The order directs Virginia’s Department of Education to help public schools create policies establishing what he calls “cell phone-free education.”
The state is putting $500,000 toward working with parents, students, teachers and community members to develop age-appropriate restrictions during instructional time. They will also develop protocols to help parents contact their kids if there’s an emergency.
We’re establishing cell phone-free education in schools benefiting students, parents and educators across Virginia. This essential action will promote a healthier educational environment where every child is free to learn. https://t.co/A6CA7htBt1
— Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) July 9, 2024
The order cites a teen mental health crisis and deteriorating academic achievement over the last decade as being partly driven by extensive social media and cellphone use. It also said the move will ensure kids spend less time on their phones without parental supervision.
In May, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on the effects social media has on youth mental health. He’s also pushing to require tobacco-style warning labels on social media sites and apps.
Other states have taken similar action when it comes to phones in classrooms.
In 2023, Florida became the first state to prohibit the use of cellphones or other wireless devices during “instructional time” for K-12 students. In March, Indiana passed a law banning cellphones in class starting this upcoming school year.
Los Angeles Unified School District leaders recently took up a measure to ban cellphones and social media during instruction time. After that, California’s governor said he would also support a statewide ban. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, is set to announce a bill to ban cellphones in schools later in 2024.
Ohio’s governor also signed a new law in May that doesn’t go as far as to ban phones from classrooms, but it does require all districts create policies that seek to “minimize students’ use of cellphones.” Alabama’s state Board of Education passed a resolution earlier this year to “strongly encourage” districts to limit cellphone use in schools.
Similarly, Utah’s governor sent a letter to his state’s board of education about his concerns over cellphone use in class and said he’d support a ban on the devices in schools.
Federal lawmakers have also taken up the fight, although a federal ban on cellphones in schools is highly unlikely.
In November, Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., filed a bill calling for a federal study on how cellphone use in schools is affecting students’ academic performance and mental health.
Johns Hopkins Medical School receives $1 billion gift to diversify health care field
Johns Hopkins Medical School will no longer charge tuition for a significant portion of its students, following a $1 billion donation from Michael Bloomberg. The billionaire philanthropist and former New York governor aims to tackle issues of accessibility and diversity within the health care field through the contribution.
The donation, made through Bloomberg Philanthropies, is set to benefit medical students whose families earn less than $300,000 annually. For those from families earning under $175,000, the support extends beyond tuition to cover living expenses and fees, effectively removing substantial financial barriers that often deter students from pursuing medical careers.
“By reducing the financial barriers to these essential fields, we can free more students to pursue careers they’re passionate about and enable them to serve more of the families and communities who need them the most,” Bloomberg said in a statement.
Johns Hopkins University affirmed that every dollar of the donation will directly support students, underscoring a commitment to equity and accessibility in medical training. This move follows a similar initiative earlier this year at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where philanthropist Ruth Gottesman also donated $1 billion to ensure tuition-free education with a focus on diversity and inclusion.
Only about 1/3 of Americans think college is worth it
More Americans are losing confidence that a college degree is actually worth it. A new Gallup poll shows only about a third of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “a lot” of confidence in higher education, down significantly over the past decade.
In 2015, 57% had a lot of confidence in higher education.
The amount of people who have little or no confidence in the U.S. college system is on the rise as another third of people said they feel that way. Only 10% had little or no confidence in 2015.
According to the recent Gallup survey, lower levels of confidence in higher education stem primarily from concerns in three areas: too much focus on political agendas, failing to teach relevant skills and being too expensive.
However, a separate Gallup poll found confidence in two-year schools is going up. About half of respondents (48%) said they had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in community colleges compared to four-year colleges and universities.
The differences were also dramatic. For instance, 58% of Americans have high confidence two-year schools provide an affordable education, while only 11% agree with that about four-year schools. And more than half (55%) say a degree from a two-year college is worth it, compared to only 18% who feel that way about four-year universities.
The waning view of whether college is worth the time and money is consistent across all demographics, including gender, age and political affiliation.
Judge rules students may sue US gov’t over fake university created by ICE
In a recent ruling, a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court determined that foreign students who were duped into enrolling at a fake college in Michigan set up by federal agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have the right to sue the U.S. government. ICE officials established the fictitious University of Farmington in 2015 as an undercover operation to target students suspected of illegally extending their visas.
The university had a fabricated office, website and an admissions process that closely resembled legitimate institutions.
