Missouri lawmakers have banned educators from leaning on a model of reading instruction called the 鈥渢hree-cueing鈥� method as part of a bipartisan education package signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe on Wednesday.

The law mandates that three cueing, which teaches students to , can be used to supplement lessons, but phonics should be the majority of instruction.

State Rep. Ed Lewis, a Moberly Republican and sponsor of the legislation, told The Independent that the law builds on prior legislative efforts and work from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

鈥淲e鈥檝e come to the realization that phonics is crucial,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淭he three cueing system, when used as the primary source, evidence shows a decrease in the amount of learning that occurs, and for that reason, we want to use it less.鈥�

Three cueing is widely criticized for encouraging kids to make guesses when reading and doesn鈥檛 show how to sound out words, which is important for understanding complicated texts.

Missouri isn鈥檛 the only state to ban three cueing. By the end of 2024, had explicitly banned the method.

The problem with three cueing, which once was lauded as an alternative to phonics, came to public attention when American Public Media reporter Emily Hanford and later launched the podcast series 鈥�.鈥�

The series between phonics instruction and context-clue-based models and state laws followed 鈥� including a passed in Missouri in 2022.

The 2022 legislation required state education officials to create a teacher preparatory course on literacy. DESE, in turn, launched its , including instruction for educators.

As of this spring, 429 school districts and over 8,600 educators have had training in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS.

鈥淚t is pretty intense training,鈥� Missouri Education Commissioner Karla Eslinger told The Independent. 鈥淚t creates an opportunity for the teachers to use that science of reading, that evidence-based best practices on how you teach reading.鈥�

The training and other science-backed materials provided by the department are not mandatory but participation has been encouraging, Eslinger said.

She expects elementary literacy rates to rise as a result of the training and other efforts since 2022, like literacy coaches the department hired.

With a charge to ban three cueing as the primary form of reading instruction, Eslinger said the department will continue to push best practices.

鈥淲e are not going to police this,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are going to show good practice and give support to good practice, so it just bolsters what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�

As part of a checklist school districts provide annually to the department, they will be required to confirm that they are not using three cueing as a primary instructional model.

鈥淭he work that our literacy teams are doing in the state is all being very well received. (Educators) are wanting more and more,鈥� Eslinger said. 鈥淚t is not because it is mandated, it is because it works.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.

During the 2023-2024 school year, Florida schools removed nearly twice as many books than the year before following challenges from parents and community members.

Schools removed 732 titles during the , on top of .

Twenty-three districts contributed to the list, with Clay, Indian River, and Volusia counties making up significant portions.

The removals stem from requiring school boards to adopt protocols for screening books deemed to be pornographic or contain sexual content.

Florida book removals have been the subject of lawsuits claiming censorship and limiting freedom of expression.

鈥淭here are no books banned in Florida, and sexually explicit materials do not belong in schools,鈥� Florida Department of Education Communications Director Sydney Booker said in an email to the Phoenix. She added that of the more than 700 books on the list, some of the same titles have been counted in multiple districts.

The number of book challenges may have been too high in the eyes of legislators.

A law passed earlier this year, after the reporting period for the above data, could lower the number of challenges in the years to come. limits nonparents living in a school district to one book challenge per month.

PEN America report

Less than two weeks ago, of books that had been removed from Florida school libraries during the 2023-2024 school year.

By PEN America鈥檚 count, schools removed about 4,500 books from Florida libraries. The methodology between the freedom of expression advocacy organization and the state differs, though.

PEN鈥檚 list includes books temporarily removed while awaiting a final decision from the school board, and administrative removals, another method to take books off shelves.

The state鈥檚 count includes only books removed by school boards and does not include books removed pending challenges.

By PEN鈥檚 tally, Florida removed more books than any other state during the previous school year.

and several authors of removed books argues state definitions of 鈥減ornographic鈥� and 鈥渄escribes sexual content鈥� are unconstitutional and have resulted in censorship.

The publishers argue that 鈥渧agueness and ambiguity result in overbroad interpretations of [the law鈥檚] prohibition on content that describes sexual conduct and chill protected speech.鈥�

The Florida Department of Education stands by the limitations put on school libraries.

鈥淥nce again, far left activists are pushing the book ban hoax on Floridians,鈥� Booker said. 鈥淭he better question is why do these activists continue to fight to expose children to sexually explicit materials.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on and .

A cohort of book publishers and award-winning authors have filed a legal challenge to the 2023 Florida law that enables challenges to books in school libraries.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Orlando, alleges that the process of removing books from school libraries spelled out in  is overbroad and has caused a chilling effect.

The action names members of the Florida Board of Education and Orange and Volusia County school board members as defendants.

HB 1069 has enabled parents to seek removal of materials from schools if school boards deem them to be pornographic or contain sexual content, in line with Gov. Ron DeSantis鈥� 鈥減arental rights鈥� agenda.

The publishers and authors are asking the court to deem the state鈥檚 interpretation of 鈥減ornographic鈥� and content that 鈥渄escribes sexual conduct鈥� unconstitutional.

鈥淭he State has mandated that school districts impose a regime of strict censorship in school libraries,鈥� the plaintiffs argued in a 93-page complaint. 鈥淗B 1069 requires school districts to remove library books without regard to their literary, artistic, political, scientific, or educational value when taken as a whole.鈥�

The plaintiffs are Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishing Group, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, and the Authors Guild, plus authors Julia Alvarez, John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jodi Picoult, and Angie Thomas.

Two parents joined the suit, one from Orange and the other from Volusia, arguing for their children to be able to check out books that have been removed by challenges permitted by the law.

They argue the law does not specify a level or amount of detail to determine if a book 鈥渄escribes sexual conduct.鈥�

Overbroad

The law has created a chilling effect, the plaintiffs argue.

鈥淭he term 鈥榙escribes sexual conduct鈥� is so broad that it would require removal of the Oxford English Dictionary 鈥� which defines 鈥榮ex鈥� as 鈥榩hysical activity between two people in which the touch each other鈥檚 sexual organs, and which may include sexual intercourse鈥� 鈥� from school libraries. The Oxford English Dictionary, however, is not obscene,鈥� the lawsuit reads.

鈥淭his vagueness and ambiguity result in overbroad interpretations of [the law鈥檚] prohibition on content that describes sexual conduct and chill protected speech.鈥�

In an email response to the Phoenix, Department of Education communications director Sydney Booker said the lawsuit is a 鈥渟tunt.鈥�

鈥淭here are no banned books in Florida. Sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools,鈥� she said.

The publishers call for the state government to keep hands off, even in school libraries.

