Lawsuit Filed by Family of Antioch High School Shooting Victim Seeks $700,000 from Nashville Schools

Josselin Corea Escalante Vega

The lawsuit filed by the parents of Josselin Corea Escalante Vega was released publicly on Monday, revealing they seek $700,000 from Metro Nashville and Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) after their daughter was killed during the January attack on Antioch High School (AHS). 

Filed in the Tennessee Circuit Court for Davidson County by parents Josseline Escalante Vega and German Corea, the lawsuit accuses MNPS and Metro Nashville of negligently failing to protect their daughter from Solomon Henderson, who fired about 17 shots inside the school, including the bullet that fatally struck Josselin Escalante Vega on January 22, by specifically failing to ensure a safe environment for the students. 

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Analysis: Schools Are Catering to Illegal Immigrants While Avoiding Federal Scrutiny

students

Several schools are trying to fly under the radar with programs providing education to illegal immigrants despite the Trump administration cutting funding for such initiatives.

The Trump administration on June 30 announced it was revoking nearly $7 billion in federal grants that went towards teaching English as a second language — used in part for illegal immigrants — saying the funds are being used to push “a radical leftwing agenda.” Now, some schools are advising staff to use private messaging tactics and are wiping details from their websites to cover their tracks, The 74 reported.

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Trump Administration Threatens to Cut All Harvard Funding

Donald Trump

The Trump administration threatened to cut all federal funding from Harvard Monday after an investigation found the school failed to protect Jewish students from harassment.

A letter signed by Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, to Harvard’s President, Alan Garber, said that the university is in “violent violation” of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

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Tennessee Parental Rights Activists Urge Trump DOJ to Investigate Biden-Era Cases of Alleged ‘Parental Prosecution’

Kelly John Walker

A “comprehensive dossier” was submitted last week to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Weaponization Working Group, which was created by President Donald Trump in February, urging the administration to examine a series of cases which purportedly reveal a “deliberate, coordinated” attempt by the Biden administration to curb parental rights. 

The Parents Demanding justice Alliance (PDJA), a coalition led by parental rights advocate Kelly John Walker and filmmaker Sam Sorbo, announced its submission of the dossier last Tuesday, when it urged the Weaponization Working Group to confront an alleged “systemic and unconstitutional campaign of intimidation, prosecution, and suppression directed at parents across the United States. 

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University of Virginia President Resigns over Justice Department Pressure, amid DEI Probe: Report

Jim ryan

University of Virginia President Jim Ryan has  resigned over pressure from the Justice Department, amid its probe into the institution’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, according to a news report Friday.

The department on Thursday demanded Ryan’s resignation as a settlement condition for the department’s civil rights investigation into the university’s diversity practices, and he did so later that day, according to The New York Times.

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During Pride Month Public Libraries Become Centers for ‘Queer Resistance’

Kids' section small library

Like public libraries across the country, branches in North Carolina’s capital city turn rainbow-hued each June in celebration of Pride Month. Festive book displays featuring “queer-themed” titles written for all ages – from toddlers to teens and adults – are set out for the public as innocently as if the subject in question were cooking, gardening, or personal finance.

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Commentary: The Persistent Presence of Absence

empty classroom

The fact that many children are ditching America’s public schools is undeniable. Most recently, Nat Malkus, Deputy Director of Education Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, reported that while chronic absenteeism spiked during the COVID pandemic, it remains a serious problem. In 2024, rates were 57% higher than they were before the pandemic. (Students who miss at least 10% of the school year, or roughly 18 days, are considered chronically absent.)

Malkus goes on to explain that in 2018 and 2019, about 15% of K–12 public school students in the U.S. were chronically absent—a number so high that numerous observers and the U.S. Department of Education are labeling it a “crisis.”

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Universities Sit on Billion-Dollar Endowments While Jacking Up Tuition

University of Michigan

Several universities are hiking tuition prices and cutting jobs despite sitting on massive endowments.

