Tag: public schools

WA superintendent threatens to cut funds for district that vows to tell parents about students’ gender identity

Washington’s Superintendent of Public Instruction is threatening to withhold funds from a school district that is refusing to hide students’ gender identities from parents.

Washington’s Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chris Reykdal, is claiming that the La Center School District’s decision to inform parents of how a student identifies in school discriminates against students and families regarding gender inclusivity and rights of queer and transgender students.

La Center Schools Superintendent Peter Rosenkranz told KATU he believes that the state’s policies leave parents out of the equation by requiring school staff to ask students their preferred pronouns rather than their parents.

Last month, Reykdal claimed in an interview, “It is quite simply inaccurate to say biologically that there are only boys and only girls,” in response to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order that there are only two genders.

Keep reading

USDA cancels $1B in local food purchasing for schools, food banks

The Agriculture Department has axed two programs that gave schools and food banks money to buy food from local farms and ranchers, halting more than $1 billion in federal spending.

Roughly $660 million that schools and child care facilities were counting on to purchase food from nearby farms through the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program in 2025 has been canceled, according to the School Nutrition Association.

State officials were notified Friday of USDA’s decision to end the LFS program for this year. More than 40 states had signed agreements to participate in previous years, according to SNA and several state agencies.

The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which supports food banks and other feeding organizations, has also been cut. USDA notified states that it was unfreezing funds for existing LFPA agreements but did not plan to carry out a second round of funding for fiscal year 2025.

In a statement, a USDA spokesperson confirmed that funding, previously announced last October, “is no longer available and those agreements will be terminated following 60-day notification.”

The spokesperson added: “These programs, created under the former Administration via Executive authority, no longer effectuate the goals of the agency. LFPA and LFPA Plus agreements that were in place prior to LFPA 25, which still have substantial financial resources remaining, will continue to be in effect for the remainder of the period of performance.”

The Biden administration expanded the spending for both programs to build a more resilient food supply chain that didn’t just rely on major food companies. Last year, USDA announced more than $1 billion in additional funding for the programs through the Commodity Credit Corporation, a New Deal-era USDA fund for buying agricultural commodities.

The Trump administration’s move to halt the programs comes as school nutrition officials are becoming increasingly anxious about affording healthy food with the current federal reimbursement rate for meals. As food costs have risen in the last few years, more people are turning to food banks and other feeding organizations to supplement their increased grocery bills.

Keep reading

Maine Court Rules Against Family Of Child Vaccinated Without Parents’ Consent At School

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has upheld a lower court ruling that school medical staff who gave a COVID-19 vaccine to a minor without obtaining parental consent cannot be held liable.

On March 4, the court ruled that school medical staff were protected under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act).

The PREP Act provides a liability shield to “covered persons” — including those who administer COVID-19 or other countermeasures — during a public health emergency. COVID-19 vaccines are covered under the PREP Act because they were rolled out under emergency use authorization (EUA).

In November 2021, J.H., a minor, was given a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Miller School in Waldoboro, Maine.

In May 2023, J.H.’s parents Siara Harrington and Jeremiah Hogan, who said they did not consent to the vaccination, sued Lincoln Medical Partners, MaineHealth and pediatrician Dr. Andrew Russ.

The lawsuit, originally filed in Lincoln County Superior Court, challenged the PREP Act’s liability shield. The complaint alleged battery, negligence, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress and tortious interference with parental rights.

Keep reading

Philadelphia schools will allow trans athletes to compete, rejecting Trump executive order

The Philadelphia School District has announced that it will not follow an executive order from Donald Trump, and that it will instead continue to allow transgender athletes to compete on teams that align with their gender identity.

Trump’s executive order, the so-called “No Men in Women’s Sports” policy, prohibits transgender Americans from participating in sports if the team or category does not align with their sex at birth. The order threatens to withhold federal funding from schools that do not comply.

Philadelphia School District officials said in a statement Tuesday via The Philadelphia Inquirer that that their schools “strive to ensure safety, equity and justice for all students regardless of gender identity or gender expression so that they can imagine and realize any future they desire.”

