Category: Education & Schools

In 2025, an attorney for a government school district is able to make it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court defending exposing children as young as three years old to books about sexuality. Imagine going back in time to any point—even just a few years ago—and explaining that this is considered a serious argument.

What I find most remarkable about the exchange is the attorney’s acknowledgment that their intent is to “influence” children. He begins to explain that the goal is to install “civility,” which is the “natural consequence of being exposed to—” before he is cut off. Was he going to say that “civility” results from exposure to sexual content at a very young age? What could “civility” possibly mean here?

MR. SCHOENFELD: Pride Puppy was the book that was used for the pre-kindergarten curriculum. That’s no longer in the curriculum.

JUSTICE GORSUCH: That’s the one where they’re supposed to look for the leather and things—bondage, things like that, right?

MR. SCHOENFELD: It’s not bondage. It’s a woman in a leather—

JUSTICE GORSUCH: Sex worker, right?

MR. SCHOENFELD: No. That’s not correct. No.

JUSTICE GORSUCH: I thought—gosh, I read it.

JUSTICE BARRETT: It’s a drag queen in drag.

JUSTICE GORSUCH: Drag queen in—drag queen?

MR. SCHOENFELD: So, correct. The leather that they’re pointing to is a woman in a leather jacket, and one of the words is drag queen in this—

JUSTICE GORSUCH: And they’re supposed to look for those?

MR. SCHOENFELD: It is an option at the end of the book, correct.

JUSTICE GORSUCH: Yeah. Okay. And you’ve included these in the English language curriculum rather than the human sexuality curriculum to influence students, is that fair? That’s what the district court found. Do you agree with that?

MR. SCHOENFELD: I think, to the extent the district court found that it was to influence, it was to influence them towards civility, the natural consequence of being exposed to—

JUSTICE GORSUCH: Whatever, but to influence them.

MR. SCHOENFELD: In the manner that I just mentioned, yes.

While this is a serious thing, “education standards” are not a specifically enumerated right. Several well known pro-RKBA people on line, as well as yours truly, are irritated, to put it mildly, that SCOTUS will take such a case while lingering for months about a couple of 2nd amendment cases

The Most Important Parental Rights Case in Years Is Before SCOTUS Right Now

If there’s one thing that undergirds parental rights, it is this: Parents know what’s best for their own children.

If there’s a second, it’s Pierce v. Society of Sisters, where the Supreme Court ruled that the child “is not the mere creature of the state” and that parents have the right “to direct the upbringing and education of children under their control.”

Enter Mahmoud v. Taylor, which is currently before the Supreme Court. At issue, according to Amy Howe at ScotusBlog, is “Whether public schools burden parents’ religious exercise when they compel elementary school children to participate in instruction on gender and sexuality against their parents’ religious convictions and without notice or opportunity to opt out.” Moreover, it will rule on who knows best: parents or school bureaucrats.

The case involves a school district in Montgomery County, Md., which thought it would be a good idea to force LGBTQ+ materials on children as young as age three—including vulnerable kids with special needs.

Here’s one example:

Howe explained on Tuesday, as oral arguments before the Supreme Court began:

When the county announced in 2023 that it would not allow parents to opt to have their children excused from instruction involving the storybooks, a group of Muslim, Catholic, and Ukrainian Orthodox parents went to federal court.

They contended that the refusal to give them the option to opt their children out violated their constitutional right to freely exercise their religion – specifically, their ability to instruct their children on issues of gender and sexuality according to their faith and to control when and how these issues are introduced to their children.

The school district claimed that it’s just too hard to allow parents to opt their kids out of the explicit content and, rather than getting rid of the highly controversial books, told parents to suck it up. Several of them sued, citing the aforementioned Wisconsin v. Yoder. 

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Idaho Panhandle School Board Okays Armed Teachers

The St. Maries, Idaho School District, located in Benewah County at the confluence of the St. Joe and St. Maries rivers southeast of Coeur d’Alene Lake, has okayed teachers to carry guns on campus and in classrooms following a 4-0 vote to finalize the policy.

Under the policy described by the Spokane Spokesman-Review, in order for a staff member to be approved to carry on campus, he/she must have an Idaho enhanced concealed carry license, go through a background check and 40-hour firearms training course which includes de-escalation and threat assessment instruction, and they must be screened and interviewed by local law enforcement.

St. Maries is the largest city in Benewah County.

MyNorthwest noted that School Board Chairman Seth Stoke said none of the volunteer teachers or staff who are armed will be identified.

“They can assume that everybody is armed,” he said. “The whole idea is not knowing who is carrying.”

