August 18th
1000 MORE's weekly nonpartisan roundup of the most important happenings in federal government, written in a way that doesn't require a law degree to understand, with tools to take action
August 18, 2023
MORE POWER's Back to School edition, featuring top bills on the Hill that impact education:
Conservative Education Reforms
Civil Rights Protections in Education
Veteran Higher Education Access
Banning TikTok on Campus
Sports in Schools
Conservative Education Reforms
Far-right organization PragerU has been working to get its K-12 curriculum in schools around the country. Teachers' groups are pointing to its “logical fallacies,” meaning that the lessons may sound like they make sense, but if you are educated on the topic, you would know they were not factual.
While the Florida Board of Education has approved the curriculum, New Hampshire’s Board of Education decided against it due to comments from the public.
Here are bills that conservatives are working to pass at the federal level:
Terminate the Department of Education: this bill would shutdown the federal Department of Education, gutting equity and student loan support programs.
Schools Not Shelters Act: this bill would prevent state and local jurisdictions from using school buildings that receive federal funds as temporary housing for migrants.
Parents Bill of Rights: this bill would codify parental notification requirements, including gender pronoun changes.
You can use the links above to read about the bills and take action.
Civil Rights Protections in Education
Education officials in Arkansas said the College Board’s AP African American Studies class will not count toward credit to graduate. Students at Florida’s New College are suing the state over its new higher education policies that limit teaching on systemic racism and other systems of oppression on the grounds that the policies violate students’ first amendment rights.
Meanwhile in New York, advocates are pushing for migrant students' inclusion in classrooms and in Oregon, the new head of the Department of Education is pushing for students to get back on track after COVID, while advocating for a more diverse teaching staff.
All of these state issues impact the civil rights of students. At the federal level, there is a bill that Congress could pass to protect students’ rights called the Justice for All Act. This bill would protect people from discrimination based on (actual or perceived) race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, or national origin, including in education. Congress will only vote on the bill with pressure from the public.
Veteran Higher Ed Access
Congress has been moving in a bipartisan manner to pass bills that would help increase veterans’ access to higher education, including:
H.R. 502, To ensure that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs repays members of the Armed Forces for certain contributions: this bill would close a loophole keeping some service members from getting a refund on education fees they paid during the first 12 months of service.
VET-TEC Authorization Act: this bill would make a temporary program to help veterans get the education and training they need for high tech jobs permanent.
You can use the links above to read about the bills and take action.
Banning TikTok on Campus
News on Congressional action to ban TikTok continues to circulate on social media. One bill in particular would ban the platform at colleges and universities: the Terminate TikTok on Campus Act. This bill would withhold federal money from higher education institutions unless the school banned the use of TikTok on all school-issued devices.
Sports in Schools
Around the country, conservative activists have been pushing bills to ban trans girls from participating in school sports alongside their peers, saying inclusion unfairly disadvantages athletes who are not trans due to claims over the biological differences between the two sexes.
While LGBTQ+ rights activists condemn these bills on that point alone, wider questions remain around the bills’ enforcement. Some legislation at the state level would require doctors or other professionals to conduct genitalia checks on all child athletes to prevent trans girls from joining girls’ teams, leading to questions around the potential for abuse and violations of civil rights.
At the federal level, the House passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act this spring. While the bill does not explicitly call for child genitalia checks, there is little doubt among many parents that these would be rolled out soon after its enactment. The Republican-controlled House passed the bill this spring. It is currently in the Senate.
What Congress Passed This Week
Nothing. They are still on recess.
What POTUS Signed Into Law This Week
Nada.