鈥淎uthors have the right to communicate their ideas to students without undue interference from the government,鈥� the plaintiffs wrote. 鈥淪tudents have a corresponding right to receive those ideas. Publishers and educators connect authors to students. If the State of Florida dislikes an author鈥檚 idea, it can offer a competing message. It cannot suppress the disfavored message.鈥�

鈥楴ot remotely obscene鈥�

The plaintiffs argue that they do not wish to prevent schools from ensuring school libraries do not have obscene materials. Instead, their problem is with removing books deemed to be 鈥減ornographic that are not remotely obscene resulting from the Florida State Board of Education鈥檚 unconstitutional construction of the term 鈥榩ornographic.’鈥�

The plaintiffs list several books they believe should not have been deemed inappropriate by school boards, including Alvarez鈥檚 鈥淗ow the Garc铆a Girls Lost Their Accents,鈥� Green鈥檚 鈥淟ooking for Alaska,鈥� Anderson鈥檚 鈥淪peak,鈥� Picoult鈥檚 鈥淣ineteen Minutes鈥� and 鈥淐hange of Heart,鈥� and Thomas鈥檚 鈥淐oncrete Rose鈥� and 鈥淭he Hate U Give.鈥�

鈥淎s publishers dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and the right to read, the rise in book bans across the country continues to demand our collective action,鈥� the publishers said in a .

鈥淔ighting unconstitutional legislation in Florida and across the country is an urgent priority. We are unwavering in our support for educators, librarians, students, authors, readers 鈥� everyone deserves access to books and stories that show different perspectives and viewpoints.鈥�

The publishers have also taken over a similar law and challenged the constitutionality book removals in .

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on and .

This story was updated on May 28 at 5 p.m.

Patrick Keefe says he just wanted to teach Toni Morrison鈥檚 鈥淏eloved.鈥�

The high school English teacher has long included the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in his curriculum at Litchfield鈥檚 Campbell High School. And in the past, he had questioned students about whether Morrison鈥檚 themes about the legacy of slavery applied to the present.

But after a state law passed in 2021 that regulated how teachers may talk about race and other concepts to students, Keefe became more cautious, he testified in a deposition last year. Any student-led discussion about structural racism might lead to a complaint under the new law, and might cause Keefe to lose his teaching license, he feared.

On Tuesday, a federal judge cited Keefe and other teachers鈥� examples in an order striking down the law, siding with teachers unions and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire and ruling that the law is unconstitutionally vague.

In , Judge Paul Barbadoro held that the law, known by opponents as the 鈥渄ivisive concepts鈥� or 鈥渂anned concepts鈥� law, violated teachers鈥� 14th Amendment rights because it is too vague for them to follow.

鈥淭he Amendments are viewpoint-based restrictions on speech that do not provide either fair warning to educators of what they prohibit or sufficient standards for law enforcement to prevent arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement,鈥� Barbadoro wrote, referring to the statutory changes passed by the law.

The law prohibits K-12 public school staff from any instruction that advocates for four concepts: that a person of any race, gender, sexual orientation, or other characteristic is inherently 鈥渟uperior鈥� to another; that any individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive against another for any characteristic; that an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment for any characteristic; and that people of one characteristic 鈥渃annot and should not attempt to treat others without regard to鈥� one of their characteristics.

The characteristics covered by the law are a person鈥檚 鈥渁ge, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, marital status, familial status, mental or physical disability, religion, or national origin.鈥�

The law, which was in part modeled after an executive order by President Donald Trump that applied to federal employees and was repealed by President Joe Biden, was presented by Republican lawmakers as an anti-discrimination statute meant to ensure that all students were treated equally. It came as Republican lawmakers raised concerns about diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts implemented in public schools, and argued that teachers were espousing 鈥渃ritical race theory鈥� in classrooms.

The law allowed parents to bring complaints to the state鈥檚 Commission for Human Rights against teachers and school staff who they believed violated the new anti-discrimination statute. And it gave the State Board of Education the power to revoke educators鈥� teaching licenses if they were found by the commission to be in violation.

But teachers unions and others raised concerns that the prohibited concepts were too unclear to follow and would result in educators self-censoring instruction around certain topics such as race or gender for fear of losing their teaching credentials.

In his order Tuesday, Barbadoro sided with the state鈥檚 two teachers unions 鈥� the National Education Association of New Hampshire (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers of New Hampshire (AFT) 鈥� who had argued that the law violated their 14th Amendment rights because it did not provide clear guidance of what teachers should or shouldn鈥檛 teach.

Barbadoro鈥檚 ruling grants 鈥渄eclaratory relief鈥� to plaintiffs, meaning he is ruling that the law is unconstitutional, but it does not grant 鈥渋njunctive relief鈥� 鈥� a stricter ruling that would have stopped the state from carrying out the law. In his order, Barbadoro wrote that he didn鈥檛 believe he needed the latter relief because he believed the state would respect the ruling and stop enforcing the law.

The ruling was a setback for the state, which had argued that the Attorney General鈥檚 Office had given teachers sufficient guidance in a 鈥淔requently Asked Questions鈥� released in 2021 that outlined scenarios in which teachers would violate or not violate the law.

There are no known cases of New Hampshire teachers who have been found by the Commission for Human Rights to have violated the law.

But Barbadoro said there were a number of scenarios that the FAQs did not address. One such unanswered question centered on Keefe鈥檚 attempts to teach 鈥淏eloved.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

According to his deposition, Keefe had asked for clarity from his school鈥檚 administration but 鈥渨as told there was none available other than the Attorney General鈥檚 Frequently Asked Questions,鈥� Barbadoro noted.

Barbadoro also noted the example of Jennifer Given, a former high school social studies teacher at the Hollis Brookline High School who 鈥渇elt the need to significantly modify her teaching methods 鈥榦ut of fear that [she] would be accused of鈥� violating the Amendments, regardless of whether she was actually doing so.鈥�

And he argued that the uncertainty applied to extracurricular activities as well, citing the testimony of Ryan Richman, a high school history teacher at Timberlane Regional High School. Richman said as a faculty adviser for the school鈥檚 Model United Nations team, he felt the law hampered his ability to help students for their competition in fear of saying something that might be seen as a violation.

Barbadoro used the examples to bolster his larger conclusion.

鈥淭he Amendments are vague not because they subject teachers to severe professional sanctions, but because they fail to provide teachers with sufficient notice of what is prohibited and raise the specter of arbitrary and discretionary enforcement,鈥� he ruled.

He also said that the vagueness would allow state officials to apply their own arbitrary interpretations to enforcement.

鈥溾�� Because the Amendments fail to establish 鈥榤inimal guidelines to govern [their] enforcement,鈥� officials are free to 鈥榩ursue their personal predilections鈥� when applying the law,鈥� Barbadoro wrote.

The decision was hailed by the plaintiffs; Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire, called it 鈥渁 victory for academic freedom and an inclusive education for all New Hampshire students.鈥�

鈥淣ew Hampshire鈥檚 鈥榖anned concepts鈥� law stifled New Hampshire teachers鈥� efforts to provide a true and honest education,鈥� agreed NEA-NH President Megan Tuttle in a statement. 鈥淪tudents, families, and educators should rejoice over this court ruling which restores the teaching of truth and the right to learn for all Granite State students.鈥�

And it was cheered on by Democrats, including the two lead Democratic candidates for governor. Former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig praised the plaintiffs who 鈥渇ought this unconstitutional law.鈥� In her own statement, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington said, 鈥淭eachers should be free to teach 鈥� the truth 鈥� and students should be free to learn.鈥�

Republicans said they would redouble efforts to pass the bill. In a statement, former state Senate President Chuck Morse, a Republican candidate for governor who had helped push for the law in the Senate, said he was 鈥渄eeply disappointed鈥� in the decision but vowed to press on.

