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☆ Trump looks to play catch-up to DeSantis on education in 2024 race
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The coronavirus pandemic gave rise to a host of hot-button issues surrounding education that have mobilized the Republican base in the years since Trump left the White House. DeSantis was in Iowa on Friday, speaking at a pair of political events that appear to be laying groundwork for a presidential bid. DeSantis has asked the Florida legislature to expand a ban on teaching gender-identity concepts to eighth grade from third grade currently. That could leave an opening for Trump, who made school choice a priority in his administration but lacks the track record on state-level education issues that DeSantis and other governors have. Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, another conservative parents' rights group, said DeSantis getting out ahead of Trump on the issue should not hurt the former president.

☆ DeSantis strips Disney World of its self-governing power in Florida: 'There's a new sheriff in town'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

DeSantis has officially stripped Disney World of its self-governing status. DeSantis appointed political allies to the board, which have to be approved by the Florida Senate. Ron DeSantis abolished Walt Disney World's special authority on Monday, nearly 11 months after the company spoke out publicly against his controversial education agenda. Under the new law, board members cannot be employees, owners, or operators at Disney World. DeSantis said several times during the press conference that Disney World now had to follow the same rules as other Florida theme parks.

☆ Austrian poet seeks solace from gender roles in Berlinale biopic
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Miranda Murray | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Michele TantussiBERLIN, Feb 19 (Reuters) - For German director Margarethe von Trotta, "Ingeborg Bachmann - Journey into the Desert," chronicling six years of the titular Austrian poet's life, is part of a dialogue with the past about how life for women has changed and how much they have achieved. "Bachmann's search for liberty and freedom - she said 'I cannot be subjugated by men' - what she was searching for, we have achieved now," said von Trotta of the poet and author, who rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s. "She arrives in the desert very weak ... and in the end she says it's her salvation, I'm liberated," said von Trotta. Born in Berlin, she began working as an actor in the late 1960s before moving into directing, making her first solo debut in 1977. Reporting by Miranda Murray; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Iowa now has its own version of a 'Don't Say Gay' bill, requiring parental consent for nicknames that don't match a kid's 'biological sex'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Iowa lawmakers are considering a bill to limit gender identity and expression in the classroom. The bill is similar to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" legislation, which forbids discussion of gender expression, identity, and sexual orientation in kindergarten classrooms through third grade. The text of the "Don't Say Gay" bill specifies that such discussions are not "age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students." The Iowa law would prohibit the discussion of gender identity from kindergarten through third grade. Limits on gender expression in the classroom can create a culture of fear, she said.

☆ DeSantis' second inauguration as governor will have a 'Free State of Florida' theme, an intimate candlelight dinner, and a toast to moms supporting the GOP governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The overarching theme is "The Free State of Florida," the Florida Standard first reported. "The Free State of Florida" is a motto mirroring DeSantis' 2022 campaign theme. Officials stand on stage during an inauguration ceremony where Ron DeSantis was sworn in as Florida Governor, Tuesday, January 8, 2019, in Tallahassee, Florida. This inauguration, DeSantis is considering turning down donations from Big Tech companies, The New York Times reported. "I support Governor DeSantis and am honored to have been invited to his inauguration," GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida told Insider.

☆ A Fast-Growing Network of Conservative Groups Is Fueling a Surge in Book Bans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Elizabeth A. Harris | Alexandra Alter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The alliance has a network of more than 250,000 people it can mobilize to flood politicians with letters. Referred to by Mr. Flaugh as “the back office,” this network sprang into action this year to support a bill that requires Florida districts to report all book objections to the state. Some librarians and parents are concerned it will have a chilling effect. The summit also drew other prominent political figures from the right, including Senator Rick Scott of Florida and the Trump administration cabinet members Ben Carson and Betsy DeVos. In her remarks, Ms. DeVos called for dismantling the Department of Education, which she used to run.

