Free Republic

An annual report from the Inspector General of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) revealed that millions of dollars worth of tech devices were reported lost or stolen “without appropriate search and recovery efforts.” The fiscal year 2023 annual report released Tuesday states CPS schools reported 77,505 tech devices as lost or stolen during the 2021-22 school year, totaling well over $23 million in original purchase price. The discovery, as a result of the district’s first post-COVID-19 inventory, calls the numbers “unacceptably high” and says the oversight process is in need of a “serious overhaul.” The report said the missing items included...

The three-week-old Israel-Hamas war has sparked protests by some high school students in Fairfax County, Virginia. Students, with their principals’ permission, have been walking out of classes for brief rallies on school grounds. Scores of students at Mount Vernon High School crowded the school’s main plaza at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and spent a half-hour chanting and rallying for the Palestinian people, especially the children. The students hoisted homemade signs and unfurled the Palestinian flag. There was a similar student protest earlier in the day at Edison High School. Other student rallies are expected Thursday at Woodson and Falls Church high...

Parents are planning on pulling their daughters off a Wisconsin high school sports team after a male has been allowed to compete.. About 50 parents and athletes within Green Bay Area Public School District met with officials Thursday who told them that a male would be allowed to compete on a high school sports team and potentially use locker rooms on the basis of gender identity rather than biological sex ... With tryouts starting Monday, some girls do not plan to attend over concerns for their physical safety. ... “The girls are just kind of fed up hearing that your...

Dominick Varney, also known as 'Priscilla Poppycocks,' spoke to high schoolers on May 4 ... A Maine public high school paid a gay drag performer $1,000 to speak to minors at a workshop, according to Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) documents. Drag performer Dominick Varney, also known as "Priscilla Poppycocks," spoke to Bangor High School students on May 4 as part of the school’s "Support, Educate, Empower" series to "empower" LGBT students. ... The school paid Varney and another performer, whose name was redacted from the FOAA documents, $1,000 each out of the school’s $15,000 grant from the Nellie Mae...

A Colorado momma bear is suing Wellington Middle School in Fort Collins, Colo., after learning they pulled her sixth-grade daughter into a secret transgender recruiting meeting disguised as an “art club.” “When she got there, she very quickly learned it was actually a gender and sexuality awareness club,” Erin Lee ... “What you hear in here, stays in here,” the mystery groomer allegedly told the kids, suggesting that telling their parents wasn’t “safe.” Lee further disclosed that the guest presenter informed the kids they were transgender if they didn’t feel totally comfy with their gender. “She explained to my daughter...

Three years after the March 2020 shutdowns, the legacy of Covid-era policies are still haunting Colorado. History will show the Covid policies pushed by the Governor, State Health Officials, and the Federal Government not only failed to achieve their goals, but caused tremendous harm. Communities suffered, businesses failed, and many individuals were pushed over the edge. Drug overdoses, suicide, domestic violence and record crime are the legacy of the State’s Covid policies. It must not be forgotten how destructive these policies were. And the names of those responsible must be remembered. Sadly, after three years, politicians and state health officials...

Nearly 6,000 US public schools are employing guidance policies that block parents from knowing whether their child identifies as a different gender in the classroom — which could become federal policy if President Biden’s Title IX proposals are approved in May. At least 168 school districts nationwide have rules on the books that prevent faculty and staff from disclosing to parents a student’s gender status without that student’s permission, according to a list compiled by the conservative group Parents Defending Education and shared with The Post. More than 3.2 million students are affected by such policies in all kinds of...

230,000 children who failed to show up for class when public schools reopened after the pandemic. It’s a tragedy without parallel in American history as many of the no-shows are very young — K through 3rd grade. Critical skills learned in early education were not taught to these kids, who are now hopelessly behind. ... Consider the fact that 65% of American fourth-grade students can barely read. This is a result of a radical shift to a new way of teaching children how to read. What was wrong with the old way? Well, it was old. ... What exactly are...

Paula Bonhoeffer saw the risks of educating her small, impressionable children in the state’s schools. ... Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), the German theologian who was hanged in April 1945 by the Nazis for spying on and opposing Hitler’s regime. .... Eric Metaxas’ biography of the Christian martyr—Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Prophet, Spy—... time to learn more about the man who defied Hitler and paid with his life. ... Metaxas’ work offers a penetrating look into Bonhoeffer’s life, mind, faith, and family. Bonhoeffer was not the only remarkable person in his family. Karl and Paula Bonhoeffer—Bonhoeffer’s parents—brought eight children into the world in the...