鈥淎s Governor, I will work tirelessly with lawmakers, educators, and community leaders to draft and pass a stronger bill that addresses the court鈥檚 concerns while keeping our fundamental goal intact: to prevent the dissemination of any materials that promote racial superiority or inferiority,鈥� Morse said.

In a post on X, State Rep. Keith Ammon, a New Boston Republican, wrote: 鈥淛udge Barbadoro just put stopping Critical Race Theory back on the ballot in November.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Hampshire Bulletin maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Dana Wormald for questions: info@newhampshirebulletin.com. Follow New Hampshire Bulletin on and .

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that he will sign legislation restricting challenges to books in public schools, blaming 鈥渁ctivist鈥� teachers and others of making a 鈥渕ockery鈥� of his parental rights legislation by filing frivolous challenges.

The 2021 Parental Rights in Education Act, sometimes referred to as 鈥淒on鈥檛 Say Gay,鈥� allows parents the opportunity to review, and potentially object to, school library books that they find 鈥渋nappropriate,鈥� with the goal of removing questionable material from school libraries, even if other families are OK with the content.

Especially targeted was LGBTQ content.

What followed were wholesale challenges to books and other material, requiring their removal from libraries and classrooms pending sometimes protracted reviews of their suitability.

Legislation passed during this year鈥檚 legislative session () allows only one challenge per month unless the challenge comes from the parent or guardian of a child in a public school.

鈥淚t is done intentionally, and it is part of an agenda, and that鈥檚 wrong,鈥� DeSantis said during a news conference.

鈥淚 mean, schools are there to serve a community. Schools are not there for you to try to go on some ideological joyride at the expense of our kids,鈥� he said.

The Legislature hasn鈥檛 sent the bill to DeSantis yet, but he said that he will sign it once that happens.

DeSantis appeared at Warrington Preparatory Academy, a charter school that opened last year at the site of a consistently poorly performing public school.

The bill is an omnibus pertaining to state education policy. The governor highlighted the book challenge changes plus language that expedites charter conversions, requiring districts to allow charter operators access to the facilities to devise a turnaround plan. Districts couldn鈥檛 remove resources or charge rent and would have to maintain the building. Children in the public-school zone would be first in line for charter school admission.

鈥楾he Bluest Eye鈥�

House member Jennifer Canady, a Republican from Polk County, mentioned a new bar on placing students in dropout prevention programs 鈥渟olely because of a disability.鈥� Students who are placed in those programs would be entitled to individualized goals 鈥渟o we are focused on what they need to do in order to be successful,鈥� she said.

鈥淭his bill is going to require that we treat students as the individuals that they are and make sure that they are in the best learning environment for them,鈥� Canady added.

As for book challenges, in 2022 set up a more orderly system for them, including review by the Florida Department of Education.

Still, books and sheltered from access by kids have included bestsellers including 鈥淭he Kite Runner鈥� and 鈥淭he Bluest Eye,鈥� the latter by the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner Toni Morrison, plus 鈥淎ll Boys Aren鈥檛 Blue鈥� by George M. Johnson about growing up Black and queer.

In Jacksonville, books about , which are on the state鈥檚 recommended list, were unavailable to students for months pending reviews.

During the 2022-2023 school year, recorded 1,406 book ban cases in Florida, which accounted for 40% of the national total. That organization the Escambia County School District over its banning policies.

DeSantis insisted he is only after books that aren鈥檛 鈥渁ge and developmentally appropriate.鈥�

鈥淵ou should not be having books in these schools, particularly in younger grades, that are sexually explicit, that are promoting ideology like gender ideology. We don鈥檛 believe you teach a kindergartener that they can change their gender 鈥� that鈥檚 just not appropriate, that鈥檚 not what parents want to be taught in our schools,鈥� he said Monday.

Litigation

PEN America and the Florida Education Association, representing classroom teachers, have complained that the laws are so vague that they invited districts to overly restrict access to material. The state laws don鈥檛 directly threaten felony charges for violations, but the Duval County district that that could happen if they expose children to material deemed pornographic.

To DeSantis, such concerns are 鈥減erformative; that鈥檚 political. You鈥檙e trying to be an activist when you should be trying to be an educator.鈥�

He did concede: 鈥淚t鈥檚 from all ends of the political spectrum 鈥� I mean, there鈥檚 some people that really think all these books that have been in school are inappropriate; there鈥檚 other people that know that they鈥檙e appropriate but are trying to act like Florida does not want these books in.鈥�

Overall, 鈥渋t鈥檚 being done to create a narrative that somehow, oh my gosh, all these books are, quote, banned. No book is banned in Florida. The most grotesque pornographic books that are in schools that have been removed because they鈥檙e inappropriate, you can go buy it in a bookstore if that鈥檚 what floats your boat, you鈥檙e able to do that. But do not jam that down the throat of a sixth-grade child,鈥� the governor said.

鈥溾�ust as it鈥檚 wrong for a school district, an activist teacher, a school union to try to impose an agenda on a student, it鈥檚 also wrong for a citizen activist or parent to do these passive-aggressive false challenges to try to act like somehow we don鈥檛 want education in Florida,鈥� he said.

鈥淚f you are trying to be an activist, if you鈥檙e trying to withdraw valid materials as a way to basically lodge a protest, you鈥檙e going to be held accountable for that, because you鈥檙e depriving the students of their right to be able to have a good education.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on and .

The Florida Senate approved a bill Tuesday with a provision for placing a cap of one book challenge per month for people who don鈥檛 have students enrolled in the school district in which they placed an objection.

The vote came after the Legislature鈥檚 top leaders expressed the need to rein in frivolous objections to materials available in classrooms and libraries.

Lawmakers have been weighing different options to curtail objections following sweeping book challenges that have disrupted Florida school districts across the state. Most of the options discussed targeted people who aren鈥檛 parents of students in the districts in which they challenge materials.

The vote was along party lines, with Democrats opposing the bill (.

But the House had already approved a $100 鈥減rocessing fee鈥� on subsequent challenges filed by people who have already unsuccessfully challenged five materials available in a school district where they don鈥檛 have children enrolled. So, the House has to approve HB 1285 again before the session ends.

Reining in the book challenges

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said she hoped the provision senators approved today would be the final product.

鈥淲hat happened is people went overboard and they started objecting to the classics like Shakespeare, which I think is ridiculous,鈥� Passidomo told reporters on Tuesday. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 like everything. We needed to rein that in, and the devil鈥檚 in the details and the kind of language and how to do that. But I think we鈥檙e on the right course.鈥�

Democratic Sen. Lori Berman of Palm Beach County questioned what impact the change would have if it didn鈥檛 restrict challenges from parents.

鈥淚 guess we went a little bit too far when we did this the first time through, but do we know that a lot of these people are not parents or guardians? Do we think that this is going to truly make a difference in the way that our larger book bans have gone?鈥� she said.

The number of book challenges in the state has garnered national attention.

