Education

Today: SCOTUS Hears Case On Christian Charter School

NBC News reports: A case that could weaken the separation of church and state goes before the Supreme Court on Wednesday as the justices consider whether Oklahoma can approve the first-ever religious public charter school. Although the oral argument concerns only St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would operate online throughout the state with a remit to promote …

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Head Start Groups Sue Trump Admin Over Defunding

Scripps News reports: A coalition of parents and education providers have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over its proposed cuts to the federally-funded Head Start program providing free services to hundreds of thousands of children from low-income families. The lawsuit, filed in the Western District of Washington, accuses the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of …

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McMahon Threatens New York Over School’s Mascot

Via press release from the White House: Today, the U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into the New York Department of Education, Board of Regents for a reported violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will assess whether New York’s threat to withhold funding if the Massapequa School District does not …

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19 Blue States Sue Over DEI Threat To Funding Schools

Politico reports: The lawsuit, led by California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York, argues that an ultimatum delivered by the U.S. Department of Education earlier this month to comply with the Trump administration’s interpretation of federal anti-discrimination law was unconstitutional and unlawful. Under the directive, states are required to certify their schools will adhere to a 2023 Supreme Court ruling …

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New Trump Order Targets American Bar Association

Reuters reports: The Trump Administration said in an executive order on Wednesday that it is considering revoking the American Bar Association’s status as the federally recognized accreditor of law schools, a change that could impact lawyer licensing, student loans and attorney mobility, legal education experts said. Trump said he was directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to assess whether to suspend …

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Judge Blocks Order Defunding Schools Over Diversity

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge on Thursday blocked Trump administration directives that threatened to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union, which accused the Republican administration of violating teachers’ due process and First Amendment rights. …

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Trump Signs Anti-DEI Order On School Discipline

The education site Chalkbeat reports: President Donald Trump signed executive orders Wednesday that aim to promote stricter school discipline and discourage schools from considering whether discipline policies have a greater impact on students of color. Under former President Barack Obama, the Education Department warned schools that policies that led to students of certain racial groups being suspended or expelled at …

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Indiana GOP Deletes Consent From Sex Ed Lessons

The Indiana Capital Chronicle reports: A Republican senator detailed changes to a contentious sex education bill on Monday, including deletion of a proposed requirement for K-12 schools to teach about consent. The last-minute edits to Senate Bill 442 were announced during a 13-minute conference committee meeting. Public testimony was allowed but none was provided. Earlier versions of the legislation required …

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DOE To Resume “Involuntary” Student Loans Collection

NBC News reports: The U.S. Department of Education on Monday said it’s restarting “involuntary” repayment of federal student loans that are in default. The payments were paused during the first term of President Donald Trump in 2020 as a response to the Covid pandemic. “Beginning May 5, the department will begin involuntary collection through the Treasury Department’s offset program, which …

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FSU Waives Attendance For Final Week Of Term

The Associated Press reports: Students and instructors will have the option of holding classes remotely or in person, depending on the class. The school has waived all mandatory attendance policies that could affect grades, so students won’t be punished if they choose not to go to class in person, FSU President Richard McCullough said in a letter to students and …

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Proposed Budget Eliminates Funding For Head Start

CNN reports: The Trump administration is considering eliminating funding for two key federal programs that help millions of low-income Americans educate their young children and heat their homes. A draft of President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for the coming fiscal year calls for ending support for Head Start, which provides early childhood education and other services to nearly 800,000 kids, …

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Canadian Colleges See Surge In American Applicants

Reuters reports: More students living in the United States are applying to Canadian universities or expressing interest in studying north of the border as U.S. President Donald Trump cuts federal funding to universities and revokes foreign student visas. Officials at the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus said the school reported a 27% jump in graduate applications as of March …

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Trump Admin Freezes $2B In Funding For Harvard

The Washington Post reports: Harvard University officials on Monday rejected Trump administration demands that the school yield to extensive government oversight and make sweeping changes to governance, admissions and hiring practices, calling the directives unlawful and unconstitutional. The administration responded Monday night by saying it would freeze more than $2 billion in federal funding to the Ivy League school. The …

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Markets Plummet Again Over Trump’s Tariffs On China

CNBC reports: Stocks fell Thursday, giving back some of the gains from the historic rally seen in the previous session after Trump announced a 90-day reprieve on some of his “reciprocal” tariffs. Investors worried that even with the short pause on some of the duties, economic activity will be slowed by Trump’s singling out of China with a much higher …

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Texas Bill Would Force Colleges To Rewrite History

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas senators could vote this week on a bill that would drastically limit how the state’s public universities teach their students about history, race and inequality. Senate Bill 37 would also create a way to file complaints about universities that higher ed experts say could threaten their funding and create a profound chilling effect. If the …

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Nebraska Students Pose In Locker Room With Nazi Flag

York, Nebraska’s NBC affiliate reports: A pair of students in Nebraska are facing consequences after they were seen on social media posing in their high school’s locker room holding a flag symbolizing hate. Aurora Public Schools said it is now taking steps to discipline those students as well as prevent any further issues. Jody Phillips, the district’s superintendent, said whenever …

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SCOTUS Upholds Freeze On Millions To Hire Teachers

CNN reports: The Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Donald Trump to temporarily freeze millions of dollars in grants to states for addressing teacher shortages, the administration’s first win at the high court since reclaiming power in January. The decision was 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberals dissenting. Trump attempted to cancel the grants based on …

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Public Schools Given 10 Days To Sign Anti-Diversity “Certification” In Order To Receive Federal Funding

The Associated Press reports: As a condition for receiving federal money, the Trump administration is ordering K-12 schools to certify that they are following federal civil rights laws and eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion practices. A notice sent Thursday by the Education Department gives states and schools 10 days to sign and return the certification. It’s the latest escalation against …

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GOP Flack Locks X Account After Getting $1M Check

The Meidas Touch reports: Nicholas Jacobs, chair of the Wisconsin College Republicans and a rising GOP operative, has locked his Twitter account following intense backlash over his acceptance of a $1 million check from Elon Musk. The controversial payout has fueled accusations that he was being rewarded for his political influence rather than as an impartial voter. Critics across social …

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Trump Petitions SCOTUS To Gut Funding For Teachers

Politico reports: The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to cut hundreds of millions of dollars for teacher training. A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the cuts, finding they were already affecting training programs aimed at addressing a nationwide teacher shortage. An appeals court turned away a plea from the administration to allow them …

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