schools
GOP bill establishing a federal parental bill of rights passed in U.S. House
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Friday passed a bill designed to empower parents to inspect books and other teaching materials in local public schools, but Democrats sharply criticized the measure, saying it would censor teachers and ban books. The legislation, called the Parents Bill of Rights, passed on a 213-208 vote. It would codify […]
Kansas legislators’ war on the poor opens worrisome new front: School vouchers and tax avoidance
Editor’s note: This opinion piece comes from the Kansas Reflector, but the issues discussed echo those in Arkansas. Kansas legislative leaders have declared war on the poor. They have pushed bills penalizing those receiving government assistance through the House Welfare Reform Committee. They have advocated a flat tax plan that benefits the wealthy at the […]
GOP bill mandating federal Parents Bill of Rights passed by U.S. House committee
WASHINGTON —- A national “Parents Bill of Rights” is headed for a full U.S. House vote after the House Committee on Education and the Workforce early Thursday approved the measure designed to empower parents to inspect books and other teaching materials in schools. Lawmakers on the committee debated the GOP-backed bill that would federally mandate […]
Arkansas House committee hears legislation restricting school bathroom use
Thirteen people spoke against an Arkansas bill that would restrict bathroom use in public schools based on gender assigned at birth in the House Education Committee on Thursday. House Bill 1156 singles out transgender and gender-nonconforming youth and forces them to come out at school whether or not they want to do so, several witnesses […]
An ‘unprecedented flood’ of book bans engulfs U.S. school districts, PEN report says
WASHINGTON — More than 1,600 book titles across 32 states were banned from public schools during the 2021-2022 school year, with the bulk of the ban requests coming from a handful of right-wing groups pushing for censorship of books that feature LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color, a new report issued Monday said. “What I […]
Lawmakers approve $188 million in relief funds for schools in third review round
An Arkansas Legislative Council subcommittee approved the disbursal of $188 million in federal relief funds to 44 school districts Thursday. This was the third round of plans reviewed by lawmakers. Today’s authorization by the Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review panel is part of the council’s continued efforts to review districts’ use of American Rescue Plan […]
$50M set aside for school security grant program
Arkansas legislators last week set aside $50 million for a school-safety grant program for which the rules have yet to be written. At least one legislator said the size of the grant program could grow during next year’s General Assembly. “I don’t think $50 million is the final price tag,” Rep. Lane Jean, co-chair of […]