In the 2022-2023 school year, recorded 1,406 book ban cases in Florida, which accounted for 40%. The next state with the most book ban cases was Texas with 625. The PEN America report notes that Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom and Parents鈥� Rights in Education are groups with chapters across the nation that have pushed for book bans.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe that we stepped on anything in the original bill that we passed. What we鈥檙e doing, though, is recognizing that we could always improve and in doing so we鈥檝e seen some things happen across the state we just want to make sure aren鈥檛 being taken advantage of and it鈥檚 as simple as that, and that鈥檚 why I think this is a good faith measure,鈥� said Republican Sen. Danny Burgess of Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

Requirements for classical school teachers

Another provision in the bill would require the State Board of Education to establish specialized teaching certificates for people seeking to work in schools using a classical education model.

A person who holds the classical education teaching certificate wouldn鈥檛 have to demonstrate the same requirements as teachers in other schools, such as mastery of general knowledge, subject area knowledge, and professional preparation and education competence.

The curriculum at current classical schools 鈥攑ublic charter schools 鈥� focus on grammar, logic and rhetoric, according to a of the bill. There are 18 such classical charter schools in Florida.

Under the bill, the State Board of Education would 鈥渁dopt rules to allow for the issuance of a classical education teaching certificate. Upon the request of a classical school, the DOE (Department of Education) will issue a classical education teaching certificate to any applicant who fulfills the requirements for a professional certificate except for demonstrating mastery of general knowledge, subject area knowledge, and professional preparation and education competence,鈥� according to the staff analysis.

Teachers with the classical education certificate would still need to have a bachelor鈥檚 degree, be 18 years old and pass a background check, Burgess clarified.

Democrats voted against the bill because of the classical education teaching certificates.

鈥淣o other avenue has certifications like we鈥檙e about to give now to the classical schools. We have certifications for Greek, Latin, Humanities. So the issue for me here is why is there a special treatment,鈥� said Duval County Democratic Sen. Tracie Davis.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on and .

A bill that would open up librarians to felony charges for showing obscene material to minors will head to the House of Delegates for consideration.

On Monday, bill sponsor  Del. Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh, called for support of his legislation in a fiery speech, in which he said libraries were 鈥渢he sanctuary for pedophilia鈥� where people needed to be held accountable for exposing children to obscene content.

鈥淚鈥檓 voting to protect children from being groomed and targeted by pedophiles and get rid of the sanctuary that was set up in our code 25 years ago,鈥� Steele said to members of the House .

He continued, 鈥淚f it鈥檚 a crime in the parking lot, it鈥檚 a crime in the building 鈥� period. I hope the chilling effect chills the pedophiles. We鈥檙e not going to create a safe space for them.鈥�

Libraries are currently exempt from state law that bans displaying or disseminating obscene materials to minors.

The legislation, , had stalled for a few weeks after a in late January, where some people in support of the bill read outloud graphic sexual material they said was found in school libraries. Those opposing the legislation, including several librarians, said the bill would open libraries to potential costly prosecution.

The Judiciary Committee took it up again and passed it through with a 21-3 vote.

The committee鈥檚 three Democrat members voted against the bill, citing concerns over censorship and the measure鈥檚 failure to define obscene. They said its broad definition could lead to community members challenging the display of the Bible or the 鈥淭he Diary of Anne Frank.鈥�

鈥淲hile this bill doesn鈥檛 technically ban books, the impact of the bill is to remove books from our shelves,鈥� said Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia.

Hansen also pointed out the potential cost to librarians, some of whom are employed by schools.

An attorney for the Legislature told lawmakers that the librarians would be on the hook for their own legal fees.

Librarians could face a $25,000 fine or five years in prison under the state鈥檚 obscenity regarding minors.

Megan Tarbett, president of the West Virginia Library Association, told lawmakers during a lengthy bill debate that the state鈥檚 171 public libraries already had a system in place to decide what types of books are appropriate to display. There is a separate system for patrons, including parents, to challenge the inclusion of a book in the library.

Around 50 books had been challenged, Tarbett estimated.

鈥淎 handful of library systems have had multiple challenges to their collections, but it is not widespread,鈥� she said. 鈥�5.2 million items were borrowed from libraries last year. Out of 1.2 million library books borrowed last year, the vast majority were checked out on a parent鈥檚 card 鈥� not the children鈥檚 card.鈥�

In response, Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, said, 鈥淲e learned here today that there鈥檚 a challenge process that鈥檚 being followed.

鈥淭his bill has been sitting here for years. Nothing crazy has happened, we鈥檝e just run out of bills to use for political purposes. The bill probably isn鈥檛 going to do a whole lot, but it鈥檚 going to have some librarians fear they got locked up.鈥�

Del. J.B. Akers, R-Kanawha, questioned if the library鈥檚 screening system was adequate. He presented a photocopied page from 鈥淕ender Queer,鈥� a book that Tarbett said was typically shelved in the adult graphic novel section of the library.

Akers asked Tarbett to describe what was displayed.

鈥淚 do believe it is a sexual act,鈥� she responded.

Akers, a parent, said he was in full support of the legislation, which he said wasn鈥檛 aimed at banning books. 鈥淲e鈥檙e saying don鈥檛 put this in the school library. These are graphic, sexual novels,鈥� he explained.

Tarbett also warned lawmakers that the bill could lead to staffing challenges as librarians could fear prosecution. The state鈥檚 universities don鈥檛 offer a degree in library sciences, so the libraries rely on out-of-state applicants to fill jobs.

The bill will need to be taken up by the full House by Feb. 25.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com. Follow West Virginia Watch on and .

Wisconsin’s Kenosha Unified School District removed four books from school libraries this year, joining a nationwide debate about removing books from schools. The books, which focused on LGBTQ topics and characters, were purged for having 鈥減ornographic material,鈥� one school board member explained on social media. While their removal satisfied some residents, others worry about the effects on vulnerable kids.

On Sept. 8, Kenosha Unified School District School Board member Eric Meadows posted on Facebook about the book removals.

鈥淎 few weeks ago, several parents in the community looked into reportedly explicit books in our libraries,鈥� Meadows said in the post. 鈥淪ee my previous post about this. Since then, a national spotlight has shined on this same topic. A number of graphic books were identified as being in some of our schools through numerous open records requests from several people. The following books have been removed from our libraries, not because of the LGBT nature of them, but because of overtly explicit and obscene pictures and descriptions.鈥�

The post identifies the books as This Book is Gay, Gender Queer, Let鈥檚 Talk About It, and All Boys Aren鈥檛 Blue. 鈥淚 am opposed to exposing children to any pornographic material in school, whether LGBT or heterosexual. Neither belong in public schools,鈥� Meadows wrote in his post. 鈥淚 will work towards clarifying our policy to ensure this doesn鈥檛 happen again. I will receive a lot of anger from some in the community just for writing this. I don鈥檛 care. My first priority will be to protect the innocence of our children.鈥�

Meadows accused the Wisconsin Examiner of bias when reached for comment. He added that the district 鈥渞emoved a few books because they were sexually explicit. Those books are widely available to purchase and at the public library. 鈥� I stand by my Facebook post.鈥�

The Kenosha Unified School District didn鈥檛 respond to requests for comment.

When she heard about the removals, Kenosha resident Amanda Becker said she was 鈥渓eft disappointed on a few different levels. I was disappointed that it was specifically LGBTQ+ content that was being targeted. And I was disappointed that this was happening at all.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a form of censorship and I don鈥檛 agree with it,鈥� Becker added.

