Author: Katharine Frey
-
Virginia education agency proposes new history standards in public schools
The Virginia Department of Education proposed new standards on November 11, 2022, that aim to provide guidance to the state’s public schools on the Glenn Youngkin administration’s (R) preferred approaches to teaching Virginia and U.S. history. Every seven years, the Virginia Department of Education is required to update its History and Social Science Standards of…
-
Richland school board enacts new policy on race in U.S. history lessons
The Richland School Board in Washington state, which governs the 583rd largest school district in the country with 14,221 students, voted 4-1 on October 25, 2022, to adopt Policy 2360, which specifies how teachers can discuss race in U.S. history lessons. It is one of several recent responses to trends in curriculum development tracked on Ballotpedia.…
-
Arkansas school board requires students to use bathroom consistent with sex assigned at birth
The school board for the Conway School District in Arkansas on October 11, 2022, unanimously approved policies regarding gender identity in public schools. One of the policies requires that students use the restroom that matches their sex assigned at birth, though each district school must provide an accommodation to any individual who does not want…
-
Ohio school board passes resolution opposing state’s gender identity policy
The Toledo Public School District (TPS) in Ohio voted unanimously to pass a resolution on October 10, 2022, that rejects the Ohio State Board of Education’s (SBOE) resolution on gender identity policies in public schools. SBOE member Brendan Shea introduced the SBOE’s resolution on September 20, 2022, in opposition to the Biden administration’s (D) guidance…
-
Richmond school board passes transgender protection resolution in response to Virginia Department of Education’s transgender student policy
The Richmond City School Board, which oversees Richmond Public Schools (RPS) in Richmond, Virginia, voted 8-1 on October 2, 2022, to approve a resolution rejecting the Virginia Department of Education’s policy on transgender students. The policy, titled 2022 Model Policies On The Privacy, Dignity, And Respect For All Students And Parents In Virginia’s Public Schools,…
-
Texas State Board of Education approves changes to social studies curriculum
The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) on September 26, 2022, voted 8-5 to approve changes to public education curriculum guidelines that aim to align with the requirements set forth in Senate Bill 3 (SB 3) concerning instruction about race in social studies curriculum. Texas lawmakers passed SB 3 during a 2021 special session following…
-
Virginia education agency proposes policies to clarify approaches to transgender students in public schools
The Virginia Department of Education proposed new policies on September 16, 2022, that aim to provide guidance to the state’s public schools on the Youngkin administration’s preferred approaches to transgender students. The new policies depart from former Democratic Governor Ralph Northam’s administration guidelines, which encouraged schools to let students use names and pronouns aligning with…
-
Washington school board passes new curriculum guidelines on U.S. history and race topics
The Kennewick School Board in Washington state unanimously voted to adopt a new set of curriculum guidelines on August 24, 2022, that aim to restrict teachings on U.S. history and race. Kennewick School Board passed a new policy, known as Policy 2340, that would prohibit teachings that the U.S. is fundamentally or systemically racist or…
-
Texas school district limits discussions of race and gender, pronoun use, and certain books
The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District in Texas on August 22, 2022, approved a policy by a 4-3 vote that would limit classroom discussions of race and gender, pronoun use, and certain library materials. The approved policy: Allows educators to use pronouns that align with a student’s biological sex rather than their gender identity Prohibits transgender…
-
Parents sue Tennessee school district over curriculum including race and gender topics
A parent group on July 8, 2022, filed a lawsuit in the Twenty-First Judicial District against Tennessee education officials and the Williamson County school district for allegedly violating state laws restricting teachings on race and gender. Tennessee House Bill 580 aims to prohibit school districts from incorporating materials into the curriculum that portray the United…