A Florida sheriff stunned many of his constituents this week by appearing to endorse spanking students, his comments coming during a press conference in which county officials announced plans to tighten discipline in Brevard County schools. Sheriff Wayne Ivey spins the "Wheel of Fugitive" board at the Brevard County Sheriffs Office in 2017. And he is a Brevard County political powerbroker who helped get two Republicans, Megan Wright and Gene Trent, elected to the county school board. Shortly after they were sworn in Nov. 22, Wright and Trent teamed up with school board chair Matt Susin to oust longtime superintendent Mark Mullins. There was agreement among the Brevard County school officials interviewed that disruptive students are a problem in the system.

☆ Professor discusses China's zero-Covid policy and protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailChina's protests: Authorities, public are doing different cost-benefit analyses, professor saysShang-Jin Wei of the Columbia Business School discusses the Covid protests in China and the challenge of balancing economic growth and the public's desire for liberty.

☆ After Club Q attack, LGBT venues grapple with safety concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Kendall Allen holds a sign as she attends a vigil with her wife Kaycie Franks after a mass shooting at the Club Q LGBTQ nightclub, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., November 21, 2022. Those bars and other LGBT spaces around the country are again weighing how to keep their staff and patrons safe after a gunman killed five people and injured 17 more at an LGBT club in Colorado Springs. "It was definitely an eye-opening moment," said Eric Sosa, co-owner of C'mon Everybody and Good Judy in New York City. But as queer venues grapple with safety, several LGBT activists and club owners said no amount of security personnel or technology would protect them from the anti-LGBT rhetoric they blame for stoking such violence. Raimo still performs for adults, including a drag bingo night he was hosting on Tuesday at a Nashville gay bar.

The rapid moves Tuesday in Berkeley County, the fourth largest school district in the state, showed the impact of Moms for Liberty’s focus on electing conservative school board members, and prompted uproar among some community members in attendance. Deon Jackson was voted in as district superintendent during a special meeting of the Berkeley County School District board on May 19, 2021 in South Carolina. Berkeley County School DistrictMoms for Liberty said it has endorsed more than 500 school board candidates across the country this year, and 49% have won. Berkeley County School DistrictNone of the board members responded to emails or phone calls Wednesday. Each vote — firing the superintendent, picking his replacement, terminating the district’s lawyer and banning critical race theory — passed with support from only the six Moms for Liberty-backed members.

Ron DeSantis, who won re-election in a landslide Tuesday, threw his political weight behind 30 school board candidates this election cycle. In Florida, because school board races are nonpartisan, if candidates capture at least 50% of the vote in the primary, they don’t need to compete in the November elections. That stands in contrast to the results for the Florida Democratic Party, which supported 30 school board candidates, only nine of whom won seats this year. Riding a wave of conservative parent anger, Republicans in several states targeted school board races, with mixed results. However, GOP candidates running against progressive ideas captured seats on the State Board of Education, which sets curriculum standards.

☆ UK police arrest journalists covering a climate protest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN Business —UK police arrested and detained three journalists covering a climate protest earlier this week, raising concerns that the country’s press freedoms are under threat. “It was absolutely terrifying being in a cell with a pad for a bed in one corner and a metal toilet in the other. Lynch told LBC on Wednesday that police arrested her on suspicion of “conspiracy to commit a public nuisance.” She was eventually released with no further action. The incident came just a day after documentary filmmaker Rich Felgate and photographer Tom Bowles, also covering Just Stop Oil protests, were arrested by Hertfordshire police on a bridge. The concerns add to fears that new policing laws will restrict Britons’ right to protest more generally.

As a result, political observers say, public school funding is effectively on the ballot Tuesday. “These groups have been demonizing what is being taught in public schools, and that’s the fastest way to erode faith that public schools work,” Rottinghaus said. (Abbott publicly came out in support of private school vouchers two months after winning the primary with 66.5% of the vote.) Greg Abbott in the GOP primary, campaigned in support of private school vouchers. “I will never support vouchers.”Rep. John Bucy III said he will continue to oppose private school vouchers.

The Florida Democratic Party noted it has had a Municipal Victory Program since 2016 that includes efforts to fundraise and help school board candidates. Historically, it hasn’t taken a lot of cash to influence school board races, which are generally nonpartisan and often draw low voter turnout. In a 2018 survey, just 9 percent of school board officials reported spending more than $5,000. “What Ron DeSantis is doing in Florida — supporting a bunch of these school board candidates — is really smart, because the No. Some of the liberal efforts to push back against conservatives in school board races are well established.

