Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving  school board governance, the politics surrounding it, and education policy. 

In today’s edition, you’ll find:

• On the issues: The debate over social-emotional learning 
• In your district: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom 
• School board filing deadlines, election results, and recall certifications
• Week 1: Introducing Hall Pass’ eight-week series on school board authority in the 50 states
• School board recall efforts continue to decline since pandemic
• Extracurricular: education news from around the web
• Candidate Connection survey

Reply to this email to share reactions or story ideas!

On the issues: The debate over social-emotional learning

In this section, we curate reporting, analysis, and commentary on the issues school board members deliberate when they set out to offer the best education possible in their district. Missed an issue? Click here to see the previous education debates we’ve covered.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is an instructional approach that emphasizes emotion management, conflict resolution, and other soft skills. How SEL is used varies. Over the last few years, legislatures have considered bills that would prohibit or restrict SEL in schools. We’ve featured previous debates over SEL here and here. 

The Microsoft Education Team writes that education is a social process, and SEL approaches are important for maximizing student success. They say SEL promotes inclusion and equity in education. 

Max Eden writes SEL is ideological and promotes left-leaning political ideas. Eden says the approach resembles unlicensed psychotherapy, creates privacy risks for students and families, and isn’t evidence-based. 

Social-emotional learning for student success | Microsoft Education Team, Microsoft

“[W]e’re taking a moment to recognize that learning is an inherently social process, best developed and applied in collaboration with others. Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process of developing skills to understand and manage emotions, build positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. SEL helps create an inclusive environment where every student can feel valued and respected, playing a crucial role in promoting equity in education. … SEL is proven to favorably impact academic outcomes and provide several life-long benefits to individuals, communities, and economies. When students engage in SEL, they not only improve academically but also build essential life skills like resilience, empathy, and collaboration. This helps create learning environments where all students feel seen, heard, and supported—laying the groundwork for equitable access for educational success.”

The Trouble with Social Emotional Learning | Max Eden, American Enterprise Institute

“First, claims that SEL is ‘evidence-based’ have been vastly oversold. Second, SEL has become an ideologically charged enterprise. Third, the data collection involved in SEL implementation poses major risks to the privacy of students and families. And fourth, even without the ideological turn and data privacy concerns, SEL implementation tends to resemble the practice of unlicensed therapy. … No one is opposed to the notion that it is good for students to develop social and emotional skills, or to the idea that schools have a role to play in the realm of human development. But many parents are – and I expect more parents will become – alarmed by, and opposed to, an effort to leverage the words “social and emotional” to promote ideological and political ends. And many parents will be perturbed by the resemblance of SEL practices to the practice of unlicensed therapy. Rather than uncritically embracing another buzzword fad and condescending to parents with serious and substantive concerns, policymakers should address the political, data privacy, and ethical concerns that SEL raises.”

In your district: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom 

We’re still accepting responses to our reader survey on how your district is approaching AI in the classroom. Please complete the very brief survey below—anonymously, if you prefer—and we may share your response with fellow subscribers in an upcoming newsletter.

On April 23, President Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order titled, “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth.” The order states that the federal government will promote the “appropriate integration of AI into education.” 

How is your district handling AI integration, and what’s something you wish it was doing differently?

Click here to respond! 

You can read our previous reader surveys and responses here.

School board update: filing deadlines, election results, and recall certifications

In 2025, Ballotpedia will cover elections for more than 30,000 school board seats. We’re expanding our coverage each year with our eye on covering the country’s more than 80,000 school board seats.    

Click here to learn more about this year’s school board elections.

Week 1: Introducing Hall Pass’ eight-week series on school board authority in the 50 states

State laws governing school board authority vary significantly. In some states, the law gives school boards general authority over policy in their school districts, while others list specific powers and duties. Some states do both. For example, Arizona grants local school boards 46 specific duties and 36 additional optional powers. In contrast, Pennsylvania gives local school boards general authority over district policy.

Ballotpedia combed through state constitutions, statutes, and regulations to compile a 50-page series—one for each state—describing the authority each state grants its school boards and the constraints these boards face. 

Join us over the next seven weeks as we dive into Ballotpedia’s school board authority research project. Here’s what you can expect in the weeks ahead:

• Week 2: What constrains school board authority over district policy?
• Week 3: How does school board authority over charter schools differ by state?
• Week 4: Why does school board authority over the timing of their elections matter? 
• Week 5: How do statewide curriculum prohibitions affect school board authority?
• Week 6: How do statewide K-12 cellphone bans affect school board authority?
• Week 7: How do statewide laws regarding book bans, removals, and restrictions differ by state? How do they affect school board authority?
• Week 8:  How did Ballotpedia conduct this research? 

Click here to explore our research project hub.

School board recall efforts continue to decline since pandemic

We recently released our 2025 Mid-Year Recall Report on all state and local recall efforts since the beginning of January, including those involving school board members. Ballotpedia has released two recall reports each year since 2014—a mid-year report and a year-end report. We covered our 2024 year-end report in these pages in early January.  

Let’s explore our latest report’s findings on school board recall efforts since the beginning of the year. 

There have been 17 recall efforts targeting 34 school board members since Jan. 1, continuing a decline since the pandemic. Voters have recalled three school board members this year. 

Both the number of efforts and the number of targeted officials have fallen each year since 2021, the high-water mark for school board recalls since Ballotpedia began tracking the data over 15 years ago. That year, campaigns targeted 237 board members in 92 recall efforts. 