Universities are largely blaming the Trump administration’s federal funding cuts for the price increases, but many schools have seen steady rises in tuition for decades and overall increased revenue all while nursing their ever-growing endowments.

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Commentary: Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Legislation Is Advancing

School

In mid-May, the U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee passed a major GOP tax bill, which contains the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), and it now heads to the House floor.

ECCA would provide financial assistance to families in all 50 states that have incomes less than three times their “area’s median income.” Eligible parents could use the funds for a wide range of education-related expenses, including private and parochial school tuition, books and other instructional materials, online classes, private tutoring, and educational therapies for students with disabilities provided by a licensed or accredited practitioner or provider. Homeschooling parents would also be covered. Hence, parents can use the scholarships to provide their children with an education that they believe best suits their needs.

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Commentary: The Detrimental Impact of Teacher Unions’ Political Spending on Educators

Randi Weingarten

Teacher unions, particularly in their current incarnation, often stray from their foundational mission to enhance educational outcomes, becoming entangled instead in the quagmire of political activism and social agendas. This shift not only distracts from their primary purpose but also risks undermining their credibility as advocates for educators.

Take, for instance, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which has allocated a staggering $16.5 million in political spending for the 2024 election cycle, all directed towards liberal organizations. This has raised eyebrows and prompted accusations of a troubling nexus between union leadership and Democratic interests. Critics contend that Randi Weingarten has leveraged union dues to exert political influence, raising serious questions about ethical governance within the union.

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MTSU to ‘Scale Back’ DEI Programs amid Pressure from Trump Admin, General Assembly

Sidney McPhee

Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) is set to “scale back” its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), according to the university’s student newspaper Sidelines, which reported on Tuesday that an email explaining the changes was distributed by MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. 

The email reportedly confirmed that the university’s “scholarships and faculty procedures” will be changed to comport with both executive orders signed by President Donald Trump, who has pledged to purge federal support for DEI in within the nation’s higher education system, as well as the law passed by the Tennessee General Assembly which prohibits awarding scholarships based on race, color, ethnicity, or national origin. 

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Metro Nashville Schools Hire Gay Ex-Professional Wrestler Who Performed as ‘Flamboyant Faron Foxx,’ Appeared on Jerry Springer

Ed Martin

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) earlier this month announced new principals and executives for the 2025-26 school year, which included the promotion of Dr. David Martin to serve as the executive director of the MNPS Support Hub. 

While the MNPS press release published on June 3 described Martin as “an experienced educational leader with more than 15 years in district and state-level administration,” it did not note that Martin resigned in 2021 from his new role as superintendent of the Alamont School System in Illinois after just six days, when concerns were raised about his past career as an openly gay professional wrestler, as well as his appearance on “The Jerry Springer Show,” which was reported in 2001. 

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Congressman Tim Burchett Blasts UT Knoxville Student Life Worker for Comparing Immigration Enforcement to Holocaust

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) on Tuesday criticized the University of Tennessee (UT) – Knoxville after one of its employees compared former President Donald Trump’s administration to that of genocidal dictator Adolf Hitler, and the federal government’s enforcement of immigration laws to the extermination of an estimated 6 million Jews during the Holocaust.

According to school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis, UT Knoxville content strategy manager for Student Life, Beth Hall Davis, posted to social media, “Whatever you think you would have done during any human rights crisis in history, but notably and especially the Holocaust (because the events happening in the US are identical to what happened in 1930s Germany), you are doing it right now.”

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Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Deputy Secretary Nominee Penny Schwinn to Speak at Private Event in Nashville Wednesday

Scott Cepicky

State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) said he was invited to a private event in Nashville on Wednesday where U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Penny Schwinn, who President Donald Trump nominated as deputy secretary, will be in attendance.

Cepicky said he plans to speak with McMahon about “sunsetting” the federal education department and encouraging the idea that all education funds be sent directly to individual states.

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ICE Report Shows Southern States Now Contain Most Foreign Students with 8 Percent Increase in 2024

University of Tennessee

An annual report published by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday revealed that the South now boasts the highest percentage of foreign students, with an increased of 8.5 percent reported by the agency in 2024.