Hundreds of students, primarily from India and legally residing in the country, enrolled at what they believed was the University of Farmington, hoping to pursue studies in technology and science. However, in 2020, the government arrested and deported nearly 250 of these students.
Despite being legally present on F-1 student visas, these students were scammed out of more than $11,000 in tuition fees. One student, Teja Ravi, paid $12,500 to the fake university after contacting it in the fall of 2018. He neither attended any classes nor completed assignments.
The decision states the student “was unaware that the university was not a university at all but had been formed and advertised to offer educational services for money — though not actually provide them — as an undercover operation of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to target fraud involving student visas. the government’s operation eventually came to light but the government neither provided the paid-for education nor gave Mr. Ravi his money back.”
Lawyers representing the students argue that they were falsely led to believe the school was legitimate. The ICE website even listed the University of Farmington among schools approved by the U.S. government for foreign students.
Approximately 600 students lost their visas and some were held in immigration detention centers, according to lawyers. Despite the court ruling, the Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to the court’s decision.
Biden issues warning after immunity ruling as Trump looks to overturn conviction
Reaction from President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump after the Supreme Court’s historic ruling on presidential immunity. And Hurricane Beryl strengthens to a Category 5 as it approaches Jamaica. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Biden issues warning after SCOTUS ruling as Trump looks to overturn conviction
In a landmark 6-3 vote along ideological lines the Supreme Court justices ruled Monday, July 1, that former President Donald Trump is entitled to immunity for official acts he took while in office. The effects of the court’s decision will be seen in the coming days.
The high court’s ruling gave Trump some immunity from being criminally prosecuted on charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 election, however, it did not totally dismiss Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case. The former president is reportedly looking to have his New York trial conviction overturned based on the Supreme Court’s decision.
According to Trump’s legal team, the Manhattan jury’s verdict that found him guilty of falsifying business records should be overturned because the jurors saw evidence during trial that they now consider to be protected. Trump’s lawyers are seeking a delay in Trump’s sentencing so they can have more time to make their case. Trump’s sentencing is currently scheduled for July 11.
In the Supreme Court’s opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “The president is not above the law. But … the president may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers.”
After that decision came down, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social saying, “Big win for our Constitution and democracy. Proud to be an American.”
BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 1, 2024
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden decided the historic ruling warranted a primetime address. In it, he warned of what he called a “dangerous precedent.”
Biden calling the ruling a, “disservice to the people of this nation,” saying the decision means there are “virtually no limits on what a president can do.”
“This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America,” the president said. “Each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law, not even the President of the United States. [With] today’s Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, that fundamentally changed for all practical purposes.”
Biden repeated Justice Sonia Sotomayer’s dissent, saying the ruling makes the president “now a king above the law.”
In response, Trump posted that the primetime address was just meant to deflect from Biden’s “horrible campaign performance.”
Steve Bannon begins 4-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress
“I’m proud to go to prison,” he said in a press conference before turning himself over to authorities. “I am proud of going to prison today.”
The longtime Trump ally was convicted of contempt for defying a congressional subpoena from the committee that probed the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.
“If this is what it takes to stand up to tyranny, if that’s what it takes to stand up to the [Attorney General Merrick] Garland corrupt criminal DOJ, if this is what it takes to stand up to Nancy Pelosi, if this is what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden, I’m proud to do it,” Bannon said. “I was on a destroyer for four years in the Navy. I am prepared for whatever prison has, right? Our prisons are run very well. The Bureau of Prisons does a great job. I’m prepared to do this, whatever task I do, I’m totally prepared mentally, physically, everything, for prison.”
In an interview Monday, former President Trump blamed President Biden for what he claims is a “weaponization” of the justice system, saying Biden is “going to pay a big price” for it. Trump’s campaign told ABC News Trump’s statement meant Biden will lose the election come November.
Iran, Syria, North Korea sued in connection with Oct. 7 Israel attack
More than 100 victims and families of victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel are suing Iran, Syria and North Korea. They said the countries provided the terrorist organization the money, weapons and instruction to carry out the deadly attack.
📢 BREAKING: ADL filed a federal lawsuit today against Iran, Syria and North Korea for providing material support to Hamas to commit atrocities in Israel on Oct 7, 2023. These state sponsors of terror must be held accountable. 🧵https://t.co/hfIcxLKyz5pic.twitter.com/CUdQWDhQJ5
The lawsuit, which was filed in a New York court, seeks at least $4 billion in damages for the attack. The suit was filed by the Anti-Defamation League — a Jewish advocacy organization — and is the largest case against foreign countries in connection with the attack.
