking it to the federal level by proposing legislation leading to cellphone-free schools. Freshman Virginia Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman has introduced the UNPLUGGED Act, which the lawmaker describes as the “first step in restoring quality education” by removing cellphones from classrooms. The movement to ban the technology from classrooms has gained bipartisan popularity by several state lawmakers. State leaders on opposite sides of the political, ideological spectrums appear to have found common ground, saying phones in the classroom are distractions and contribute to mental health issues. 

Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

 Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/virginia/article_124b912d-a691-4f5d-94ea-f297f678867b.html

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Bills that would ban men from women's sports and establish new programs for school safety are now on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's desk as lawmakers wind down the 2025 session. House and Senate leaders merged Senate Bill 1 into the Riley Gaines Act proposed by the House. The legislation would allow the state to withhold funding from schools that fail to follow the provisions outlined in the bill after an investigation. Teams could also be prevented from competing if violations of the law are confirmed. The revised bill removes a provision that would have added definitions for male and female throughout the Georgia code. It defines "male" and "female" in relation to school sports.

Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/georgia/article_363f8ceb-ebea-406b-ad05-9fc934f71aea.html

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Georgia Senate passed a bill 54-2 on Tuesday that would require K-8 schools to have a policy on cellphone use. House Bill 340 bans electronic devices from "bell to bell," with some exceptions for students with learning disabilities or medical issues. School systems can decide how they want to store the devices, according to the bill. High schools are not addressed in the legislation, but it doesn't keep school districts from enacting cellphone policies for grades 9-12, Hilton said during a committee meeting.

Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/georgia/article_3abf0523-2b46-402b-9890-ffbb5c5c0d72.html

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – A bill that would change the academic standards used on Wisconsin’s state report cards back to prior levels passed the Senate and now will head to Gov. Tony Evers. The Senate voted 18-14 to approve the bill, which would reset the K-12 school report card standards of 2019-20, makes grades 3-8 standards the same as those set by the National Assessment of Education Progress and would make the high school testing standards the same as those from 2021-22. State Sen. John Jagler, R-Watertown, is a sponsor of the bill and noted the standards were changed behind closed doors and Evers has even called the decision a mistake. 

Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

 Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_a128f288-04b0-11f0-9e02-b71c148aebc1.html

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said Tuesday that as part of the Department of Education's "final mission," it would cut its workforce by half. Affected employees will be placed on administrative leave beginning March 21. McMahon said the department would "continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency's purview, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking." When Trump took office in January, the Department of Education had about 4,133 workers. After Tuesday's reduction in force, the department's workforce will total about 2,183 workers.

Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_1f823398-feca-11ef-b70a-77b78cbd860d.html

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.