by Corinne Murdock | Aug 7, 2021 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
The Goldwater Institute announced Thursday that it will represent a mother sued by the National Education Association (NEA) for daring to look into her school’s curriculum. The NEA is the largest teachers unions in the nation, with over $300 million to spend.
The Rhode Island mother, Nicole Solas, was slapped with the lawsuit on Monday. The NEA requested that the court prohibit the release of the records Solas sought. They alleged in their lawsuit that those records would cause teachers to be targeted and harassed by conservatives. Solas sought records pertaining to the teaching of critical race theory and gender theory, among other controversial topics.
“It is anticipated that teacher records will be produced that will be of a personal nature and will contain the identities of the teachers engaged in the personal communication as well as other communications that relate to the personal issues, disciplinary issues, performance issues, medical issues and issues not related to the official business of the School Department,” wrote the NEA. “[T]eacher emails will be produced that may or will continue discussion about critical race theory curriculum or other issues of ‘interest’ to the requestors that will contain individual teachers’ names and personally identifying information. Given the circumstances of the requests, it is likely that any teachers who are identifiable and have engaged in discussion about things like critical race theory will then be the subject of teacher harassment by national conservative groups opposed to critical race theory.”
Further, the NEA argued that not all records kept by public bodies were public record. It added that redaction of those records wasn’t always sufficient to ensure privacy.
In a press release, Goldwater Institute National Litigation Director Jon Riches assessed that this lawsuit is contrary to Solas’s rights as a parent and citizen.
“This brazen and unprecedented act of intimidation by the NEA will not stand,” said Riches. “Nicole Solas is entitled to know what her daughter’s school is teaching in the classroom. She’s entitled to ask questions. And she does not deserve to face legal action just for asking questions any concerned parent would ask.”
The debacle began when Solas submitted open records requests to her district this spring about the curriculum exposed to her daughter, as well as teacher correspondence
Ultimately, the district said it would cost Solas $74,000 to obtain the records. District policy states that they may charge 15 cents per page, and/or $15 per hour after the first hour of records retrieval. If the district was charging by the hour alone, it would take them a little over 4,900 hours, or 548 days (estimated based on 9 hour work days).
The lawsuit noted that the district released 6,500 pages of documents. That would cost about $975.
Solas hasn’t been discouraged by the lawsuit. Rather, she said that this would only help to further her cause for transparency.
“The NEA is so determined to push its political agenda that they are willing to expose themselves in a court of law for who they really are: an association of bullies eager to challenge a stay-at-home mom who simply wanted to know what her daughter would be taught,” said Solas. “This lawsuit won’t deter me from asking questions, and I encourage all parents to do the same, so that they are empowered to make informed decisions regarding their children’s education.”
The local NEA chapters, the National Education Association of Rhode Island (NEARI) and the National Education Association South Kingstown (NEASK), filed the lawsuit.
NEARI Deputy Executive Director Jennifer Azevedo said that NEA supports open records but believes that the interests of privacy outweigh the public interest in this case.
“We are asking the Court to conduct a balancing test to determine whether our members’ privacy rights outweigh the public interest,” said Azevedo. “We believe they do, and those records should either not be disclosed or should be redacted accordingly.
The NEA also named the school committee of Solas’s district, South Kingstown School District, as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinnejournalist@gmail.com.
by Terri Jo Neff | Aug 7, 2021 | Education, News
By Terri Jo Neff |
In March, the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) released a report on the pandemic’s impact across rural America, particularly after millions of people were forced to conduct most of their daily life, business, and education online.
“Never before has reliable access to high-speed internet been as important as it has been during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said FRS Executive Director Pam Becker. “Broadband connects us to our work, education, health care, government programs and—most importantly—one another.
In rural Arizona, the pandemic made it apparent that Internet “is quickly becoming the fourth utility and a necessity right along with gas, electricity, and water,” according to Heather Floyd, spokesperson for Valley TeleCom Group (VTC). “The pandemic only increased the speed that society moved to depending on Internet to facilitate our day to day lives.”
VTC started as a telephone cooperative serving southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico in the 1960s. Over the years, its service area has expanded to provide phone and Internet service to more than 20 rural communities spread over thousands of square miles, many of which are in mountainous areas.
