Less than Half of Arizona School Districts and Charters Affirm They Teach Students About the Holocaust

Only 322, or 43 percent, of the roughly 750 Arizona school districts and charters surveyed confirmed that they are teaching students about the Holocaust and other genocides.

The completed survey, due to the Arizona Department of Education by January 24, 2024, asked schools to show evidence that students were receiving the required Holocaust education. “We surveyed districts and charters to find out if they are following the law, but more than half did not respond,” said Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne in a statement on Monday. He believes new legislation could help.

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House Passes Legislation to Give Parents More Say in Their Kids’ Education

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a piece of legislation on Friday aimed at giving parents more of a say in school curriculum and more control in their children’s education.

In a 213 – 208 vote, the House approved the Parents Bill of Rights, which would require school districts to annually post their curriculum online, allowing parents to review the materials. The bill, considered the “Politics over Parents Act” by Democratic politicians, moves to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where it is unlikely to pass.

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New Jersey Parent Sues School for Curriculum That Allegedly Discriminates Against White Students

A parent is suing their child’s school district and its individual administrators in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, for teaching an educational curriculum that allegedly promotes “anti-racism” and discriminates against white students, according to legal documents.

The parent, listed as B.L. for privacy, is suing Mountain Lakes School District for certain parts of its curriculum put in place since the murder of George Floyd in 2020 which allegedly teach “racial political ideology” and create a “hostile educational environment” for white students, according to the lawsuit filed on June 6. White students, and particularly one student listed as J.L. for privacy, have been allegedly discriminated against because of race, the lawsuit says.

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Ohio Bill Would Force School Curriculum, Materials to Be Posted Online for Parents

An Ohio lawmaker wants the state to follow several others across the country and have school districts post its curriculum and instruction materials online to give parents better access to what is being taught in classrooms.

The state teacher’s union, however, believes the idea creates distrust between parents and teachers, while adding to the workload of its members.

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Michigan Democrats Scramble to Walk Back Anti-Parent Facebook Post

The Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) is scrambling to walk back the messaging of a now-deleted post on its Facebook page. 

“Not sure where this ‘parents-should-control-what-is-taught-in-schools-because-they-are-our-kids’ is originating, but parents do have the option to send their kids to a hand-selected private school at their own expense if this is what they desire,” the post, which appeared to be an image with text on it, said. 

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