Barb Farrar, director of the Southeast Wisconsin LGBT Center, said the fallout for students from removing books shouldn鈥檛 be downplayed. 鈥淎s an LGBT person, any time people are talking about taking away your freedom to read literature for young people, it鈥檚 really hurtful,鈥� Farrar told Wisconsin Examiner. To help educate community members and defeat stigma, the Center runs its own LGBTQ book club. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always by learning that you truly understand what some else鈥檚 experience is,鈥� she continued. Taking the books away from students 鈥渋s depriving them of access to being able to broaden their understanding and appreciation of others, as well as potentially their own identities.鈥�

Becker鈥檚 daughter, Ruby, who recently graduated from high school in Kenosha, remembers what it was like to come out to her classmates 鈥淗arry Styles, the pop artist, actually helped me come out at one of his concerts,鈥� she says. 鈥淧retty public coming-out my senior year, but even before that people kind of knew.鈥� Prior to attending the KUSD during her high school years, Becker went to a Catholic school. 鈥淭he change in my surroundings definitely helped me to come to terms with that part of myself.鈥� She says, 鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 change schools, I don鈥檛 know who I鈥檇 be today.鈥� Becker added, 鈥淚t was just nice finding people like me, or people who are also queer but are either non-binary, trans, just other queer experiences.鈥�

Despite finding people like her, Becker also encountered students who bullied LGBTQ students. Becker fears that things could change for students still attending Kenosha schools. She recalled conversations about banning flags and banners at school including Black Lives Matter flags, LGBTQ flags, and other banners. Becker recalled that, 鈥渢eachers were always kind of told to stay away from 鈥榗ontroversial topics which, I don鈥檛 know, my identity is not controversial, but whatever.鈥�

Farrar recalled attending annual school board meetings, where she noticed a strong anti-LGBTQ contingent among the attendees. There, Farrar told Wisconsin Examiner, 鈥渟ome people were referencing banning books鈥� trying to interject that into the meeting.鈥�

鈥淓verything started to get a lot more aggressive,鈥� Becker says of school board meetings since the pandemic, 鈥渨here people weren鈥檛 necessarily talking to each other, but more so talking at each other and kind of screaming, to where the winner was whose voice was heard the loudest.鈥� At  county budget hearings, a vocal group organized to cut education funding. 鈥淪o I think that the book thing is just the next item on the list,鈥� says Becker.

Becker read Gender Queer and This Book Is Gay. 鈥淚 thought it was good,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was a coming-of-age story about a child discovering their gender identity. And I picked it up because my older daughter has some friends that fall into the various areas of the LGBTQ+ spectrum.鈥� It took time for Becker herself to understand LGBTQ issues, and reading the book was part of that journey. 鈥淚 wanted to be able to understand it better, and I wanted to support my child and her friends.鈥� Farrar also read some of the books during the Center鈥檚 book club, and found them to be 鈥減henomenal.鈥� She said, 鈥渁ll of those books鈥� are useful for students trying to figure themselves out.

Farrar says she has heard children repeating things they heard at home, bullying LGBTQ classmates. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had examples of young children saying really hurtful things like LGBTQ students shouldn鈥檛 exist, or they shouldn鈥檛 be allowed to live,鈥� said Farrar. 鈥淚 mean just really, really hateful things.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 very targeted, and it feels organized, and very political at this time,鈥� says Farrar.

Policies banning and restricting books in schools have grown across Wisconsin since 2020. This week reports, the school district of Menomonee Falls removed more than 33 books from the high school library including titles on the Advanced Placement English Literature reading list, including The Handmaid鈥檚 Tale by Margaret Atwood, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut and The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, because they were deemed 鈥渢oo sexually explicit鈥� for students.

Last year, on a list of books furnished to Republican lawmakers by concerned parents. The books largely covered LGBTQ topics, but some also touched on racial inequality and discrimination. In an email to now Sen. Jesse James (R-Altoona), one parent described having seen books which she felt taught 鈥渙ur kids to hate cops and their white skin鈥� in elementary school classrooms.

James used the list to approach libraries within his legislative district to see whether the books were available. A nearly identical list . There, as books on the list were removed from shelves, a new policy of reporting a student鈥檚 library checkouts to parents took effect. The shift slashed the district鈥檚 student privacy policy for book checkouts, allowing only parents to opt out. Meanwhile, James and other Republican lawmakers explored ways of exposing librarians and teachers who provide certain books in class to felony charges. In May, those efforts were . This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson, one of the books removed from the KUSD, also appeared on both of those lists.

Farrar is deeply concerned by policies like Elmbrook鈥檚, which could 鈥渙ut鈥� children to their parents. 鈥淛ust because they鈥檙e interested in a book doesn鈥檛 mean anything about their identity, and that鈥檚 a complete lack of children鈥檚 privacy,鈥� said Farrar. 鈥淪o we over-emphasize parents鈥� rights, we really need to start thinking about the rights of young people to explore, and to have privacy to do that.鈥�

While Amanda Becker is prepared to support her children, she鈥檚 aware that not all of KUSD鈥檚 students have a parent in their corner. 鈥淭here鈥檚 kids out there that don鈥檛, and that鈥檚 why I feel that I need to say something,鈥� she told Wisconsin Examiner. 鈥淭hat and, you know, you give in on books and freedom to read and what鈥檚 the next thing that鈥檚 going to happen? It has the potential to have a domino effect.鈥�

Ruby Becker tells current students to 鈥渇ind community with your peers. Try and find a teacher who you can trust, and be 100% yourself around.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on and .

A school board in southeastern Wisconsin has rejected a book recommended for use in a 10th-grade accelerated English class due in part to concerns that it lacked 鈥渂alance鈥� regarding the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

The Curriculum Planning Committee for the Muskego-Norway district, which about 5,000 students in Waukesha and Racine counties, had 鈥淲hen the Emperor Was Divine,鈥� a  by Julie Otsuka based on her own family鈥檚 experiences. The book, of the American Library Association鈥檚 Alex Award and the Asian American Literary Award, tells in varying perspectives the story of a Japanese American family uprooted from its home in Berkeley, California, and sent to an internment camp in the Utah desert.

But on June 13, the board鈥檚 Educational Services Committee, made up of three of its seven members, sent the book back to the curriculum committee, from which it is not expected to return. 

At that meeting, committee and school board member Laurie Kontney complained that 鈥淲hen the Emperor Was Divine鈥� was selected as a 鈥渄iverse鈥� book, according to taken by Ann Zielke, a school district resident and parent. Corrie Prunuske, a Muskego resident and parent, confirms hearing this: 鈥淚 think she said, 鈥楾hey only looked at diverse books.鈥� 鈥�

鈥淚 asked why that would be an issue,鈥� Zielke recounts in her notes. 鈥淸Kontney] said it can鈥檛 be chosen on that basis and I asked again if she had proof of that. Which they don鈥檛. She said it can鈥檛 be all about 鈥榦ppression.鈥� 鈥� Committee member Boyer, by this account, said the selection committee needed to pick a book that was 鈥渨ithout restriction鈥濃�攖hat is, not intended to promote diversity. 