For the past five years, the company proactively installed fiber Internet technology to all the schools in its service area. When COVID-19 and its various lockdowns hit last year, the disparity between Internet service in Arizona’s rural and metropolitan areas became more glaring, particularly for kids forced into remote learning, said Floyd.
VTC officials stepped up and implemented a number of activities in response to COVID-19, including providing free Internet service for 40 homes from April to June 2020, installing 8 WiFi Hotspots throughout its territory, and offering discounted service for 37 households.
Then in May of this year, VTC got on board with the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBBP) which provided $10,000 each to 10 school district in the company’s service territory for the purchase of laptops and tablets for students doing in-home learning.
But VTC isn’t resting on its laurels, according to Floyd.
This school year, company officials continue to facilitate opportunities for students in VTC’s service communities, including providing 17 schools and 7 libraries with fiber internet, considered the best level of service. Also being continued is VTC’s involvement with the FCC’s EBBP which will provide a discount of up to $50 a month for households struggling to pay for Internet.
Schools within VTC’s service area also have a new tool -the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF)- for providing in-home Internet access for students and teachers. ECF reimburses schools for equipment and internet access for those who need Internet connections placed in their homes.
And another option became available Aug. 1 for students unable to sign up for ECF, Floyd said. The option, Discounted Access for Student Homework (DASH), provides Internet service for students at only $29.95 per month. DASH, which is designed for educational use, is filtered to comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), so many entertainment websites are blocked.
More information about VTC’s programs can be found at https://www.vtc.net
by Corinne Murdock | Jul 31, 2021 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) announced on Friday that they would ignore state law and implement a mask mandate, effective Monday – the first day of classes. PXU blamed the increased spread of the Delta variant for the restored mask mandate. The district said it would prioritize the new CDC guidance over the law.
“We teach and trust science, follow guidelines and recommendations from health experts, and use health data to drive our decisions. The science is clear that the best way to protect yourself and your family from COVID-19 and known variants is to get vaccinated,” announced PXU. “In an effort to protect our staff, students, and community, PXU has a good faith belief that the following guidance from the CDC and other health agencies regarding mitigation strategies is imperative. Therefore, Phoenix Union will begin the school year on August 2 enforcing our existing Board-adopted mask requirement of universal indoor masking only, regardless of vaccination status.”
In a subsequent interview, PXU Superintendent Chad Gestson echoed the rationale offered in the announcement letter. He asserted that science was more important than the law.
“We’ve been faced with so many challenging decisions,” said Gestson. “And I think what’s been most challenging is that we are institutions that teach science and trust science and from time to time are forced to make a decision that maybe conflicts with state law or state mandate or an executive order in order to follow science and medical guidelines. We have said from day one that we would always prioritize the health and safety of our community.”
The state ban on mask mandates was effective as of June 30, per a retroactivity clause. Ducey’s spokespersons responded in emails that PXU’s mandate was unenforceable.
Governor Ducey believes the decision by Phoenix Union requiring masks has no teeth. It’s not allowed under Arizona law. It’s unenforceable. Arizona is not anti-mask, we’re anti-mask mandate. As the governor has often said, mask usage is up to parents. If a parent wants their child to wear a mask at school, they are free to do so. This is not a state decision. Ultimately, this is about personal responsibility and parental choice – something Arizona has long-supported. School administrators should be doing everything they can to encourage eligible students and staff to get vaccinated, not break state law. Health professionals in Arizona and across the country have made it clear: our kids are safe in the classroom. We need to keep students in their classrooms, and the governor wants to ensure there are limited disruptions when it comes to their education. Arizona is not going to mandate masks in any learning environment.
On Tuesday, Ducey responded to the updated CDC guidance recommending that everyone wear masks, including fully vaccinated individuals. He reiterated that Arizona law doesn’t allow mask mandates, vaccine mandates, vaccine passports, or any level of discrimination in schools based on vaccination status. Ducey called the CDC’s updated guidance an example of the Biden Administration’s failure in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Public heatlh officials in Arizona and across the country have made it clear that the best protection against COVID-19 is the vaccine,” asserted Ducey. “Today’s announcement by the CDC will unfortunately only diminish confidence in the vaccine and create more challenges for public health officials – people who have worked tirelessly to increase vaccination rates.”
