The Online Newspaper of Education Rights
This Edition: June 2024
Furries in Schools: Fact or Fiction?
The average person has probably never heard of animal “furries,” which in this context refers to people, including children, who identify as cats, dogs, and other animals. Some reportedly believe, at least to an extent, that they actually are the animals they portray, wearing the requisite costumes and adopting the animal’s behaviors.
In April 2022 on his online show, Dr Duke Pesta discussed the topic of furries in Wisconsin schools with conservative radio host Vicki McKenna, who assured listeners: “This is real. This is happening. Kids can identify themselves as ‘furries,’ — as an identity — and their behavior is protected.” The furries’ behavior can include biting, scratching, pouncing, crawling or scooting on all fours, barking, meowing, growling, licking, hissing, rubbing up against other students’ legs, and more. (Unfortunately, this episode has been taken down, but is referenced in the May 2, 2024 Dr. Duke show; link is included later in this article — Ed.)
MoreSexualized ‘Suicide Prevention’ Programs Endanger Kids
Last August, founder and president of Moms for America, Kimberly Fletcher, raised the question of whether so-called “suicide prevention programs” in schools actually work or merely confuse already confused and troubled children. She shared her concerns in an article on the Moms for America website, which also appeared on Townhall.com.
The article provides information on “new programs aimed at confusing children and exposing them to mature and inappropriate content without their parents’ knowledge or consent,” as documented by Brenda Lebsack, a 25-year veteran of California’s public schools. Lebsack is the founder of the parent advocacy organization Brenda4Kids, which aims to “pull back the curtain on what’s really going on in public education.” Lebsack agrees that parents “have been left in the dark about many changes concerning educational content, laws, policies, and the fast erosion of parental rights.”
MoreWorried DOJ Tracking Moms for Liberty
The powerhouse education policy organization Moms for Liberty has apparently struck a nerve with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) after having proven itself a thorn in the side of the Biden Administration with its phenomenal success on behalf of parents’ rights. Indeed, the organization has been inciting ire and angst within the federal government for three years due to its rapid growth in membership (115,000 plus) and state chapters (45 and counting).
Last month, reports surfaced in conservative media that the DOJ’s “hate crimes” response unit was tracking the moms in the same way it tracks the Ku Klux Klan and other bonafide terrorist groups.
MoreWhat Books Should Kids be Reading?
(Fifth in our series of recommended reading lists for children of all ages. We will continue this feature in Education Reporter until all our lists have been republished. — Ed.)
Classic children’s books are scarcely to be found in school classrooms and libraries today, so parents must ensure that their kids are reading books that educate, absorb, and entertain in a manner that stimulates curiosity and increases the child’s eagerness to learn about the world.
More
Book Review
Winning America’s
Second Civil War
by Dr. Jeffrey E. Paul,
Encounter Books, 2023
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Briefs
- According to multiple sources, including the The College Fix, a second ruling by a federal judge on June 17 has blocked in six more states President Biden’s attempt to rewrite Title IX by adding gender identity.
- The Colorado Education Association (CEA) passed a resolution at its assembly last year assembly declaring that “capitalism inherently exploits children, public schools, land, labor, and resources.”
- Texas appears poised to enact a substantive school choice program in 2025.
- A former Missouri state representative posted the following analysis on Facebook of why America is experiencing its current crisis in education and the culture in general; or, as the original author, Rev. T.B. McLeod put it in 1904, “the common destiny of all things godless.” More
Be Our Guest:
Contributing Author Essays
American Education Needs a
Pro-Parent Overhaul
Originally published by Newsweek.com, April 16, 2024. Reprinted by permission.
With millions of families fleeing public schools in recent years and millions more set to join the exodus in the years ahead, the debate around public education is shifting dramatically. That is bad news for the education establishment. But it can be great news for children—and the country.
While Americans once argued about how best to fix the system, today’s discussions—especially among conservatives and Christians—often revolve around finding the fastest way to get children out. Almost two-thirds of Americans are dissatisfied with the quality of public education. Even liberals are rapidly losing trust in the schools.
By Alex Newman, Newsweek.com
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Education Related Links
There are only so many topics we can include in each monthly issue of Education Reporter. So, we are providing links to some additional stories we think may be of interest to our readers.
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