The FY 2025 bill, approved by an appropriations subcommittee, would reduce funding for Title I state grants by 25%, hurting schools that receive supplemental aid for enrolling 40% or more children from low-income families.
The state superintendent, Ryan Walters, said the Bible was a “necessary historical document.” The mandate comes as part of a conservative movement to infuse Christian values in public schools.
Four civil liberties groups will sue the state of Louisiana after Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed a law Wednesday that calls for the Ten Commandments to be displayed in school classrooms. The new rule applies to any school that accepts state money, including colleges and universities.
Complaints rose to the highest level ever last year. For months, the Biden administration has been pleading with congressional Republicans to direct more money to the office.
Texas education officials and Republican lawmakers say proposed elementary school lessons that incorporate extensive biblical references will boost student achievement and save teachers time from developing their own curriculum.
The proposed curriculum overhaul was released a week after the Texas GOP proposed requiring the Bible to be taught in public schools. School districts that opt to use them will get more funding.
As Florida's wildly successful school choice programs balloon, some of the states largest school districts are facing staggering enrollment declines—and grappling with the possibility of campus closures — as dollars follow the increasing number of parents opting out.
The Colorado Republican Party also encouraged families who feel their rights are being stripped to identify religious exemptions that may serve as a case against the new state policy on preferred pronouns.
The board of trustees for the Cypress Fairbanks independent school district in Houston voted 6-1 earlier this month to redact certain chapters in science textbooks, including those about vaccines, human growth, diversity, and climate change.
A bill to give parents tax dollars to pay for private school passed the Louisiana Senate, handing Gov. Jeff Landry a major victory and thwarting critics—including some Republicans—who balked at the plan’s possibly massive cost and its potential to destabilize the state’s public schools.