At the midway point in 2024, 67 school board members had been named in 32 efforts. 

In the first half of this year, 8.8% of school board members targeted for recall were removed from office—a slight uptick from 7.5% at this point last year. While still below the full-year historical average of 13.5% since 2009, the midyear figure suggests recall successes may be higher than average by year’s end if current trends hold. 

Voters recalled the following school board members:

• In Wisconsin, Wrightstown Community School District school board member Angela Hansen-Winker lost in the April 22 recall election to Nicole Verbeten, who received 69% of the vote. The recall centered on disputes over legal fees, transparency, and a superintendent investigation.
• In Maine, voters removed Alisha Ames and Judy Saunders, both members of the Maine School Administrative District 46 school board, on June 10. Over 70% of voters supported recalling Ames and Saunders. We covered the results in the June 11 edition of Hall Pass. 

School board recall efforts have declined since the pandemic, but remain elevated compared to historical averages. In 2021, school board members faced more recall efforts than any other officials. This was the first time since 2014, when we began covering all recalls, that school board recalls outnumbered those of city council members. Since 2022, however, city council members are once again the primary focus of recalls.

From 2009 to 2020, school board members faced an average of 27 recall efforts. Between 2021 and 2024, that figure is 59. With 17 recall efforts recorded in the first half of 2025, the full-year total appears on track to return closer to the pre-pandemic average. 

One thing that is different in 2025 is that, so far, school board members and state legislators are tied for second, behind city council members, with 34 officials targeted apiece. 

A school board recall effort is currently taking place in Arizona.

In Arizona, the Liberty Elementary School District recall began in February after supporters said district officials were pushing teachers and principals out of the district if they voiced concerns over leadership decisions. Supporters targeted board president Bryan Parks and vice-president Kristopher Kenyon, but Parks resigned on Feb. 7. 

Parks said, “Due to the invasion of my personal privacy, including relentless attacks and threats against myself, family and my business ventures, I must make a difficult decision to step down.”

Recall supporters submitted 3,469 signatures to recall Kenyon, more than the required 2,950. The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office is working to verify them. 

• Recall supporters said that more than a dozen teachers had resigned since the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Supporters said district leadership wasn’t supporting educators, and that neither Parks nor Kenyon took the community’s concerns seriously. A representative of the teachers’ union said 16 district staffers and 18 teachers had resigned in the last year. Over 1,600 students, about 38% of the student population, stayed home from school on Feb. 3 to protest district leadership.  
• Parks said the district is doing what it can to keep class sizes down while a new school is being built. “There has been no mismanagement of funds. The district made significant changes this year to improve discipline, student safety; and ELA and math proficiency,” Parks said.

This is the third recall effort in the district since 2021. The effort in 2021 was against two board members and did not go to a vote. The effort in 2023 was against one board member and also did not go to a vote.

Learn more about this recall here. 

Extracurricular: education news from around the web

This section contains links to recent education-related articles from around the internet. If you know of a story we should be reading, reply to this email to share it with us! 

• 5 Ways Schools Are Directly Feeling the Federal Funding Chaos | Education Week
• Humble ISD board appoints incumbent Ken Kirchhofer as trustee despite his loss in May election | Houston Public Media
• Could an AI-Driven ‘Job Apocalypse’ Push the Best and Brightest into Teaching? | The 74
• Is LAUSD’s cellphone ban working? Here’s what we know after one semester | LAist
• Rural LGBTQ+ youth less likely to say schools are supportive | K-12 Dive
• A school district’s debate over dress codes and clubs shows how politics is shaping routine policies | Minnesota Star Tribune
• U.S. Senate passes bill to reauthorize funding for rural Oregon, Idaho schools | Oregon Capital Chronicle
• Court blocks Louisiana law requiring schools to post Ten Commandments in classrooms | NPR

Take our Candidate Connection survey to reach voters in your district

Today, we’re looking at survey responses from school board candidates in Washington and Ohio. 

Aspen Richter is one of three candidates, including incumbent Mark W. Stuart and Kim Martin, running in the Aug. 5 primary for District 4 on the Lake Washington School District school board. The district, located northeast of Seattle, is the second-largest in Washington, with approximately 30,000 students. 

Kimberley Mason is one of six candidates running in the Nov. 4 general election for three seats on the Columbus City Schools school board. Ten candidates ran in the primary on May 6. The Columbus City School District is the largest in Ohio, with roughly 45,000 students.

Here’s how Richter answered the question, “What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?”

“Within education, my interests are in highly capable education, STEM education, career and technical education, special education, and areas such as universal design for learning and trauma-informed pedagogy. A single, monolithic way of teaching doesn’t work for all students. We need ways to support every learner in the community.

I also have personal policy interests in sustainable development, land use, environmental policy, solid waste and waste water management, and transit. I am also deeply interested in the innovation and efficiencies that can be achieved when schools, municipalities, and local organizations work together. I believe I bring an important and forward-thinking perspective on school siting and construction to the board.”

Click here to read the rest of Richter’s responses. 

Here’s how Mason answered the question, “What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?”

“I recognize the importance of advocating for mental health resources, expanding access to financial literacy, and ensuring equitable educational opportunities. My diverse experience enables them to approach challenges holistically and develop practical, informed solutions that reflect the community’s values and needs.”

Click here to read the rest of Mason’s responses.

In the 2024 election cycle, 6,539 candidates completed the survey, including over 500 school board candidates. 

If you’re a school board candidate or incumbent, click here to take the survey.