The 2024 Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) report, produced annually to track the number of foreign students and what they are studying at various institutions, revealed there were a total of 1,582,808 active students in the SEVP program last year, about a 5.3 percent increase from 2023. 

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Deputy Secretary of Education Nominee Penny Schwinn Says Foreign Students Boost U.S. Competitiveness in Confirmation Hearing

Penny Schwinn

Former Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn, who was controversially nominated in January to serve as the Deputy Secretary of Education, told the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions that foreign students boost the competitiveness of the American economy.

Schwinn mostly avoided controversy in the Thursday hearing, which also included three other of the Trump administration’s nominations, but was pressed by U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) to elucidate her stance on foreign students at American colleges and universities.

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Commentary: To See Conservative Education Policies Triumph, Look South

classroom

A recent New York Times article portrayed conservative-led education reform as a political performance — more concerned with fighting “woke” ideology than improving student outcomes. The implication is familiar: that Republican efforts in education are all about culture wars, not classrooms. But this telling misses the bigger picture. Beneath the headlines, some of the most meaningful — and effective — education reforms in America today are being driven by conservative leadership. Just look at Mississippi and Louisiana.

These two deep-red states are not exactly known for boasting about education excellence. In fact, for decades, they have struggled near the bottom of the national rankings. But over the last several years, they’ve become two of the most closely watched examples of what’s possible when policymakers take education seriously — and when they are willing to challenge stale systems and tired assumptions.

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Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee Announces Primary Challenge to Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne

Kimberly Yee

Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, who is term-limited, announced on Wednesday that she is running for Superintendent of Public Instruction, challenging incumbent Tom Horne in the Republican primary. Horne, long considered a moderate Republican, recently angered Republicans with his efforts gutting the state’s nationally renowned Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) program. 

Yee said in her announcement, 

For nearly 30 years, I’ve fought for Arizona families and children, delivering real results. As an education policy expert, I helped write the laws in the 1990s that made Arizona the nation’s leader in school choice. As a former Chair of the Senate Education Committee, I fought to protect children from woke ideology and the kind of big government overreach we’re seeing from the current State Superintendent. As Treasurer, I delivered billions in historic new funding for Arizona classrooms. And as a mom, I have fought tirelessly to protect parents’ rights to ensure every child is able to have the best educational opportunities, no matter what their zip code. Our state’s children and their families are too important to be left paying the price for petty political games and empty campaign promises. 

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Commentary: America’s Education Continues to Decline

Teacher and students

On May 15, the Manhattan Institute published a brief on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Also known as the Nation’s Report Card, it is the gold standard assessment for measuring American students’ proficiency in various subjects. As a former middle school testing coordinator, I helped administer the exam once and saw the test delivered with the utmost professionalism. Students are randomly selected without cherry-picking, and the test is handled with great attention to detail.

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Wealthy Universities Fret over ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill’s Endowment Tax Proposal

Yale University

Private universities with large endowments are fretting over a provision in the House-passed “big, beautiful” bill that would significantly raise the tax rate on their annual investment income.

House Republicans’ proposal would raise the tax rate on certain universities’ endowment profits from 1.4% to 21%, a move that could add hundreds of millions of dollars to their annual tax liability. Universities whose massive endowments provide billions of dollars of wealth at their disposal are warning that failure to strike the proposal from President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending package would deal a “devastating” blow to their operating budgets.

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Tennessee University Hit with Civil Rights Complaint over 17 Race-Based Scholarships

Middle Tennessee State University

Middle Tennessee State University is facing a federal civil rights complaint alleging it offers 17 scholarships that “discriminate based on race, color, and/or national origin.”

One example cited in the complaint is the Whitney Stegall scholarship, which states, “Preference will be given to students who are African-American or Native- American.”