Kontney is the board鈥檚 newest member, having been elected in April on a platform that , 鈥淐RITICAL THINKING NOT CRITICAL RACE THEORY.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Zielke also says she was told, in conversations with school board president Chris Buckmaster and board member Terri Boyer, who serves on the Educational Service Committee, that using the book would created a problem with 鈥渂alance,鈥� in part because the accelerated English class curriculum already includes a 10-page excerpt from a nonfiction book about the internment camps.

鈥淪o their claim is that having two texts in this class from what they鈥檙e terming is one perspective 鈥� meaning it鈥檚 the perspective of the Japanese who were interned 鈥� creates a balance issue,鈥� Zielke says in an interview. The feeling was that 鈥渨e need to have more perspective from the American government about why they did this.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Buckmaster, she says, explained to her that the kind of balance he has in mind would include discussion of the , the mass killing of Chinese civilians committed by the Japanese that began on Dec. 13, 1937 and continued for six weeks. 鈥淪o what he鈥檚 saying is, what you would need in this class is some sort of historical context of how horrible the Japanese were during World War II in order to understand the viewpoint of the American government in interning the Japanese.鈥�

鈥楩alse balance鈥�

Zielke, for her part, sees 鈥渘o need for this type of false balance or both-sides-ism in telling the story of Japanese internment. The American government was wrong and has apologized for the racism that led to Japanese internment.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

David Inoue, executive director of the , a national nonprofit with offices in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., agrees. 

鈥淭he call for a 鈥榖alanced鈥� viewpoint in the context of the incarceration of Japanese Americans is deeply problematic, and racist, and plays into the same fallacies the United States Army used to justify the incarceration,鈥� he wrote in a to the Muskego-Norway School Board. 鈥淲e urge you to reconsider your position on the book鈥檚 use, understanding that while not every book and story can be told, to deny the use of one such as this under the pretenses you鈥檝e given is wrong.鈥�

Zielke says both Buckmaster and Boyer, in their conversations with her, said the district鈥檚 Curriculum Planning Committee may have been given a directive 鈥� it鈥檚 not clear from whom 鈥� to select a book by a non-white author. According to Zielke, 鈥渢he board is saying that that somehow negates the process, because that is akin to some type of discrimination.鈥�

After the June 13 committee meeting, Buckmaster got into a heated exchange with Hapeman, who works for the district as an educational assistant. She says he told her, regarding the board鈥檚 action, 鈥淭his is why they were elected. This is what they ran on.鈥� Emily Sorensen, a community member who was sitting nearby, says she heard him make this comment.

Buckmaster, Boyer, Kontney, and Tracy Blair, the third board member who serves on the Educational Resources Committee, did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did Kelly Thomspon, the district superintendent.

Absent from 鈥榖anned books鈥� lists

Across the country, the MAGA crowd has gone on a rampage against educational materials deemed inappropriate for young minds. 

PEN America, a nonprofit that advocates for freedom of expression, 1,585 instances of books being banned from schools between July 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, involving . 

鈥淲hen the Emperor Was Divine鈥� is not among them.

In a to the Muskego-Norway board, Jordan Pavlin, editor-in-chief at Alfred A. Knopf and Otsuka鈥檚 editor at the publishing house, noted that 鈥淲hen the Emperor Was Divine鈥� 鈥渉as been course adopted in hundreds of schools throughout the country, where it has become a staple of high school English classes.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

She added that historical fiction 鈥渉as the power not only to edify but to transform and deepen our perspectives; it enables us to look outward, beyond the confines of our circumscribed lives, with greater sympathy and understanding.鈥�

In the 2020 presidential election, the city of Muskego, which makes up the majority of the Muskego-Norway School District, for Donald Trump over Joe Biden by a margin of two to one. That鈥檚 even higher than the margin that voted for Trump in all of deep red Waukesha County, in which Muskego resides. 

Yet all of the objections to 鈥淲hen the Emperor Was Divine鈥� have come from school board members, not the community at large. 

鈥淚 am not aware of any opposition to the use of the Otsuka book from any parents, students, teachers, or community members,鈥� Hapeman says. 鈥淭he only opposition to the book I am aware of is from school board members.鈥�

Parents show support

Indeed, in advance of the June 13 meetings, more than 130 parents and community members, many of them alumni of the Muskego-Norway School District, signed a supporting the book鈥檚 selection. Written by Lawrence Hapeman, Allison鈥檚 son and a 2021 graduate of district schools, the 1800-word petition takes issue with the various objections to 鈥淲hen the Emperor Was Divine.鈥�

These included a claim, purportedly made by more than one school board member, that the book is 鈥渢oo sad.鈥� The petition calls this argument 鈥渇undamentally nonsensical,鈥� noting that other books approved for classroom use in the district include Shakespeare鈥檚 鈥淩omeo and Juliet鈥� and Tim O鈥橞rien鈥檚 鈥淭he Things They Carried,鈥� 鈥渋n which most characters die by the end of the novel in often brutal and graphic ways.鈥�

The petition also argues that the educational staff involved in the selection of 鈥淲hen the Emperor Was Divine鈥� deserve to have their decisions supported. It cites a June 10 in the Wisconsin Examiner about how the school district of Waukesha 鈥渉as received at least 54 resignations from employees between April 1 and June 5 of this year, as compared to 28 resignations last year during that same time period鈥攁 93% increase.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

鈥淢any of these resignations come from teachers who have cited a lack of respect and acceptance from their school board as primary causes for their departure,鈥� states the petition. It anonymously quotes two district teachers about a perceived lack of support.

鈥淚鈥檝e never felt so under attack for just doing my job or doing my duty to teach kids about others and their world,鈥� one teacher says. 鈥淚 feel like I have to defend every book that has a person of color in it.鈥� Another teacher says, 鈥淭he anti-diversity and lack of pushback against that from district leaders has left me actively seeking other positions in districts that support diversity.鈥�

As for the argument that 鈥渢his book should not be approved because the selection committee was non-negotiably set on picking a work by an author who is a woman of color,鈥� the petition links to a , issued in 2020, to seek ways 鈥渢o support understanding of the history of marginalization and the positive impact we can have on a daily basis when we use an equity focused mindset that addresses disparities.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

The petition states: 鈥淎s residents of the world and heirs of its history, we must be given the opportunity to reflect on the past and point out the pain and suffering caused in the past. This reflection is meant to prepare ourselves to create a stronger country and world by rejecting outright the mistakes of the past.鈥�

Or, as Inoue put it in his letter to the school board, 鈥淭he story of what happened to the Japanese American community is an American story, one that balances the challenges of injustice, but also the patriotic stories of service and resistance. If anything, these are stories that need to be told more in our schools.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on and .

A significant share of respondents report being happy with the status quo regarding these hot-button subjects: 37% of Americans believe schools focus 鈥渁bout the right amount鈥� on racism and 40% said the same about sex and sexuality,聽according to the survey released last week by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

鈥淚 would think elected officials already know, but it might be useful to be reminded of the fact that their constituents鈥� political opinions may not be so easy to know and may not be so clear from what they鈥檙e seeing in the press or from who happens to show up at school board meetings,鈥� said Adam Zelizer, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago who helped write the survey.

Efforts to and limits on classroom instruction about racism and gender have become staples of conservative electoral politics. Despite a surge in book bans, the move is wildly unpopular 鈥� at least in theory. Among respondents, just 12%, including 18% of Republicans and 8% of Democrats, supported policies prohibiting books about divisive topics from being taught in schools. Yet Zelizer cautioned the finding could be misleading. 

