Virginia school board votes to restore Confederate names
A Virginia school board has approved a motion for two schools to revert to their Confederate names following a debate that bitterly divided a town.
The Shenandoah County School Board voted 5-1 to reinstate the names of Stonewall Jackson High and Ashby-Lee Elementary in Quicksburg.
Community members had been pushing for a reversal, arguing the 2020 name change was unpopular.
The vote marked the first such U-turn anywhere in the US.
Confirmation hearing scheduled for Zoie Saunders as education secretary
The Vermont Senate Committee on Education will hold its confirmation hearing for Gov. Phil Scott’s pick for education secretary, Zoie Saunders, on April 23. The committee’s chair, Sen. Brian Campion, D-Bennington, initially considered holding the hearing next week, when Saunders plans to begin work. But Campion said in an interview on Thursday that the administration had requested the hearing be scheduled one week later. “Seemed a little ambitious for her to arrive, and then the next day have a hearing,” Campion told VTDigger. “It seems quite — I don’t know...
Louisiana legislature advances conservative education priorities
Lawmakers in Louisiana advanced several education-related bills that would limit the teaching of gender theory, stop the use of “preferred pronouns,” and ensure students are using restrooms that align with their biological sex. The Louisiana House Education Committee and full House approved a variety of K-12 and university-level education reforms on Wednesday for the state, dealing with subjects ranging from gender-related instruction to allowing parents to use tax dollars for private school.
Pennsylvania's charter school funding challenge
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Modern education faces many challenges that can place students in difficult situations they're eager to escape.
Unfortunately, students in Pennsylvania public schools have few places to turn to if they are unsatisfied with their home district.
"This is a public education problem," said Brian Hayden, CEO of PA Cyber.
The state commissioned brick-and-mortar charter schools in 1997, followed by cyber charter schools in 2002, giving parents and students an alternative to traditional public schools.
Utah school board member faces calls to resign over post falsely suggesting teen girl was transgender
A Utah state school board member has come under fire for sharing a post in social media that appeared to falsely suggest a high school basketball player is transgender – sparking online threats against the 16-year-old girl. Natalie Cline, a conservative member of the Utah Board of Education, posted a photo Tuesday on Facebook of Al and Rachel van der Beek’s daughter in uniform with the caption “Girls’ basketball,” KSL-TV reported. She implied in the since-deleted screenshot of an Instagram ad about a game that the Salt Lake City girl...
Utah school board official falsely suggested teen girl is transgender, now faces calls to resign
The false suggestion led to harassment and bullying against the teen. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and other local leaders are calling for the resignation of Utah state school board member Natalie Cline after she falsely suggested a girl playing on a high school basketball team was transgender in a now-deleted Facebook post. The girl quickly became the target of threats and harassment online, with the girl's family speaking out about the incident in an interview with Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX. “They’re putting pictures of other people’s children on...
Why GOP culture warriors lost big in school board races this month
Amid all the attention on this month’s elections in Wisconsin and Illinois, one outcome with major implications for 2024 flew under the national radar: School board candidates who ran culture-war campaigns flamed out.
Democrats and teachers’ unions boasted candidates they backed in Midwestern suburbs trounced their opponents in the once-sleepy races. The winning record, they said, was particularly noticeable in elections where conservative candidates emphasized agendas packed with race, gender identity and parental involvement in classrooms.
100+ School Boards Flip Red Nationwide, Conservatives Pleased with Progress
While no overwhelming red wave emerged from the midterm national races, conservative groups involved in local school board races saw encouraging results.
Education certainly mattered to voters on the local level and that resulted in school boards in several states winning conservative majorities.
Supporters see those wins as part of a larger trend giving Republicans the upper hand in this issue.
The 2022 midterms follow two years of post-pandemic backlash.
Tennessee School Boards and Unions Go Up Against Hillsdale-Affiliated Charter Schools
Three Tennessee school boards denied the application of the American Classical Academy, a K-12 charter school system affiliated with Hillsdale College that provides students with a classic liberal arts education. The American Classical Academy alleges that these decisions are politically motivated and based on its ties to Hillsdale, which is Christian and conservative, as well as comments made by Hillsdale’s president, Larry Arnn.
Oklahoma state board affirms decision to downgrade accreditation for 2 school districts over violating law on race and gender teaching
(CNN)Two school districts in Oklahoma will remain under a downgraded accreditation status after they were accused of violating a state law that bars certain types of teachings on race and gender, despite educators' calls on Thursday to lift the punishment they say is hurting teachers and students.
The Oklahoma State Board of Education reaffirmed a 4-2 vote on July 28 designating the Tulsa Public Schools and Mustang Public Schools districts as "accredited with warning."
The reduction means the districts are two tiers away from losing accreditation altogether.