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Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board Votes to Use Multiple Woke History Books

SUSD meeting

Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Governing Board voted 3-2 Tuesday to adopt a woke history curriculum. The vote came after a faculty-composed SUSD Social Sciences Curriculum Adoption Committee recommended the books, despite fierce opposition from numerous members of the public. 

Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity posted on X after the committee recommendation, “A committee of SUSD teachers has recommended adoption of Savvas history lessons that include anti-police rhetoric (FYI -@ScottsdalePD) and teach kids that America is racist.” 

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Biden-Appointed Judge Blocks Trump’s Bid to Shut Down Education Department

Judge Myong J. Joun

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from abolishing the Department of Education (ED).

President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the department in March. Judge Myong J. Joun, a Biden-appointed judge, granted a preliminary injunction Thursday against the department’s attempt to redistribute its duties to other agencies and lay off over 1,000 employees.

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Department of Education Says Nomination Process for Penny Schwinn Remains Ongoing

Penny Schwinn

The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday told The Tennessee Star Penny Schwinn remains the White House nominee to serve as the Deputy Secretary of Education, stating that contrary information given to The Star is false.

This suggests Schwinn, the former Tennessee Commissioner of Education, has been waiting more than four months for approval by the U.S. Senate. She was nominated to serve under Education Secretary Linda McMahon on January 18. 

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Secretary Linda McMahon: Federal Education Grants to Prioritize Reading, Choice, and State Leadership

U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon is proposing that the first three priorities for discretionary grant programs administered by the federal education department under the Trump administration should promote evidence-based literacy, expanding education choice, and returning education to the states.

The Department of Education’s discretionary grant programs are federal grants awarded at the Department’s discretion rather than through mandatory funding, allowing the administration to “align discretionary grant competitions with its priorities.”

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Tennessee Education Freedom Plan Saw More Applications than Available Scholarships Within Hours of Launch

Students Learning

Governor Bill Lee announced on Thursday that the state received more than 33,000 applications for Tennessee Education Freedom scholarships, with the interest in the universal school choice option dwarfing the 20,000 scholarships created by lawmakers earlier this year.

The governor revealed in a post to the social media platform X that the Tennessee Department of Education saw “more than 33,000 applications” for scholarships “within hours of the program’s successful launch.”

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Nashville School Superintendent Refers Students to ‘Belonging Fund’ Created to Support Illegal Immigrants

Dr Battle

The new “Belonging Fund” announced by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell to support illegal immigrants was reportedly presented to Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) students as a resource by Superintendent Dr. Adrienne Battle.

Battle directed students to the fund on Monday in response to a letter purportedly written by students concerned about the joint immigration enforcement operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), according to WPLN, which reported about 80 students voiced their concerns in a letter addressed to O’Connell and Battle.

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Commentary: The Good, the Bad, and the Controversial in School Choice Reform

Children in a classroom

by Larry Sand   The Good A new study published by the Urban Institute reveals that students who attend private schools through a school choice program are more likely to graduate from college. The report, The Effects of Ohio’s EdChoice Voucher Program on College Enrollment and Graduation, joins a growing list of empirical studies that demonstrate school choice improves academic outcomes, increases parental satisfaction, and saves taxpayer money. EdChoice students were more likely to enroll in college than students who remained in public school by a 64% to 48% margin. Additionally, enrollment for EdChoice students at a four-year college outpaced their public school counterparts: 45% to 30%. Longer participation in the program yielded even greater benefits—students who remained there for at least four years were 44% more likely to enroll in college than their public school peers. Groups that benefited most from EdChoice were blacks, boys, students who experienced long-term childhood poverty, and students with below-median test scores before leaving public school. The college enrollment rate among black scholarship recipients increased by 18%, compared to 13% for white students. Students who spent more than three-quarters of their lives in poverty saw their rate of college attendance increase by 17%, seven points higher than students from less impoverished backgrounds. In other…

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Harvard No Longer Eligible to Receive Future Grants, Trump Admin Says

Harvard University

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced that Harvard will no longer be eligible for new grants after rejecting the Trump administration’s resolution proposal.

