Education in Focus

(The Center Square) – On the day remaining Israeli hostages were released by Hamas and reunited with their families and friends after more than two years, much of the free world celebrated the peace deal between the Jewish state and the terrorist organization. But on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, a pro-Palestinian group continues to press for the reinstatement of more than 20 students who took part in a major vandalism incident in May, earning their subsequent suspension. The vandalism resulted in a federal review.

(The Center Square) - The President of Texas A&M University, Mark Welsh, resigned last week amid controversy over a viral video between a professor and a student debating gender ideology. Welsh stepped down officially on Friday, September 19, according to a press release where the Chancellor Glenn Hegar thanked Welsh for his service to the university and the nation.

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Department of Education, along with private organizations, launched this week the America 250 Civics Education Coalition, in an effort to revive civic education in American schools. First Liberty Institute joined the department, along with 40 other organizations such as Turning Point USA, in launching this coalition on Constitution Day, commemorating the document’s signing on Sept. 17, 1787. This coalition’s goal is “to ensure every young American understands the beauty of our nation and is equipped with the civic knowledge required to contribute meaningfully to its future,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said.

(The Center Square) - The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Free Speech Rankings crowned California's Claremont McKenna College with a grade of B- as the best college in the U.S. for free speech, while a string of other California schools received F grades amid anti-free speech environments across campuses. FIRE released its sixth annual College Free Speech Rankings, which pulled responses on free-speech topics from 68,510 students attending 257 American colleges. The survey highlighted a decline in support for free speech among all students. Students on both sides of the political aisle are showing a deep “unwillingness” to face controversial ideas, the press releases stated.

(The Center Square) - The White House announced the Presidential AI Challenge, a new initiative to unite innovation and education. Launched on Aug. 26, the initiative is a project that encourages K-12 youth, educators and mentors to solve real-world problems in their communities using artificial intelligence solutions. It provides an opportunity to showcase their solutions at a national level.

(The Center Square) - Following the Beverly Hills Unified School District board's vote to display Israeli flags on all its campuses, Superintendent Alex Cherniss overruled the decision, citing safety concerns. “In light of heightened safety concerns around the displaying of flags on our campuses, I have made the decision to take immediate action for the safety and security of our students,” Dr. Cherniss wrote in a statement. “Until further notice, no flags will be displayed on our campuses other than the flag of the United States of America and the flag of the state of California.”

(The Center Square) — Arizona lawmakers violated the constitutional requirement to fund public schools, ruled Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Dewain Fox. In a 114-page decision, Fox stated on Aug. 11 that Arizona schools did not meet the minimum standards in providing adequate equipment for building repairs, even though the Arizona Constitution requires the Legislature to organize and fund a “general and uniform public school system.” The case, Glendale Elementary School District v. State of Arizona, was filed in 2017 by Glendale Elementary School District, Crane Elementary School District, Chino Valley Unified School District and Elfrida Elementary School District, alongside Arizona School Boards Association, Arizona Education Association and Arizona School Administrators.

(The Center Square) — Virginia Public Schools in Loudoun County voted this week to keep their gender policy, allowing transgender students to use facilities, despite the U.S. Department of Education finding the policy violates Title IX. According to the federal law, sex-separated spaces are required on federally funded school campuses, but with Loudoun County rejecting this compliance, almost $46 million in federal funds may be cut. In July, the Education Department found five Northern Virginia schools in violation of Title IX over policies that allowed transgender students to access bathrooms and locker rooms.