Ducey has yet to issue a formal statement on PXU’s mask mandate.
Corinne Murdock is a contributing reporter for AZ Free News. In her free time, she works on her books and podcasts. Follow her on Twitter, @CorinneMurdock or email tips to corinnejournalist@gmail.com
by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Jul 30, 2021 | Education, Opinion
By the Free Enterprise Club |
Sometimes, it’s not just what the media says. It’s what they don’t say.
Last week, the Arizona Auditor General concluded its financial investigation into Higley Unified School District (HUSD). And the findings of the report are mind blowing.
The Auditor General found that HUSD’s former superintendent Dr. Denise Birdwell, may have conspired with employees of Education Facilities Development Services (EFDS), along with Hunt & Caraway’s former president, to circumvent school district procurement rules to improperly award Higley’s $2,557,125 Project development services contract to EFDS.
But if you thought that was bad, there’s more. The report also alleges that Dr. Birdwell misused public monies when she authorized or caused the unlawful use of $6 million in restricted public funds toward construction of two new schools. And to top it all off, Dr. Birdwell, along with Gary Aller and Steven Nielsen from EFDS, appear to have concealed their wrongdoing by certifying false information on Higley records.
A State Grand Jury indicted Dr. Birdwell on 18 felony counts. In addition, Gary Aller, Steven Nielsen, and Kay Hartwell Hunnicutt (who shared a home and checking account with Dr. Birdwell) were indicted on three felony counts each…
>>> READ MORE >>>
by Goldwater Institute | Jul 29, 2021 | Education, Opinion
By the Goldwater Institute |
The public’s business should be open to the public. And under Rhode Island law, it is. Yet when mom Nicole Solas sought to attend the meeting of a publicly funded committee that meets weekly to discuss and make recommendations on policies that apply across her daughter’s school district, she was told that the meeting was closed and parents were not welcome.
Now, the Goldwater Institute is pushing back: We’ve joined with the Stephen Hopkins Center for Civil Rights in Rhode Island to represent Nicole in a complaint before the state attorney general asserting that the school district has violated Rhode Island’s Open Meetings Act (OMA) by closing these meetings to the public.
Rhode Island’s OMA was enacted to ensure that “public business be performed in an open and public manner and that the citizens be advised of and aware of the performance of public officials and the deliberations and decisions that go into the making of public policy.” The presumption under that law is always in favor of public access.
Yet in March 2021, the South Kingstown School Committee signed an agreement with the South Kingstown BIPOC Advisory Board to hold weekly meetings where district policies ranging from student discipline to coaching to hiring would be discussed and where recommendations would be made on those issues by the Board to the School Committee. In other words, the Board was charged with advisory power by the School Committee over matters of significant public interest—the education of South Kingstown’s youth. The Board is also publicly funded with taxpayer dollars by the School Committee, and two members of the School Committee’s subcommittee on policy sit on the Board.
>>> READ MORE >>>
by AZ Free News | Jul 28, 2021 | Education, News
PHOENIX, AZ — Governor Doug Ducey urged Arizona’s Congressional Delegation to oppose federal legislation that will jeopardize critical funding the state’s public charter schools receive and put thousands of students at risk.
“I am writing to bring your attention to a hugely problematic section of the Fiscal Year 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Funding Bill. Section 314 of this legislation could have catastrophic effects on public charter schools in Arizona and throughout the nation,” Ducey wrote to Arizona’s two U.S. Senators and nine U.S. Representatives.
The legislation singles out public charter schools and threatens them with the potential loss of all of their federal funds if they contract with private companies for any services, with language stating: None of the funds made available by this Act or any other Act may be awarded to a charter school that contracts with a for-profit entity to operate, oversee or manage the activities of the school.
“This means that many of Arizona’s more than 230,000 public charter school students could be at risk of their school shutting down,” Governor Ducey states in the letter. “They educate over 21% of all public K-12 students in Arizona, the highest percentage in the country. It is unthinkable that support for public charter schools could be put at risk at all, much less as we are emerging from over a year’s worth of academic disruption brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Arizona Charter Schools Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and members of the Arizona State Legislature have also voiced concerns regarding Section 314 of the Fiscal Year 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Funding Bill.