鈥淚n the abstract, no one really supports banning a book from the library or preventing teachers from teaching,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just when you get to specific examples that almost anyone can be convinced that some books are not appropriate.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Stark differences do exist across party lines on a range of contentious education issues. Slightly less than half of Republicans 鈥� 47% 鈥� said that schools focus too much on racism in the U.S., compared with just 9% of Democrats. Similarly, 42% of Republicans and 8% of Democrats said schools focus too much on issues around sex and sexuality. Slightly more than half of Democrats support policies that allow transgender students to use bathrooms that match their gender identity compared to just 9% of Republicans. 

On another topic that has dominated school politics, the question of who should control what is taught in the classroom, half of respondents, including a plurality of both Republicans and Democrats, said that parents and educators had too little influence on classroom curriculum. Yet for GOP respondents, that meant parents lacked adequate influence while Democrats were more likely to say that teachers had too little voice in classroom curriculum decisions. 

Local and federal governments fared far worse. Nearly half of respondents 鈥� 45% 鈥� said that state governments maintain too much influence over curriculum and 43% said the same about federal entities. The largest share of respondents 鈥� 44% 鈥� said that local school board members maintain about the right amount of influence over curriculum decisions. A fifth of respondents said that school boards had too little power over curriculum and a third said they have too much. 

Overall, a minority of respondents support COVID-19 precautions in public schools. While 43% favor vaccine mandates, just over a third support mask mandates for students attending school in-person. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the poll identified partisan differences for COVID-related questions, but also found a discrepancy between parents and those without school-age children. In fact, parents were less likely to support COVID-19 mitigation measures than those without kids. A third of parents with children in K-12 schools support vaccine mandates compared to 46% of those who are not parents of school-age children. Similarly, just 29% of parents support mask mandates for students attending school in-person compared to 39% of those without kids in school. 

鈥淧arents want their kids in schools and apparently they鈥檙e willing to put up with some spread of COVID,鈥� Zelizer said. 鈥淢eanwhile nonparents, everyone else in the public, are maybe only concerned with the spread of COVID and don鈥檛 care quite as much about whether kids are in schools or being homeschooled because it doesn鈥檛 affect them.鈥�

Scenes of irate people at school board meetings have played out across the country over the last year as they protested COVID-19 mitigation measures like mask mandates and so-called critical race theory, an academic framework about systemic racism in legal systems that has become a catch-all for classroom instruction about race. 

Yet few Americans are actively engaged with their local school boards, the poll found. Just 12% of Americans said they attended a local school board meeting in the last five years and 15% communicated directly with a school board member. Fewer than half 鈥� 43% 鈥� reported following news about their local school boards. 

In some places, school board members have faced significant public scrutiny and in some cases, threats of physical violence. In the poll, however, about two-thirds of Americans said they鈥檙e at least somewhat confident in their local school board. Zelizer noted that Republicans and Democrats held similar confidence levels on their local school boards. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 not like all of this activism and advocacy and policymaking activity has led to one of the parties being more angry at school boards than the other, at least in our sample among regular voters,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he scenes of rowdy attendees at school boards to the point of harassing school board members or experts who are working with school boards doesn鈥檛 seem to be indicative of the broader population.鈥�

Despite all of the partisanship, Zelizer said he was most surprised that many issues remained far less polarized. For example, just 38% of Democrats and 47% of Republicans support standardized testing to measure student achievement. While 64% of Republicans support a full-time police presence in schools, nearly half 鈥� 49% 鈥� of Democrats agreed. 

The national survey was conducted in mid-March using telephones and the web to conduct interviews with 1,030 adults for the survey, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.0 percentage points. 

Here were our ten most read and shared articles this month on the nation鈥檚 students and schools:

Skyrocketing School Board Recalls Offer Window into Year of Bitter Education Politics

EDlection: Public dissatisfaction with school boards has been building throughout 2021 as American politics careens from one K-12 controversy to the next: the pace of reopening schools, proposals to bar trans athletes from youth sports, 鈥渃ritical race theory鈥� and mask mandates. Throughout, Americans have become increasingly willing to resort to the seldom-used practice of recalling school board members as a way of forcing change. According to the nonpartisan elections site Ballotpedia, 84 recall attempts targeting over 200 board members have been initiated so far in 2021, a huge upsurge over the typical year. And while the efforts have typically fallen short, they gained momentum in two large and nationally prominent districts. One is Loudoun County, Virginia, where parents began to revolt last year against COVID mitigation measures and perceived excesses in the school board鈥檚 equity initiatives. The other is San Francisco, where anger grew as pandemic-related school closures dominated national headlines. 鈥淭he school board is maybe the most obvious candidate for a recall in this situation because their impact is very clear: The schools are shut down, or there are masking requirements, so the [effect] is right there,鈥� said political analyst Joshua Spivak. Read Kevin Mahnken鈥檚 full report. 

鈥擭ovember Recalls: The two latest school board recall efforts fell short on Election Night (Read more)

Lone Star Parent Power: How One of the Nation鈥檚 Toughest Anti-Critical Race Theory Laws Emboldened Angry Texas Parents Demanding Book Banning, Educator Firings

Parent Activism: Laws forbidding the teaching of critical race theory in Texas have emboldened parents like Mary Lowe and members of her local Fort Worth chapter of Moms for Liberty, a right-leaning national organization. The pandemic gave Lowe and her members a window into what their kids were learning about racism and sexuality 鈥� and they didn’t like it. 鈥淗onestly, it鈥檚 disgusting,鈥� said Lowe, whose members show up at school board meetings to make their concerns heard. The new laws have gotten parents attention and results 鈥� sometimes through intimidation and threats. A few quick examples: A suburban Dallas principal accused of promoting critical race theory was put on leave with an eye toward not bringing him back. At least one North Austin teacher packed away her classroom library to avoid controversy. For school board members, the meetings have become 鈥渢errifying,鈥� said Leander school board member Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia. 鈥淭here are people there with utility knives on their belts, they鈥檒l shout at me, scream at me that I鈥檓 a racist. They鈥檒l call me a communist, I鈥檓 a 鈥楳arxist,鈥� I鈥檓 a 鈥榯raitor to the country,鈥� I鈥檓 an 鈥榚nemy of the state.鈥�” Andrea Zelinski has the story.

Fueled by Grants, States Bet Innovative Career Training Programs Will Lure Disengaged Youth Back to School After COVID 鈥� Starting in Middle School

Career Readiness: Even as it threw the economy into shambles, costing millions of mostly low-skilled, low-wage workers their jobs, the pandemic also rendered high school an abstraction to countless teens who, faced with unprecedented stresses, disappeared from classes. As vaccines arrived and schools and workplaces are reopening for in-person activity, civic and educational leaders are left with twin conundra: How to re-engage displaced workers and students at a moment when both groups are more disaffected than ever? A group of philanthropic leaders, state and school system officials and workforce policy gurus believe they have at least a partial answer: Bet big on the expansion of the most promising career technical education programs in communities that were poised, pre-COVID, to try new ways of using cutting-edge job-based learning to make the rest of school more relevant and, by extension, students more likely to buckle down. Beth Hawkins talked to backers to find out why this might be job-based learning鈥檚 golden moment. Read our full report.

