Education
Biden administration warns U.S. House GOP debt limit bill would slash education
WASHINGTON — U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Tuesday said House Republicans’ debt limit proposal would cut vital education programs and harm vulnerable students across the U.S., such as those who are low income or have a disability. “It would be taking us backwards,” Cardona said on a call with reporters. U.S. House Speaker Kevin […]
U.S. House approves bill banning transgender student athletes in girls sports
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans voted Thursday to prohibit transgender student athletes from competing on girls sports teams consistent with their gender identity, at the same time multiple GOP-dominated states are making similar moves. The bill, H.R. 734, which would apply to K-12 schools as well as colleges that receive federal funding, passed on a […]
Trans student athletes sue to stop Arizona’s sports ban
Two Arizona girls are suing to strike down the state’s trans athlete ban, arguing that it unfairly discriminates against them and violates federal equal protection laws. Last year, amid a national wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation, Arizona Republicans, backed by then-Gov. Doug Ducey, passed a prohibition on trans girls joining school sports teams consistent with their […]
States were adding lessons about Native American history. Then came the anti-CRT movement.
When the debate over teaching race-related concepts in public schools reached Kimberly Tilsen-Brave Heart’s home state of South Dakota, she decided she couldn’t in good conscience send her youngest daughter to kindergarten at a local public school. “I knew that the public school system would not benefit my child without the important and critical history […]
Arizona students walk out over anti-LGBTQ bills, demand action from lawmakers and schools
For the second year in a row, Arizona Republicans have sought to restrict the behavior of LGBTQ students, and for the second year in a row, students across the state walked out of class to protest that hostility. On Friday, students at eight Arizona schools gathered to express their support for LGBTQ youth on the […]
Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind extension bill passes, amid acrimony and hostility
After an acrimonious, and at times openly hostile debate, the Arizona Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would continue the existence of the Arizona School for the Blind and Deaf for the next four years. If lawmakers don’t act, the school is slated to cease operations on July 1. Legislation to extend the school’s […]
Horne, GOP lawmakers call for more police on campuses as gun violence in schools surges
Flanked by GOP lawmakers, Arizona Superintendent Tom Horne urged schools across the state to add school resource officers to their staff, calling them a critical defense in a time when the country is roiling from an unprecedented surge in mass shootings. “I don’t want, on my watch — or anyone else’s watch, for that matter […]
Teachers at Tucson’s BASIS charter school overwhelmingly vote to form union
By a 2-1 margin, teachers at Tucson’s acclaimed BASIS Tucson North school voted to unionize Wednesday evening, making the Northeast Side charter the first in Arizona to have staff organize. During the vote, teachers and teaching fellows cast their ballots 34-17 in favor of founding the local union chapter, the Arizona Alliance of Charter Teachers […]
Anti-LGBTQ bill barring preferred pronouns in Arizona schools inches closer to a veto
LGBTQ youth overwhelmingly feel more supported at school than at home, but Arizona Republicans want to eliminate that resource. “I was one of those children growing up that did not have the support of my parents, existing as a queer person,” Levi Bevis told lawmakers on Monday. “School was the only safe place that I […]
Every Arizona student will suffer if we implement book bans
Growing up in a small, conservative town in Kansas, I always felt like I was living in a bubble. I was constantly bullied for my beliefs, my mannerisms, my hobbies — anything you could think of. I remember having rocks thrown at me by a group of eighth graders for simply mentioning my support for […]
Dueling bills aim to allow the AZ School for the Deaf and Blind to remain open
Competing bills to allow the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind to remain open were both heard in the state Senate on Wednesday as parents, teachers and former students pushed for lawmakers to keep the school open. The school, which serves some 2,100 students at campuses in Phoenix and Tucson, was created the same […]
Anti-trans school bathroom bill advances with GOP backing
Republican lawmakers are charging ahead with their attacks on transgender Arizonans, despite veto promises from Gov. Katie Hobbs, unanimously backing a measure on Tuesday that calls for separate school facilities for trans students. The House Education Committee voted 6-4, with only Republicans in favor, to pass Senate Bill 1040, which forces schools to provide separate […]