“The district will continue to align its practices to support its LGBTQ+ students in accordance with Board Policy 252 for transgender and gender non-conforming students,” officials said.

Philadelphia’s Policy 252 forbids the forced outing of LGBTQ+ students to their guardians, and also states that “transgender and gender nonconforming students shall be permitted to participate in physical education classes and intramural sports in a manner consistent with their gender identity. Participation in competitive athletic activities and contact sports will be resolved on a case-by-case basis.”

Keep reading

Oklahoma School District Mismanaged Millions Of Dollars, Audit Finds

A recent audit of Oklahoma’s Tulsa Public Schools reported financial mismanagement, noncompliance with state law and district policy, and a lack of transparency by administrators.

State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd said auditors reviewed $37.7 million in Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) expenditures between 2015 and 2023 and found that $29 million was paid to consultants. Byrd said auditors found 1,450 discrepancies in 900 invoices and 90 vendor records.

The report also alleged that TPS may have violated a state law prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in Oklahoma’s public schools.

Byrd released the audit report during a press conference on Feb. 26 in Oklahoma City. She said Gov. Kevin Stitt requested the audit in 2022 after Devin Fletcher, the system’s former chief talent manager and equity officer, resigned amid allegations of mismanagement.

In October 2023, Fletcher pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He admitted to stealing $603,000 from TPS and the Foundation for Tulsa Schools, a nonprofit created to support TPS programs. Byrd said he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Byrd alleged Fletcher only perpetuated mismanagement that TPS administrators had engaged in since at least 2018.

“Fletcher’s misconduct was the result of a much larger problem,” Byrd said.

She said that the TPS board shared some responsibility.

“Had board members acted with more diligence … they would have been in a much better position to prevent Fletcher’s malfeasance and to provide the oversight that state law requires,” Byrd said.

According to the report, TPS administrators routinely covered expenditures with foundation money. In this way, the report alleged, they avoided TPS policy 5202, which required requests for proposals, competitive bidding, and itemized invoices for any expenditure greater than $50,000.

Using foundation money also allegedly enabled them to hide much of the mismanagement from TPS board members since the board did not routinely review foundation expenditures, according to the report.

Keep reading

Ontario school children face compelled medical surveillance or suspension

Ontario school children are currently caught in the middle of an ongoing issue regarding student rights, medical privacy, and the power of public health authorities. Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), students attending Ontario schools are required to be vaccinated against certain diseases unless exempt for medical, religious, or philosophical reasons.

However, the recent push by public health officials to have students disclose their vaccination status and face suspension for non-compliance is raising serious privacy concerns.

The problem lies in the ambiguity between ISPA and the Education Act. ISPA stipulates vaccine requirements, but suspension orders are the responsibility of school principals under the Education Act, not public health authorities. This confusion is leading to violations of students’ fundamental right to a free public education, with some students at risk of being unlawfully suspended for failing to disclose their vaccination status.

The pressure to disclose private medical information is causing significant distress among parents and children alike. There are increasing concerns about the safety of centralized digital health databases, which have been vulnerable to data breaches and unauthorized access. With healthcare data a prime target for cyberattacks, parents are understandably worried about the security of their children’s sensitive medical records—which is big business for hackers.

Parents are resisting this growing pressure, with some viewing the disclosure demands as a violation of the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). PHIPA requires informed consent before the collection of medical information and protects against coercion. However, the current approach by threatening suspension or else puts this principle into question.

The Ministry of Education was contacted for clarification, but media representatives Ingrid Anderson and Brook Campbell failed to respond days later. The inquiry focused on the confusion between ISPA and the Education Act, and how these conflicting laws are affecting students’ right to education. Additionally, clarification was sought on how medical privacy is being protected for parents wishing to uphold PHIPA.

Keep reading

Washington State Launches Bullying Investigation into Teen Girl Who Refused to Play Against Trans Opponent

Officials of deep blue Washington State have launched a full-blown “investigation” alleging “harassment” against a teen high school girl who refused to take the court against a transgender player on an opposing girl’s basketball team.

The Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR) filed a complaint against the school for teen Frances Staudt, a girl who plays for the Tumwater High School girl’s basketball team.