The plan is in reaction to a rise in school shootings over the past 25 years. MyNorthwest pointed to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which said “there were 1,453 school shootings from the 1997–1998 school year to the 2021–2022 school year.

“The most recent five school years have had a substantially higher number of school shootings than the prior 20 years,” the group said.

Firearms carried by staff must be personally owned, and either carried or placed in a district-approved lock box at all times.

The Spokesman-Review noted another development in school security is also in the works. The school board approved a three-year agreement with Panacea NW Region Corporation, a school security consulting firm based in Hayden, which is north of Coeur d’Alene. Panacea NW will conduct emergency response training with school district staff and parents.

The Spokane newspaper said a majority of residents in the community support the armed teacher program, while school staff is “about evenly split.” Some staff reportedly support having an armed school resource officer with the Sheriff’s Department on campus instead. Such an officer was hired last month, the Spokesman-Review reported.

GSCC police set to host Advanced Women’s Self-Defense Class

The Gadsden State Community College Police Department will host a free Advanced Women’s Self-Defense Class on Saturday, April 19, at the Beck Conference Center on the Wallace Drive [Gadsden, Alabama] Campus.

This empowering and educational course is open to the public for women ages 13 and up and will run from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and resume after lunch from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., for those wanting to attend the shooting range portion.

Designed to build confidence and equip participants with valuable tools to protect themselves, the class will include hands-on training and cover the following key topics:

  • Situational Awareness
  • Legal Insights
  • Hands-on Self-Defense Techniques
  • Firearm Awareness and Safety

An optional shooting range session will be available to participants from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. for those who bring a functioning handgun and 50 rounds of ammunition.

The event is made possible through the support of our exceptional instructors from various agencies and local sponsors.

“This class is about more than just physical defense—it’s about empowering women with knowledge, confidence, and a strong sense of preparedness,” said Jay Freeman, Chief of Police at Gadsden State Community College. “We want every participant to leave feeling stronger, smarter, and more capable of protecting themselves and those around them.”

How Did an Honors Student Who Says She Can’t Read or Write Get Into College?

Aleysha Ortiz, 19, alleges she cannot read or write yet says she graduated with honors from Hartford Public High School in 2024. She has since filed a lawsuit against the Hartford Board of Education and city officials, accusing them of negligence in failing to provide adequate special education services throughout her schooling, per reporting from Connecticut’s News 8 WTNH.

Ortiz, who is now enrolled at the University of Connecticut (UConn), said she relied heavily on assistive technology such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech programs to complete schoolwork, according to CNN.

Why It Matters

Ortiz’s lawsuit underscores broader concerns about systemic failures in public education, particularly in providing adequate support for students with learning disabilities. The case has drawn attention to how academic achievement is measured and whether special education students are truly receiving the skills they need to succeed beyond high school.

Additionally, it raises questions about how colleges assess applicants, especially those facing severe academic challenges.

Ortiz told CNN she was promoted through school without acquiring fundamental literacy skills. In a May 2024 city council meeting, she testified that after 12 years in Hartford Public Schools, she was unable to read or write, despite being awarded an honors diploma.

Days before her graduation, school officials reportedly offered her the option to defer her diploma to receive additional support, but she declined, according to CNN.

How Did She Get Into College?

Her admission to UConn was possible due to the school’s holistic application process, which does not require SAT scores. According to UConn admissions, the university evaluates applications based on GPA, coursework, extracurricular activities and essays.

Ortiz, who told CNN she used voice-to-text software to complete her application, also received financial aid and scholarships to support her education.

Once in college, Ortiz faced academic difficulties. She shared with CNN that while UConn has provided support services, she took a leave of absence starting in February 2025 for mental health reasons. She has stated she intends to return to her studies but has faced challenges in adapting to the rigor of college coursework.

Experts have pointed out that Ortiz’s case is not unique. Literacy advocates argue that disparities in educational resources disproportionately affect students in underfunded districts, contributing to cases where students graduate without essential skills.

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BLUF
The Harvard Kennedy School might want to go back to basics. Taxing a Constitutional right doesn’t add up. Locking up criminals equals less crimes and less victims.

Harvard Scholar Argues to Tax Freedom for ‘Public Health’

Leave it to the “scholars” at Harvard Kennedy School to come up with a scheme that combines the arrogance of the “intellectual elite,” increasing taxes, administering gun confiscation plans and – again – purposefully conflating “public health” policies for crime control for the latest pie-in-the-sky gun control plan.

