public schools

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For Kids Who Endured COVID, Trump, Harris Can't Just Give Up

NYT columnist Jessica Grose pushes for more action in the K-12 arena from Trump, Harris

(Newser) - When COVID made its way onto the scene almost five years ago, it indisputably had an effect on America's students, especially those in the K-12 grades. But although the pandemic was like "this comet that hit our education system," as one expert puts it, "the downward...

In Oklahoma, an 'Extraordinary Move' on Bible in the Classroom

Ryan Walters, state superintendent, orders the religious text to be taught in public schools

(Newser) - Coming to classrooms in Oklahoma: the Bible. The state's superintendent has ordered the religious text be taught in Oklahoma's public schools, reports the New York Times , which calls it "an extraordinary move that blurs the lines between religious instruction and public education." "Every teacher, every...

Utah's Transgender Bathroom Tip Line Doesn't Go as Planned

Instead of legit reports, activists flood it with thousands of hoaxes

(Newser) - Transgender activists have flooded a Utah tip line created to alert state officials to possible violations of a new bathroom law with thousands of hoax reports. As the AP reports, it's an effort to shield trans residents and their allies from any legitimate complaints that could lead to an...

Nearly 800 of School's Students Were Absent on Wednesday

Not due to COVID, but a 'highly contagious' gastrointestinal bug that's closed Alabama school

(Newser) - As one Florida elementary school deals with measles , another in Alabama is contending with a "gastrointestinal outbreak" that kept nearly 800 students out of school in just one day. WKRG reports that Fairhope West Elementary School is now closed Thursday and Friday after 773 students called in on Wednesday,...

Teachers in This State's Largest City Hit the Picket Line

Educators in Portland, Oregon, are striking over salary, class sizes, lack of resources

(Newser) - Teachers in Portland, Oregon, walked off the job on Wednesday for the first day of a strike that shuttered schools for some 45,000 students in Oregon's largest city. Concerns over large class sizes, salaries that haven't kept up with inflation, and a lack of resources prompted the...

In France, a New Clothing Ban Irks Muslims

Hijabs, face veils were already barred in schools in the name of secularism; now, the abaya robe is, too

(Newser) - First France banned headscarves in its public schools, then full face veils. Now, the abaya, a long, baggy robe worn by practicing Muslim girls and women in the name of modesty, joins the list of banned attire in the nation's classrooms. Reuters reports that new Education Minister Gabriel Attal...

Does James Like to Be Called Jimmy? Not So Fast in Florida

Some districts now want parental OK before using nicknames, alternate names for trans students

(Newser) - A new school year has kicked off in many spots in the South, and two counties in Florida are already making waves for a correspondence that's been delivered to educators and parents. WESH reports that Seminole County sent an email to families this week noting that if their kids...

'One of Most Sex-Ridden Books Around' Returned to School Shelves

Utah's Davis School District reverses decision

(Newser) - Bibles will return to the shelves in a northern Utah school district that provoked an outcry after it banned them from middle and elementary schools last month, the AP reports. Officials from the Davis School District said at a board meeting Tuesday that the district had determined the sacred text...

ACLU: 'After School Satan Club' Ruling a Free Speech 'Victory'

Judge decides against Pennsylvania school district's barring of group's meetings, calling it 1A violation

(Newser) - In Pennsylvania, the Saucon Valley School District backed down earlier this year from granting meeting space to the After School Satan Club after community outcry and even a shooting threat. Now, the club is celebrating what the ACLU is calling "a victory for free speech and religious freedom."...

House GOP Pushes Through 'Parents Rights' Bill

Dems say legislation, which will likely stall in Senate, is a stunt that's really designed to control

(Newser) - House Republicans on Friday narrowly passed legislation that would fulfill a campaign promise to give parents a role in what's taught in public schools. It has little chance in the Democrat-run Senate, and critics say it will propel a far-right movement that has led to book bans, restrictions aimed...

Report: Sexual Abuse Went 'Unabated' at Boston K-8 School

Officials recommend 'failed' Mission Hill School be closed

(Newser) - Boston's Mission Hill School ignored allegations of sexual abuse and bullying for years, according to a scathing new report, which has resulted in the recommendation that the autonomous K-8 school in Jamaica Plain be permanently closed. An investigation by law firm Hinckley Allen was launched after five families claimed...

Head-Scratching Century-Old Rule Reversed in Birthplace of Jazz

School board in New Orleans lifts ban on teaching jazz

(Newser) - It's hard to imagine jazz music being banned in any US public schools, let alone schools in New Orleans, known as the birthplace of jazz. But there's actually a policy on the books in the Big Easy that prohibits students from learning about the genre or taking part...

School's Out in Nation's 3rd-Largest District—Again

Chicago Public Schools fails to reach agreement with teachers union

(Newser) - Update: Chicago Public Schools has canceled Thursday classes, the second day in a row, after failing to reach an agreement with the teachers union over virtual learning and other COVID-19 protocols amid the latest surge in cases. The closure will affect 350,000 students, the AP reports. Our original story ...

School District Reverses Mask Mandate After DeSantis Order

Florida threatens to pull funding from schools that require face coverings

(Newser) - A South Florida school district that voted last week to require facial coverings has reversed itself after Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to cut funding. With coronavirus caseloads surging as the much more contagious delta variant spreads infections, the Broward County school board unanimously voted last week to require students, teachers,...

NYC Mayor Makes Big Call on Schools: 'It's Time'

Bill de Blasio said the city's schools will be all in person in the fall, with no remote option

(Newser) - New York City schools will be all in person this fall, with no remote options, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. "We can't have a full recovery without full-strength schools, everyone back, sitting in those classrooms," de Blasio said on MSNBC's Morning Joe, per the AP...

Alabama Ends 28-Year Ban on Yoga in Schools

But there are some catches

(Newser) - For almost three decades, Alabama has banned yoga in public schools. But that ban will end with the start of the new school year. Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday signed a bill to allow the practice in schools for the first time since 1993, though restrictions will remain in place....

No Washington, Lincoln, or Feinstein on City's Schools

Mayor would prefer the board work on a reopening plan

(Newser) - Gone are a slew of historical figures, including Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln—as well as the much more recent Dianne Feinstein. The San Francisco Board of Education has voted to take those names and others off 44 of its schools. The board has for years debated whether to rename buildings...

New York's Cuomo: 'All Schools Can Open'
Cuomo
Makes 
Big Move
on Schools
Aug 7, 2020 1:05 PM CDT

Cuomo Makes Big Move on Schools

All can reopen if conditions are met, but whether they will is a different story

(Newser) - New York state used to be the COVID-19 epicenter of the country. On Friday, its governor made a big announcement that shows how things have changed. "All schools can open," said Andrew Cuomo, per the New York Times . "If anyone can open schools, we can open schools....

This State Has the Best School System in America

Massachusetts ranks No. 1 in WalletHub ranking; New Mexico comes in last

(Newser) - After a school year disrupted by COVID-19, parents are more concerned than ever about their children's education. The coronavirus aside, how well public schools fare across America is often dictated by the funding they receive, which is one of the factors WalletHub took into account in its examination of...

Sure, American Schools Can Reopen—for 'Certain Kids'

The divide between public and private schools looks even wider now

(Newser) - Turns out schools can reopen in America after all—if they're private. While most public schools are opening part-time or not at all amid the coronavirus pandemic, private schools are finding they have the budgets, facilities, and small class sizes to reopen, the New York Times reports. That means...

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