☆ ABCs not LGBTs: Battles over race, gender inflame Texas school board vote
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

ROUND ROCK, Texas, Oct 22 - At traffic-choked intersections in this Texas town, a blunt campaign slogan stands out from clusters of candidate signs: “Teach ABCs + 123s, Not CRTs & LGBTs." Blood-sport politics have come to school board elections in Round Rock, a rapidly growing and diversifying suburb of Austin. Zimmerman is running against incumbent Tiffanie Harrison, a progressive and the first Black woman elected to the Round Rock school board. Ryan Girdusky, who founded the 1776 Project, estimated about 70% of his school board candidates have won in elections held so far this year. FOLLOW THE MONEYIn school board races where name recognition may be the largest factor, a few thousand dollars can make a difference.

☆ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants schools to avoid indoctrination. But that's what education is.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Peshe Kuriloff | Peshe Kuriloff Recently Retired As A Professor Of Practice At Temple University In Philadelphia | Where She Coaches Teachers In Urban Schools. In Addition To Writing About Education Issues | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

But DeSantis and those around the country who are accusing teachers and schools of indoctrination are missing the obvious: All education is indoctrination to some degree, and whether you label school curricula education or indoctrination mostly depends on your point of view. The state’s Stop WOKE Act forbids instructors from teaching students that they should feel guilty about past injustices. In fact, the belief that education should impart certain values along with raw knowledge and skills motivated early advocates who saw universal public education as essential to democracy. Founders of traditional American public education like Horace Mann were committed to education as indoctrination in civic values. If Florida schools converted to such a system, perhaps DeSantis and anxious parents could learn to trust their children and put their minds at rest.

There is no evidence that any school has deployed litter boxes for students to use because they identify as cats. The rumor of litter boxes in schools appears to have begun among parents on social media, and one of the first schools to confront the falsehood was in Canada last fall. Catalina Lauf, a Republican congressional nominee in Illinois, tweeted this month that schoolchildren were using litter boxes in her state. Some say litter boxes are located in “transgender bathrooms” in schools. Meanwhile on TikTok, one video claiming “kids are now requesting litter boxes at school” collected 3 million views on the platform.

☆ Girls Who Code founder speaks out after Pennsylvania school district bans her books: 'This is about controlling women and it starts with controlling our girls'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani is speaking out after her company's book series was banned from a Pennsylvania school district. The books were just added to PEN America's Index of School Book Bans, a list of restricted literature around the country. "This is about controlling women and it starts with controlling our girls and what info they have access to," Saujani told Insider. "This is about controlling women and it starts with controlling our girls and what info they have access to." "This is opportunity to start more clubs, get more girls to code, and get more girls to become economically free."

☆ More than 1,600 books banned during 2021-22 school year, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

More than 1,600 books were banned in over 5,000 schools during the last school year, with most of the bans targeting titles related to the LGBTQ community or race and racism, according to a new report. PEN America, a nonprofit that advocates for free expression in literature, released a report Monday, the start of Banned Books Week, that shows the sweeping scope of efforts to ban certain books during the 2021-22 school year. Books were banned in 5,049 schools with a combined enrollment of nearly 4 million students in 32 states, the report found. Friedman pointed to a case in Walton County, Florida, where a popular children’s book called “Everywhere Babies” landed on a banned books list last spring. The most frequently banned books were “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” by Maia Kobabe, followed by “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson and “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Pérez, the report found.

They strategized on what they want to do next: elect their own candidates to school boards, pass state legislation and diminish the influence of teachers unions. “It’s been said we’re some political powerhouse,” said Tiffany Justice, who co-founded Moms for Liberty in January 2021 with Tina Descovich. Moms for Liberty founders Tiffany Justice, left, and Tina Descovich present the Liberty Sword to Gov. “When I’m going up there by myself, the school board overlooks you,” said Ken Davenport, a father from a chapter in Orange County, Florida, who is running for state representative. Ron DeSantis, is joined by her 5-year-old daughter, Madison, after a question and answer session at the Moms for Liberty Summit.

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