Exclusive: As Minneapolis Weighs Police Dept鈥檚 Fate, Records Show School Cops Had Lengthy History of Discipline, Civil Rights Complaints

Investigation: After a 2007 shooting outside a Minneapolis high school, a police officer with a national reputation pressured prosecutors to go easy on a school security guard who drove off with the guns and was arrested at a nearby gas station. Another was accused of pounding in a man鈥檚 face for littering. Records suggest a third officer had a tendency to respond violently when under stress. He was assigned as a school resource officer a year after a superior officer warned investigators he could 鈥渃ompletely lose control of everything and harm himself, other officers or the public.鈥� The incidents are among dozens of allegations and disciplinary findings 鈥� including police brutality, racial discrimination and domestic violence 鈥� against cops recently stationed inside Minneapolis public schools. After George Floyd was murdered in 2020, the Minneapolis school board ended its ties with the police department. Misconduct records and court files obtained by 社区黑料 reveal a lengthy list of allegations and disciplinary findings against officers previously stationed in district schools 鈥� many alleging violence on the part of police. The records raise new questions about how the officers, half of whom remain on the force,  wound up in schools in the first place. Minneapolis voters will decide Nov. 2 on a ballot measure that would eliminate a police department that鈥檚 long been accused of sweeping officer misconduct under the rug and replace it with a public safety division focused on a 鈥渃omprehensive public health approach.鈥� Read Mark Keierleber鈥檚 latest investigation here.

Will the Tea Party of 2022 Emerge from the Debate over Schools? Virginia Election Offers GOP Template for Midterms

Analysis: It will take weeks for number-crunchers in both parties to pull apart meaningful conclusions from this month鈥檚 gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey. But the races 鈥� especially in Virginia, where a well-liked Democrat was denied a second term in a state that Joe Biden won by 10 points last year 鈥� have made a few things clear. One is that education, an issue that voters have overwhelmingly trusted Democrats to manage in years past, could be a major vulnerability for the party as the 2022 midterms approach. The other is that, with the midterms now less than a year away, both parties have significant incentives to seize the initiative on K-12 schools. The GOP, which appears to have harnessed public outrage over COVID-related closures and school equity initiatives, has already announced plans to make a national education pitch with a proposed 鈥減arents鈥� bill of rights,鈥� and polling indicates that their base hasn鈥檛 been this animated about the state of schools in recent memory. 鈥淚n many ways, the critical race theory debate of 2021 is just the latest version of the death panel conversation from Obamacare, or the Willie Horton story of 1988,鈥� political scientist Stephen Farnsworth told 社区黑料鈥檚 Kevin Mahnken. 鈥淭he question is whether this can be weaponized to benefit Republicans.鈥� Read our full analysis.

The COVID Crisis Cracked Our Education System. A New Reform Coalition Must Come Together to Fix It in the Interest of Children

Commentary: Anyone who cares about kids must rejoice over their being back in school with their peers. But, writes contributor Robin Lake, that should not blind us to the harsh truths we have learned about American public education. A rigid system designed for sameness cracked under the pressure of a crisis. People were rightly outraged that some students did not have access to Wi-Fi and portable devices. But where was the outrage over unequal access to technology before the pandemic struck? Why were people not furious over the decades of research that shows historically marginalized students are taught by less effective teachers? Or the large and persistent gaps in academic outcomes by race and income? It is time for a new, broader reform coalition made up of all those who saw things in the American education system during the pandemic that they cannot unsee. Education supporters from all corners must come together to align, strategize and win legislative battles in the interest of children. Time is wasting for this generation of students, and history will repeat itself for the next generation if we do not act.

鈥楴o Signs of Recovery鈥�: 5 Alarming New Undergraduate Enrollment Numbers

Higher Education: Early fall undergraduate enrollment data suggest 鈥渘o signs of recovery鈥� after the worst declines in a decade, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center 鈥� and public universities historically serving low-income students of color are hit hardest. Numbers continue to decline nationwide, now 6.5 percent below 2019 levels. First-year classes at community colleges are over 20 percent smaller than before the pandemic, while only elite, selective institutions are rebounding. Twenty-two percent fewer Black first-year undergraduates are enrolled this year, the biggest decline of any ethnic/racial group since the pandemic began. Some 8.4 million students and about half of higher education institutions are reflected in the National Student Clearinghouse鈥檚 report, which includes data through Sept. 23. Read Marianna McMurdock鈥檚 full report.

California Aims to Come From Behind in Making Sure Children Learn to Read, But Some See New Push as Political

Early Literacy: A state task force focused on getting all California third-graders to read by 2026 and new legislation aimed at strengthening teaching candidates鈥� skills in early literacy are among the myriad initiatives currently aimed at reducing racial achievement gaps in reading. Advocates say it鈥檚 about time, with 37 percent of the state鈥檚 fourth-graders below the basic level on federal reading tests and districts struggling to teach disadvantaged Latino students 鈥� a large segment of the state鈥檚 K-12 population 鈥� to read. Some, though, say the approach is too scattered in a state the size of California. 鈥淲here鈥檚 the coherence and the coordination of those efforts?鈥� asked Stephanie Gregson, a former state official who now works with the nonprofit California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. And others see the emphasis on reading as a political strategy for Superintendent Tony Thurmond, who faces re-election next year. But district leaders say the data is enough of an impetus to take action. 鈥淲e aren’t chasing a statement from Secretary Thurmond,鈥� Palo Alto schools Superintendent Don Austin told 社区黑料鈥檚 Linda Jacobson. 鈥淲e identified the issue, put action steps in place, and plan to see what happens if a district can attack an issue with laser focus.鈥� Read our full report.

Indianapolis鈥� Innovation Network Schools See 42 Percent Jump in Enrollment During Pandemic

Enrollment: As school systems around the country confront a second consecutive year of unprecedented student enrollment losses, leaders of Indianapolis Public Schools鈥� Innovation Network might be forgiven for taking a victory lap. Enrollment in the district鈥檚 autonomous schools is up nearly 42 percent since the start of the pandemic, reaching its highest level in a decade. Backers of the innovation experiment, which enables the traditional district to keep a number of charter school families for purposes of funding and state accountability, note that the new schools鈥� growth is larger than the drop in the number of students attending traditional, district-run schools. Beth Hawkins has a quick look at the numbers. 

New Study Shows Reading Remediation in Middle School Led More Students to Attend College and Earn Degrees

Learning Recovery: Postsecondary remediation has gotten a bad name, and for good reason. Students who begin college in catch-up classes pay billions of dollars each year to learn content they should have mastered in high school, and a huge number drop out due to their stalled progress. But new research indicates that remediation may have its place earlier in students鈥� academic careers. According to the study, struggling middle schoolers in Florida who were assigned to a double courseload in English 鈥� a remedial class and a concurrent, grade-level class 鈥� saw significant benefits on their state test scores. Those faded over time, but the same students were later more likely to enroll in college, persist past their first year and eventually earn a two- or four-year degree. Kevin Mahnken reports.

Go Deeper: Get essential education news and commentary delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here for 社区黑料鈥檚 daily newsletter.