“Leandro v. The State of North Carolina was first brought before the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1994. Fast forward almost 30 years later to March 2022 and Leandro is back on the docket of the state’s highest court. The Leandro litigation team brought to the courtroom a sense of deja vu, again arguing that the state of North Carolina was violating its students’ right to a sound education by underfunding its public education system.”
“In 2021, Governor Roy Cooper, also a Democrat, proposed a budget that would have allocated $1.7 billion to fund a two-year remedial action plan for North Carolina schools, but the funding fell short. Since late 2021, Lee has again been pushing for the state to fund the Leandro plan, but the Republican-controlled legislature is reluctant to appropriate money on the basis of a court order, which they consider a constitutional overreach, as the legislature is endowed with the power of the purse, not the judicial system.”
Read More“Janice Robinson, the North Carolina director for Red, Wine, and Blue, an Ohio-based organization that supports local moms and seeks to prevent book bans, believes that the concerns about explicit material are ‘just a smokescreen for the anti-CRT.’ What book bans are actually doing, claims Ms. Robinson, is allowing the "right wing" to push "their political agenda at the expense of our kids," as they are unable to use literature to encounter uncomfortable experiences of those outside their community, which would prepare them for life beyond the classroom.”
Read More“Many states with Republican governors have already ended the mask mandates and now some states with Democrat governors are following suit. There is evidence supporting claims that masks are not effective for young children and therefore there is no need for them. Additionally, there is evidence that shows that masks have harmed children in both educational and social development. Due to this impact, states are having to reevaluate the cost of wearing masks and if the benefits of masks outweigh the educational and social development of children.”
Read More“The letter to the Commission, referenced earlier in the article, that recommended rejection of the vaccine mandate did include, however, the caveat that "the Commission could consider adding a COVID-19 vaccine to the childhood immunization schedule at a later date." But, observing the repealing of mask mandates, the plummeting daily COVID cases, the opposition from state officials on all sides of the aisle, and the objections from state health officials, it seems highly unlikely that the Commission will institute a mandate for Covid-19 vaccines for school-aged children in North Carolina.”
Read More“Despite his historic opposition to school choice, Governor Roy Cooper recently issued a proclamation naming the week of January 24-29, 2022 as “School Choice Week.” However, Cooper has not taken any further policy action to confirm a sudden switch in position to supporting school choice, nor has he spoken about his rationale for issuing a proclamation designed to increase the visibility of school choice.”
Read More“Two weeks ago, Governor Roy Cooper announced that North Carolina’s more than 80,000 state employees will have the opportunity to use paid leave to staff public schools in the state. What is the problem in NC schools?”
Read More“Kids are only in school once, and these beginning years are formative in them becoming capable and functioning adults. In fact, the education that staffing shortages are robbing kids of is considered so fundamental that the North Carolina Constitution recognizes that "the people have a right to the privilege of education.”
Read More“Overall, while North Carolinians may agree that public education is lacking in the state, there still is much debate to be had surrounding the funding of improvements.”
Read More“In a viral video, North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is seen making homophobic and transphobic comments, saying children should not be taught about “transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth.” Robinson faced significant backlash for his comments, including condemnations from the White House and Governor Roy Cooper.”
Read More“Decreased funding for public education in North Carolina is only one example of the much larger issue of school privatization. Yet, it is the most pressing because it directly affects students in the classroom. As legislators continue to view charter schools as an adequate alternative to traditional public schools, the public schools across the state suffer.”
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