Evangelical MAGA pastor Tony Suarez recently claimed that, in eastern Tennessee, there are "kitty litter boxes in the public schools for the girls that identify as furries." It's a regularly debunked right-wing lie that conservatives regularly resurrect as a way to build public opposition to transgender students and "woke" school policies.
Two sets of Catholic parents represented by the Thomas More Society say it caused schools to mislead them and secretly facilitate the children's social transition despite their objections. California argued that students have the right to privacy about their gender expression, especially if they fear rejection from their families, and school policies are aimed at striking a balance with parents' rights.
A ban on students using mobile phones during the school day has been backed by the House of Lords. A Tory amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill passed with 178 votes to 140, and comes just weeks after opposition peers supported legislation to ban under-16s in the UK from social media platforms. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has previously advised schools that they should be phone-free during school hours, but the guidance lacks legal force.
The general attitude was, 'Well, what are you going to do? The technology is here to stay. This is the way the kids connect. You can't fight the future,' Haidt tells TODAY.com after his broadcast appearance on Sept. 11. He has been advocating for a play-based childhood rather than a phone-based one.
These messages and dozens more like them could have been avoided had my daughter chatted with a classmate or waited to talk with me later. But just as objects in motion stay in motion, kids who have a cellphone use it. And my daughter has very much had hers while in school, when she's supposed to be focused on learning and engaging with the people around her.
Jamel Bishop is seeing a big change in his classrooms as he begins his senior year at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where cellphones are now banned during instructional time. In previous years, students often weren't paying attention and wasted class time by repeating questions, the teenager said. Now, teachers can provide "more one-on-one time for the students who actually need it." Kentucky is one of 17 states and the District of Columbia starting this school year with new restrictions, bringing the total to 35 states with laws or rules limiting phones and other electronic devices in school. This change has come remarkably quickly: Florida became the first state to pass such a law in 2023.
Labrador specifically referenced signs hung by Sarah Inama, a sixth grade history teacher at Lewis and Clark Middle School who went viral in March after she revealed that Ada School District administration ordered her to remove signs in her classroom that read "In This Room, Everyone Is Welcome, Important, Accepted, Respected, Encouraged, Valued, Equal," and "Everyone Is Welcome Here."