It would be an absurd April Fool’s joke if the researchers at Harvard Kennedy School weren’t serious. Just to be sure, a little digging shows that they received a grant for the study from Arnold Ventures, a known antigun philanthropy organization that funds gun control efforts across the country. What the idea shows is how out-of-touch the “intellectual elite” are when it comes Americans’ – and the firearm industry’s – commitment is to ensuring free exercise of Second Amendment freedoms. These are foundational to the unique American identity – that the rights are granted to Americans by their Creator and guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, specifically in this case by the Bill of Rights. That’s not the case with two ivy-bound researchers. When it comes to the right to keep and bear arms – they’ve got a plan.

Trust me. It’s not better.

Luis Armona, an economic and assistant professor of policy at Harvard Kennedy School, and Adam Rosenberg, a doctoral candidate at Stanford University, believe they’ve come up with a way to reduce the criminal misuse of firearms – specifically murder. They just need to tax the snot out of them.

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New Ohio law bans DEI, outlaws faculty strikes, requires U.S. civic literacy course.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday signed a sweeping higher education bill that forbids diversity, equity and inclusion programs and trainings, bans faculty strikes, and requires students pass a course on American civic literacy to earn a degree.

The new law also requires public institutions maintain institutional neutrality, and not weigh in on controversial political or social issues not relevant to their primary mission. It also enacts tenure review, which will allow administrators to fire poor-performing professors. And it bans DEI statements for admissions, hiring and promotion decisions.

What’s more, it requires classes to “demonstrate intellectual diversity” for approval, as well as to be included in universities’ general education requirements.

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Rubio says at least 300 foreign students’ visas have been revoked.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that at least 300 foreign students have had their visas revoked amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, a far higher number than was previously known.

“Maybe more, it might be more than 300 at this point,” Rubio said at a press conference in Guyana when asked to confirm Axios reporting on the topic.

“We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” he added, saying he hopes it’s even more than the 300 estimate.

“I hope at some point we run out because we have gotten rid of all of them, but we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up.”

Axios was the first to report that 300 foreign students’ visas had been revoked and that administration officials are looking to block some colleges that have too many “pro-Hamas” foreign students from admitting any international individuals.

The Hill has reached out to the State Department for comment.

Multiple high-profile cases have come out of Columbia University, Tufts and the University of Alabama as the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian foreign students escalates.

Marco Rubio on Rumeysa Ozturk, the Turkish student who was detained:

“We revoked her visa. It’s an F-1 visa, I believe. We revoked it, and here’s why—I’ve said it everywhere, and I’ll say it again.

Let me be abundantly clear: If you apply for a student visa to come to the United States and you say you’re coming not just to study, but to participate in movements that vandalize universities, harass students, take over buildings, and cause chaos—we’re not giving you that visa.

If you lie, get the visa, and then engage in that kind of behavior once you’re here, we’re going to revoke it. And once your visa is revoked, you’re no longer legally in the United States. Like every country, we have the right to remove you. It’s that simple.

It’s crazy—stupid, even—for any country to let people in who say, ‘I’m going to your universities to riot, take over libraries, and harass people.’ I don’t care what movement you’re with. Why would any country allow that?

We gave you a visa to study and earn a degree—not to become a social activist tearing up our campuses. If you use your visa to do that, we’ll take it away. And I encourage every country to do the same.

Every country has the right to decide who enters as a visitor. If you invite me to your house for dinner and I start putting mud on your couch and spray-painting your kitchen, you’re going to kick me out. We’ll do the same if you come to the U.S. and cause a ruckus.

We don’t want that here. Go do it in your own country—but not in ours.”

Trump Signs Executive Order Dismantling Department of Education.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday shuttering the Department of Education, fulfilling a long-standing conservative wish to do away with the agency.

Trump’s order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take the “necessary steps” to close the $268 billion agency and transfer its authority back to the states. The order does not immediately shutter the agency, and it will require programs and services to continue uninterrupted.

“Everybody knows it’s right,” Trump said moments before signing the order, which he said was 45 years in the making. “We have to get our children educated.”

The long-expected executive order will likely face significant legal challenges over whether Trump has the authority to dismantle the agency. Fully closing down the Department of Education will require congressional approval.

Since the days of President Ronald Reagan, Republicans have sought to eliminate the Department of Education, created in 1979 under former President Jimmy Carter, for its role in promoting left-wing ideology and encroaching on state authority. The Education Department’s responsibilities primarily consist of allocating grant money, administering student loans, and enforcing federal civil rights laws

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Bill Allowing Armed Teachers, Staff Moving in West Virginia House

Legislation to allow armed teachers and staff for classroom defense is set to come before the West Virginia House.

The bill, HB 2187, passed the West Virginia House Education Committee, according to WSAZ.  It is next scheduled for the House Judiciary Committee.

