Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill that aims to strengthen civics knowledge in the state.
Ducey signed HB 2632, sponsored by state representative Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley. It will increase the passing score of the Arizona Civics Test from 60% to 70%, allow middle schoolers to take the test if they want, and require test score data to be available publicly online.
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Greater Georgia, an organization focused on registering new voters and started by former Senator Kelly Loeffler, detailed an effort between Atlanta Public Schools and New Georgia Project to teach students about “restrictive” voter identification laws.
The New Georgia Project, which has close connections to Democrat Stacey Abrams, targeted approximately 2,000 high school students.
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee has asked the state of Tennessee to release all records regarding an announced charter school partnership with Hillsdale College.
The organization sent open records requests on Monday, requesting information about Governor Bill Lee’s (R-TN) “developing partnership with Hillsdale College to establish a number of publicly funded charter schools in Tennessee,” a press statement said.
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In a new report released Wednesday at the Boston-based Pioneer Institute, one of America’s top education scholars provides reviews and grades for the nation’s leading civics programs.
At a time when the purpose of civics education grows increasingly polarized, and many organizations present rival resources, Dr. David Randall, author of “Learning for Self-Government: A K-12 Civics Report Card,” evaluated 15 leading civics programs and graded them on their effectiveness.
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The Arizona House Education Committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that will alter the state’s civics education requirements, mandating that students score at least 70 percent correct in order to graduate.
The committee voted unanimously to advance the legislation.
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The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday that students in the state have no constitutional right to learn about civics while in school.
The ruling, written by U.S. Judge Denise Casper, denied an appeal from the group, upholding a decision rendered from a lower court.
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On Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced he vetoed four bills. The bill most notably being struck was SB 54, a bill related to motor vehicle insurance due to the bill potentially having “unintended consequences,” the DeSantis team said.
The bill was a repeal which would have eliminated no-fault PIP system and would have required more than $25,000 worth of mandatory bodily injury coverage. Florida’s lawmakers supported the legislation, but the insurance lobby argued the repeal could lead to more uninsured drivers.
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Tennessee’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) is offering grants to educate Hamilton County immigrants in English literacy and civics. However, TDLWD confirmed with The Tennessee Star that it won’t be requiring proof of legal status for participation. TDLWD hasn’t required proof for nearly two years. The department explained that its Adult Education Division made the change to align with federal regulations concerning the program. The only requirements for immigrants who participate in the program are that they are over 16 years old, not enrolled in secondary school, and classified as an English language learner.
Hamilton County drew significant attention over the last few months after it was discovered that the Biden Administration was driving and flying unaccompanied migrant children into Chattanooga. Several weeks ago, followup reports emerged that these children were potentially enduring abuse at their holding facilities. Around the same time, one teenage boy went missing from the Chattanooga facility.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill on Thursday that will reverse the toll road expansion proposed earlier in the year.
The bill, SB 100, sent by the state legislature to DeSantis’s desk earlier this month will end the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance (M-CORES) program and the specific provisions associated with it.
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Many conservatives noted that The Washington Post issued a misleading headline on Thursday that mischaracterizes the contents of a bill signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The legislation, HB 233, “requires state colleges and universities to conduct annual assessments of the viewpoint diversity and intellectual freedom at their institutions to ensure that Florida’s postsecondary students will be shown diverse ideas and opinions, including those that they may disagree with or find uncomfortable.” DeSantis signed the legislation on Wednesday in addition to two other bills aimed at boosting civics education requirements throughout the state at all levels.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed multiple bills on Tuesday aimed at increasing the level of civics education throughout the state’s schools.
“The sad reality is that only two in five Americans can correctly name the three branches of government, and more than a third of Americans cannot name any of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. It is abundantly clear that we need to do a much better job of educating our students in civics to prepare them for the rest of their lives,” DeSantis said when explaining the need for the legislation.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continued his push to ban Critical Race Theory (CRT) from Florida’s classrooms while speaking at the State Board of Education Meeting. He maintained the ideology, which is designed to distinguish people based on skin color and considers the United States’ systems of justice and governance as inherently racist, will not be featured as part of instruction, and will instead focus on “the best possible civics instruction standards.”
During the meeting, the State Board officially banned CRT from classrooms in an effort to prevent “state-sanctioned racism,” DeSantis said on Twitter.
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The Florida Department of Education is launching a listening tour for two weeks hoping to get feedback regarding revisions to education standards for civics and English-language arts (ELA). The three tour stops will take place at:
Thursday, June 3 – Osceola County
Tohopekaliga High School
3675 Boggy Creek Road
Kissimmee, FL 34744
Wednesday, June 9 – Baker County
Macclenny Elementary School
1 Wildkitten Drive
Macclenny, FL 32062
A part of the new standards is a provision explicitly stating teachers and classroom instructors will not be permitted to “share their personal views or attempt to indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view” that is inconsistent with state standards.
This summer, Tennessee’s middle schoolers can look forward to a free Constitution camp – a day of education, games, and prizes on July 7. Students will be treated to a free lunch and a t-shirt as well.
The camp will focus on presentations discussing the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, Founding Fathers, and slavery, followed by games reinforcing what the students learned. The camp is based on a curriculum that was directed and started by Sandi Wells.
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Dr. Carol Swain to the newsmakers line to discuss her role and the purpose of the 1776 Commission.
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In his annual year-end report, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court John Roberts, Jr., focused on civics education, calling for increased confidence in and education about the judicial system.
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