At issue is Staudt’s refusal to play in a game on February 6 after she noticed that one of the players on the opposing team, Andi Rooks, is a transgender athlete and her subsequent accusations that the school district moved to punish her for her position on transgender athletes.

Staudt says she asked Principal Zach Suderman and Athletic Director Jordan Magrath to remove the male player or stop the game. However, Suderman noted that the state’s governing body for sports, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, has rules allowing students to participate under their chosen gender. Staudt also says that Rooks “brutalized” her teammates on the court during the game, and she offered a video to prove her point.

After stating her position, Tumwater school officials launched an investigation into the girl, accusing her of “harassment,” “bullying,” and “misgendering” against the visiting transgender student.

The Staudt family has countered by accusing Suderman of ridiculing the girl over her ideals. The family also says that school officials threatened Staudt’s brother for taking video of the game.

The Staudts also allege that school officials harassed them after they posted about the issue on their personal social media accounts. At one point, Rook’s father allegedly sent threatening text messages to the Staudt family, demanding that they remove the posts.

Keep reading

Former Connecticut high school student sues teachers for letting her graduate while unable to read or write

A former Connecticut high school student is suing her teachers for letting her graduate while she was unable to read or write due to her learning disability. 

Aleysha Ortiz, 19, is seeking $3 million in damages from staff at Hartford Public Schools district for alleged bullying, harassment and/or negligence. 

Ortiz claims she requested educational resources and support for years – but her special education teacher instead chose to yell at and humiliate her in front of other students, often bringing her to tears. 

The teenager graduated unable to read or write. She struggled to even spell her own name during an emotional interview about her education with ABC affiliate WTNH.

‘My time in Hartford Public Schools was a time that I don’t wish upon anyone,’ Ortiz told the outlet. 

When Ortiz moved from Puerto Rico to Connecticut in first grade, she struggled with a language barrier compounded by a speech impediment, dyslexia, and ADHD. 

‘Every first day of school, I would tell the teacher I cannot read and write so please be patient for me, so everyone knew,’ she told WTNH. 

‘I would cry knowing the people who had big titles knew this was happening, and no one stepped up to do something about it.’ 

Keep reading

Female HS basketball player refuses to play against boy; gets investigated for ‘harassment’

A 15-year-old girl at a Washington State high school is under investigation for “bullying” and “harassment” for allegedly “misgendering” a male player on an opposing girls basketball team.

According to a complaint from the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism, earlier this month Tumwater High School player Frances Staudt noticed during pre-game warm-ups that her team’s opponent had a biological male on its roster.

Tumwater Principal Zach Suderman and Athletic Director Jordan Magrath confirmed this was the case as Washington Interscholastic Activities Association policy allows students to “play on the team that aligns with their ‘gender identity.’”

In addition, state officials have voiced objections to President Trump’s executive order barring biological men from competing on women’s sports teams.

The attorney general’s office said “we are repulsed by the president’s dehumanization of the trans community,” and Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal called the EO “discrimination against trans female athletes.”

Keep reading

The Prussian Model and the failure of personal ethics

The system of education that we use in the United States (and many other nations) is called the Prussian Model. Born of Prussia’s military failings in the Napoleonic Wars, the German kingdom developed an “education” system designed to indoctrinate children, year-by-year, from age 6 to 16, into full compliance with the state and its military leaders. The point was, bluntly, to ensure that “no German soldier would ever disobey an order again.”

The system worked. To the world’s horror, German soldiers and citizens — despite growing up in what seemed like a liberal democracy — a socialist liberal democracy at that — committed any atrocity asked of them during World War II.

The Prussian Model largely explains why American and British schools are so often staffed by compliant rule followers and petty tyrants.

“But I hope that the irony of the phrase helps to justify my decision to let students climb into school through the window. Who was I to judge their reasons for being late? What if they were taking care of a sick sibling? What if they were traveling a long distance because they’d been camped out on someone’s couch last night? What if they planned to skip school, then had a change of heart at the last minute? The inherent message of penalizing kids for being late, instead of just getting them into the classroom as quickly as possible, is Dude, if you’re going to be late to class, don’t even bother. Just stay home.”

Keep reading