HB 2187 amends the language of current West Virginia law “relating to possessing deadly weapons on premises of educational facilities; authorizing teachers, administrators, or support personnel in elementary or secondary schools to carry concealed firearms and be designated as a school protection officer (SPO).”

The bill also sets forth “information” and “certain qualifications” that must be met in order for a teacher or staff member to become an SPO.

In addition to concealed firearms, SPOs would be able to carry “stun guns or tasers.”

LootPress pointed out that SPO applicants must already have a concealed carry permit and will undergo additional training under the auspices of the “Security Protection Officer Training Program.” The training program includes “firearms training, de-escalation techniques, crisis intervention, active shooter response, trauma care, and other security-related topics.”

Rand.org noted that “at least 28 states allow schools to arm teachers or staff (not just trained guards or peace officers) in at least some cases or as part of specific programs,” as of January 1, 2024.

CNN observed that on April 26, 2024, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed legislation allowing armed teachers in the Volunteer State. This puta the number of states allowing armed teachers for classroom defense up to at least 29.

Tennessee moved to arm teachers after Nashville Metropolitan Police Chief John Drake indicated the March 27, 2023, school shooter originally planned to hit another target, but chose the Christian school instead because it had less security. Six innocents were killed in the school, where no one was armed for classroom defense.

Arkansas public school students will soon be required to take gun safety courses

act229

The Arkansas state Senate passed a bill to provide age-appropriate firearms safety instruction to students last week and the Arkansas Department of Education will be working with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to develop a plan.

Act 229, also known as House Bill 1117, will require public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools to annually provide students with instruction on firearm safety.

The bill’s sponsors say the idea came from conversations among neighbors.

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The Schools Reviving Shop Class Offer a Hedge Against the AI Future
Hands-on skills are staging a comeback at leading-edge districts, driven by high college costs and demand for more career choices

In America’s most surprising cutting-edge classes, students pursue hands-on work with wood, metals and machinery, getting a jump on lucrative old-school careers.
School districts around the U.S. are spending tens of millions of dollars to expand and revamp high-school shop classes for the 21st century. They are betting on the future of manual skills overlooked in the digital age, offering vocational-education classes that school officials say give students a broader view of career prospects with or without college.
With higher-education costs soaring and white-collar workers under threat by generative AI, the timing couldn’t be better.
In a suburb of Madison, Wis., Middleton High School completed a $90 million campus overhaul in 2022 that included new technical-education facilities. The school’s shop classes, for years tucked away in a back corridor, are now on display. Fishbowl-style glass walls show off the new manufacturing lab, equipped with computer-controlled machine tools and robotic arms.
Interest in the classes is high. About a quarter of the school’s 2,300 students signed up for at least one of the courses in construction, manufacturing and woodworking at Middleton High, one of Wisconsin’s highest-rated campuses for academics.
“We want kids going to college to feel these courses fit on their transcripts along with AP and honors,” said Quincy Millerjohn, a former English teacher who is a welding instructor at the school. He shows his students local union pay scales for ironworkers, steamfitters and boilermakers, careers that can pay anywhere from $41 to $52 an hour.

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‘Americans got tired of being ridiculed for values like equality, color-blindness, and responsibility,’ and now it’s backlash time.

Schools and colleges have two weeks to stop discriminating on the basis of race, warns a Feb. 7 “Dear Colleague” letter from the Education Department’s acting civil rights chief. If they don’t dump DEI, they’ll lose federal funding.

Citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision invalidating affirmative action in college admissions, the letter accuses educational institutions of embracing “repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination.” For example, DEI programs “frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not.”

“The law is clear. Treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent.”

The anti-DEI backlash is “fierce,” because so many people were forced to suppress their real feelings, writes Rick Hess in Education Next.

“Over the past half-decade or more, I repeatedly heard K–12 and higher education faculty tell of sitting silently through professional trainings replete with politicized groupthink,” he writes. They used words such as “re-education,” “Orwellian,” and “McCarthyite.” But quietly.

He also heard from “livid parents with tales of 3rd graders saying they were ashamed of their ‘whiteness’ or tut-tutting their parents for using outdated gender norms,” such as “boys” and “girls.”

“People got fed up with the drumbeat of land acknowledgements, pronoun mandates, trigger warnings, language policing, and hypocrisy,” Hess writes. “Most Americans got tired of being hectored, lectured, and ridiculed for embracing old-school values like equality, color-blindness, and responsibility.”

People were accused of “bigotry” for questioning whether lessons about sexuality and gender were age-appropriate, he writes. “Broadly popular policies, like reserving women’s locker rooms and sports teams for biological girls and women, were denounced as ‘anti-transgender’ (rather than, say, ‘pro-biology’).

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