When parents want to opt out of the Bible
Hello from Norah, Kalyn, and Erica on Chalkbeat’s national desk. Our big story this week looks at how a recent Supreme Court decision about parental opt-out rights might complicate one state’s rollout of a new Bible-infused curriculum.
We’ve also got stories about science teachers trying to preserve resources for climate education, the states asking for federal funds to be turned into block grants, and new recommendations around teacher safety.
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The big story
This past year, Republican-led states such as Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana have introduced more religion into public school classrooms, passing measures to require the display of the Ten Commandments in schools or teach the Bible in social studies and reading classes.
But efforts to infuse more religious content into public education may be complicated by a recent Supreme Court decision from the conservative majority. The ruling sided with religious parents in Maryland who sought to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum. Mahmoud v. Taylor laid the foundation for a constitutional right for parents to opt their children out of classroom instruction that potentially conflicts with their religious faith.
Meanwhile, Texas is rolling out its new K-5 Bluebonnet reading curriculum that heavily incorporates biblical stories. For example, a kindergarten reading lesson on sequencing asks kindergarteners to order the days in the Book of Genesis. A fifth grade art lesson on Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper directly cites the Book of Matthew.
Lisa Epstein, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council at the Jewish Federation of San Antonio, said some parents could construe certain Bluebonnet lessons as “obstructing or interfering with their right to the moral and religious [upbringing] of their child” and may wish to opt their children out of them.
“This is a sort of no-man’s land that we’re in,” one state board member told Chalkbeat. “We’ve never had instructional materials that have had this much religious content.”
But exercising the right to opt out comes with its own barriers, especially for parents with language barriers or those who simply don’t have the bandwidth to read through their child’s entire curriculum.
Moreover, for school districts in Texas that elect to adopt the new statewide reading curriculum, opt-out requests could create administrative burdens and increase teacher workloads.
“I do think the state of Texas is doing a disservice to public schools by having curriculum that so easily can connect to parents opting out and being very disruptive,” said David DeMatthews, a professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Texas and the director of the Cooperative Superintendency Program.
More national stories
Cuts to colleges and universities that serve a high share of students of color could lead to tuition hikes, reduced services, and closures. The Republican spending and tax bill that President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this month reduces funding for institutions of higher education that typically serve many Black, Hispanic, and Native American students — many of which are already underfunded. Some worry tribal colleges are especially at risk of closing, as they will also be hit by cuts to the Bureau of Indian Education.
Science teachers are scrambling to save what they can from a federal climate website — before it potentially disappears. Teachers who rely on Climate.gov to create lesson plans or prepare students for Advanced Placement tests worry the resource will be lost amid a broader effort to undermine climate science and education. The site won’t produce new content and the organization that makes its education resources is about to run out of money.
Two lawsuits are challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to bar undocumented children from Head Start. Twenty states, along with several state Head Start associations and parent groups, have filed complaints seeking to keep the 60-year-old early childhood program open to kids regardless of immigration status. States say the new rules misinterpret federal welfare law and will put excessive burdens on local programs, while providers say this is yet another program disruption on the heels of temporary funding freezes and layoffs.
The Trump administration restored funding for before- and after-school programs — but not before pushing some providers over the brink. Over a billion dollars went out to states on Monday, three weeks later than expected. The delay forced some after-school programs to close and ruptured relationships in communities that were counting on the funds. The Office of Management and Budget said it held back nearly $7 billion to conduct program reviews, alleging funds were being misspent. No findings of wrongdoing accompanied the release of the after-school money. But the office is still withholding over $5 billion for other K-12 programs, including money for English learners and teacher training.
Local stories to watch
Indiana plans to ask the federal government to turn multiple education funding streams into one lump sum. It’s one of several Republican-led states hoping to take advantage of the Trump administration’s interest in loosening rules and giving states more flexibility. State education leaders hope to consolidate money that currently supports specific programs related to professional development, after-school care, English learner education, and more.
A court order ended Texas’ in-state college tuition program for undocumented students, but a similar program in Colorado hasn’t been challenged — yet. A Trump executive order says charging students who live in state but aren’t citizens less for tuition than out-of-state students is discriminatory, and the administration has objected to programs of this kind in Kentucky and Minnesota. Twenty-three states, including Colorado, still have a program in place, and Colorado officials say they would defend their state law that permits this if there is a federal challenge.
Local leaders in Memphis say a state lawmaker’s offensive language is a symptom of a larger problem. Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor called Memphis Shelby-County school board members “dumbasses” and compared them to jock itch during an interview to promote legislation that would give the state more control over the district. Advocates in Memphis say that kind of language reflects a lack of respect and inflames tensions as city and state leaders debate the best course of action for students.
Colorado needs to do more to protect teachers from aggression from students, a task force said. The state should expand access to special therapeutic schools for students with serious behavior needs, the group recommended. And districts should train all staff in de-escalation and provide more support for teachers after an incident. “We heard over and over again people feeling like this has become normalized,” the director of the Colorado Office of School Safety said. “That people are expected to expect getting hurt on the job. And we don’t think that is what should be.”
Did you know?
4.2%
That’s how much public school enrollment declined in Massachusetts between fall 2019 and fall 2024 — twice as much as predicted prior to the pandemic, according to a new analysis published in Education Next.
By contrast, enrollment in private schools was expected to drop 16%, but fell only 3%. Homeschooling was expected to rise 7% over that time, but actually shot up by 51%. The results suggest enrollment shifts due to the pandemic have had lasting impacts, the researchers wrote.
Quote of the week
“These people, these day care providers, sitters, they are a form of family members for me and my children.”
That was Tamia Riley, the mother of two boys with autism, who spoke with The 19th about the deportation of her child care provider, Nicolle Orozco Forero.
Orozco Forero’s case has rattled child care workers across the country, about 20% of whom are immigrant women, and left the families she worked for in freefall.
Many parents of children with disabilities are unable to find care, as there are few people with the ability, expertise, and desire to work with their kids. Orozco Forero was the rare provider who had experience working with children with autism in her native Colombia.