Starting next July, Connecticut will become one of the first states in America to mandate climate change studies across its public schools as part of its science curriculum. The new law passed earlier this year comes as part of the state’s attempts to address concerns over the short duration – and in some cases, absence – of climate change studies in classrooms. The requirement follows in the footsteps of New Jersey, which in 2020 became the first state to mandate K-12 climate change education across its school districts. “The conservative turn in our country … often starts at a very...

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge has approved a $9.25 million settlement by the Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union in two long-running lawsuits stemming from the layoffs of hundreds of Black educators at underperforming schools, officials said Wednesday. Those eligible to receive payments under the settlement have until Friday to submit claims, attorneys for the teachers union said. Eligible to receive payments are all Black persons employed as teachers or para-professionals in any school or attendance center subjected to a “turnaround” policy that targeted schools that had been put on probation due to substandard test scores and...

DETROIT (AP) — For years, Laela Bullock moved to her own rhythm when it came to schoolwork. The switch to remote learning, if anything, brought a welcome break from fights in the hallways of the 15-year-old’s Detroit school, but her grades still lagged. Things started turning around with one-on-one tutoring this year — paid for with $1.3 billion the Detroit Public Schools Community District is receiving in federal COVID-19 relief aid. At last, Laela is reading above her grade level, and on track to graduate on time, said her mother, Alicia Bullock. “I’m so proud,” Bullock said. The Detroit school...

Officials from the Biden administration met with Florida LGBTQ students and their families in a virtual roundtable concerning the now-dubbed "Don't Say Gay" bill and other legislative efforts advocates deem anti-LGBTQ. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Rachel L. Levine, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, listened to the students and their family members discuss concerns and fears about the impact of such bills. The two were advised on what resources could be provided to support the Florida LGBTQ community. "Laws around the country, including in Florida, have targeted and sought to...

The White House on Thursday released new ventilation and air quality guidelines for schools, colleges and other building owners and operators in an effort to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading indoors. The guidance comes as many restrictions, including mask mandates, were lifted in recent weeks across the country as cases and hospitalizations continue to decline nationwide.

PORTLAND, Ore. — A new charter school focused on the BIPOC community is coming to the east side of Portland. The Reynolds School District recently approved the charter for Holla, a nonprofit mentorship program already at work in the district. Executive director and founder Eric Knox says the curriculum will prioritize minority voices. “This school is open for any kid -- racially, culturally, whatever -- that wants to be a part of this. But we want to come from a Black, brown and indigenous perspective because that perspective, to be honest with you, isn't heard,” he said. He says it's...

A California high school principal said there will be disciplinary action taken after a teacher reportedly put that question on a test. The question from a Whitney High School test issued Nov. 4 asked students,... "A group of complete idiots is".... followed by four options: "KKK," "all of Florida," "Fox News," or "Texans ," according to a report. The parents of the students said they did not wish to speak to the media out of fear that their child would become a target. A statement from Whitney High School confirmed that "disciplinary steps" would be taken against the faculty members...

A Vermont high school homecoming football game turned into a “drag ball” runway at halftime, with a mix of students and faculty members parading in gowns, wigs and makeup — and a big crowd in rainbow colors to cheer them on. “Things went amazing,” Ezra Totten, student leader of the Gender Sexuality Alliance at Burlington High School, said of Friday night’s event, which also included participants from South Burlington High School. “The stands were completely packed. ... It was just so heartwarming to see.” As school cheerleaders wrapped up their routine, about 30 students and faculty members dressed as drag...

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverb 22:6Plain and simple. If a Christian is true to their faith, by putting their faith in God and Only God through Christ, then God will lead them to do what is right,. and the right thing to do is to Homeschool. In 99% of the World, the government's education system is anti-Christian. So why are you sending your child to be indoctrinated against you and your GOD? I specifically blame pastors who fail to educate the flock as...

It’s a jarring statistic, so much so that it became a talking point among Aspen school board candidates in the runup to the most recent election: At Aspen Elementary School, a mere 41 percent of students were deemed proficient in reading against the state’s standards. “I think this should be an all-hands-on-deck solution now. I suspect there are curriculum alignment issues: it’s not one teacher; it’s not one kid; it’s not one bad day,” newly elected Katy Frisch said during a school board candidate forum in October. “It’s completely unacceptable.” Johnathan Nickell, who won the other open board seat in...

politicized atmosphere of today’s factory-style government-monopoly schools. ... many students did not understand English grammar ... Poor preparation, however, was only the tip of the iceberg. Students did not bring books to class, relentlessly complained about homework, and expected high grades regardless of proficiency. ... A department head had been demoted for teaching at a pre-college level and refusing to lower his standards. Senior teachers were dropping out in disgust. ... the school embraced grade inflation ... administrators tacitly urge teachers to lower standards, despite proclaiming the opposite in public. Like the Dodo in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland:...