The Department of Education (ED) sent a letter to the Ivy League university on Monday alleging Harvard is engaged in a “systemic pattern of violating federal law” and notifying the university of its inability to receive federal funding. The violations cited include a failure to adhere to civil rights laws by illegally using race as a factor for admission decisions and failing to protect Jewish students on campus.

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Legislation Would Codify Trump Order Barring Decertifying Colleges over DEI

Jim Banks

A Republican senator wants to codify President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting unlawful diversity, equity, and inclusion discrimination in higher education accreditation.

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., was set to introduce a bill Wednesday barring accreditors from requiring colleges to adopt race- or sex-based standards for admissions, hiring, leadership, or special commendations.

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Commentary: Education Battles Get National Attention

classroom

Two critical education issues have reached the U.S. Supreme Court. One involves Montgomery County Public Schools, one of the nation’s largest school districts. A group of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim parents is arguing that the Maryland school district violated their First Amendment right to religious freedom when it refused to allow them to opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed lessons.

The case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, illustrates the growing tension between sex-obsessed schools and the rights of religious parents, who are challenging the Montgomery County School Board’s decision in 2022 to approve more than 22 LGBTQ+ books for classroom use, including works like “Pride Puppy,” “Intersection Allies,” and “What Are Your Words.”

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Trump Order Overhauls Higher Education Accreditation Process

Trump EO

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at improving outcomes in higher education by holding college and university accreditors more accountable.

“Accreditors – the gatekeepers that decide which colleges and universities can access over $100 billion in annual Federal student loans and Pell Grants – have routinely approved low-quality institutions, ultimately failing students, families, and American taxpayers,” the order reads. “Accreditors have failed to ensure quality, with a national six-year undergraduate graduation rate of just 64% in 2020.”

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ASU’s Cozy Relationship with Arizona’s Prominent Moderate Republicans and Democrats Includes Kyrsten Sinema

Kyrsten Sinema

Several prominent Arizona Democrats and moderate Republicans who served in office have a cozy relationship with Arizona State University (ASU), often landing plum jobs with the woke university after leaving elected office. Some of them directed funding or other assistance to the university while serving in office, sparking concerns about a quid pro quo.

A prominent former Arizona official told The Arizona Sun Times that ASU rewards politicians who vote to give the school money with “cushy” positions after they leave office. The former official noted that conservative Republicans are not provided these opportunities. 

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Commentary: Time for Universities to Put Americans First

college students

Universities are growing more competitive as the number of both American and foreign students applying for enrollment increases. Many American students are often unable to attend their preferred universities because of this competitiveness. With an increasing number of fields requiring higher education, our colleges should prioritize Americans first for enrollment.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) announced in November that there are more than 1.1 million foreign students in American colleges on visas. They now account for 6% of student enrollment in higher education. India had the highest number of students in American schools at approximately 332,000 students. China was in second place with 277,000.

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State Superintendent of Schools Tom Horne Adds Limits to Popular ESA Program, Kicks Homeschooling Mom Off Committee for Exposing It

Tom Horne

State Superintendent of Schools Tom Horne is coming under fire for gutting some of the state’s nationally renowned Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs), considered one of the best ESA programs in the country since all students — including those in private schools, microschools, Christian schools, and homeschoolers — are eligible. After his ESA handbook committee drafted guidelines, his administration changed their draft to limit certain expenditures for students — restricting them from the full access provided to traditional public school students. State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) (pictured here) is trying to find a conservative to run against Horne in the primary in 2026 due to his dismantling of the popular program, which allows students to use funds for their K-12 education in nontraditional ways. Hoffman posted on X earlier this month, “Tom Horne is the greatest threat to school choice & the ESA program in Arizona. Tom Horne will lose to the Democrat in the 2026 general election. Arizona needs a strong, pro-school choice candidate for this very important office. I’m working on identifying that candidate now.” In a follow-up post, Hoffman noted that Horne “voted NO on AZ’s signature School Tuition Organization (STO) Tax Credit Program in 1997” as…

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