This comes as the Israeli army ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from much of the southern Gaza city Khan Younis on Monday, July 1, signaling troops are likely to launch a new ground assault into the strip’s second-largest city.
The call to move toward the Al Mawasi Humanitarian Zone does not apply to the patients in the European Hospital or the medical staff working there.
There is no intention to evacuate the European Hospital in the Khan Yunis area. https://t.co/MditW1DJ9g
Hurricane Beryl now a Category 5 storm, heads for Jamaica
Hurricane Beryl is now a Category 5 storm. This is the earliest on record that a hurricane in the Atlantic has reached the highest category there is, with wind speeds above 160 miles per hour.
— NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (@NOAA_HurrHunter) July 1, 2024
It made landfall on the Caribbean’s Windward Islands on Monday as a Category 4 storm. Many are still without power or water and at least one death has been reported.
Beryl is only the second Category 5 Atlantic storm to be recorded in July.
Biden student loan repayment plan allowed to proceed
In a small victory for the Biden administration, a federal appeals court will allow the Department of Education to move forward with lowering millions of student loan borrowers’ monthly payments in July. The move comes as the administration faces two legal battles over the repayment plan known as SAVE, which launched in 2023.
A federal judge in Kansas issued an injunction blocking the plan from taking effect on July 1. The Department of Justice quickly appealed.
New: The 10th Circuit has GRANTED @usedgov's request to stay the Kansas court's decision to block parts of the SAVE plan. Unclear yet what this will look like for borrowers (ED placed 3M of them on forbearance last week in light of the rulings). pic.twitter.com/XO9EsoQgls
Under SAVE, many borrowers will pay only 5% of their discretionary income toward their debt every month, and anyone making $32,800 dollars or less will have no monthly payment.
On the other income-driven repayment plans, borrowers pay at least 10% of their discretionary income.
After twice breaking the U.S. record for under-18 runners at the Olympic trials, it was confirmed Monday, July 1, Wilson will be joining Team USA at the Paris summer games later this month.
Teenaged phenom Quincy Wilson, 16, is headed to Paris as part of the U.S. men's 4×400 Olympic relay squad, his coach confirmed on Monday.
He's the youngest American male track athlete to appear at an Olympics 👏
Wilson will be part of the team that runs the 4x400m relay, making him the youngest American male track athlete to appear at an Olympics. Wilson’s team will formally be announced next week.
In a recent directive, Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters ordered public schools in Oklahoma to integrate biblical teachings into lessons for students in grades five through 12. The Ten Commandments will also be required in the curriculum.
“Every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible,” Walters stated. “And they will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom.”
Walters clarified that teachers would not teach the Bible from a religious perspective, but rather from an historical context. For instance, historical figures like the pilgrims and Martin Luther King Jr. often quoted the Bible in their writings. Walters said teaching students excerpts from the Bible is essential to understanding the country’s history.
The changes take effect immediately, however, some civil rights and religious groups are voicing criticism. The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the directive, calling it a “clear violation of the Constitution’s Establishment Clause” and “a dangerous encroachment on the separation of church and state.”
This development follows a recent decision by the state’s high court, which ruled that a planned Catholic charter school — a first of its kind in the nation — is unconstitutional. Additionally, Louisiana became the first state to require the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom, prompting the ACLU and other civil liberties groups to file a lawsuit against Louisiana and its governor.
Oklahoma Supreme Court rules Catholic charter school unconstitutional
St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which was set to open this fall as the nation’s first religious public charter school, faced a setback when the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional on June 25. The court concluded that the creation of a religious charter school in Oklahoma violates state statutes, the Oklahoma Constitution and the First Amendment’s establishment clause.
When the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City proposed the Catholic charter school, it emphasized its mission to evangelize and required teachers to uphold the church’s values both professionally and personally.
However, Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general, Gentner Drummond, filed a lawsuit in 2023, claiming that the religious charter school violated state and federal law.
Charter schools, although funded by public money and subject to government performance standards, operate independently from public school districts and have the flexibility to choose their own curriculum.
Under Oklahoma state law, the use of public funds for establishing a religious institution is prohibited.
The high court’s ruling clarified that St. Isidore does not dispute its status as a religious institution. Its purpose is explicitly stated as “to create, establish and operate” the school as a Catholic educational institution.
One judge on the state’s Supreme Court, Justice James Winchester, emphasized that the state would directly fund a religious school, requiring students at St. Isidore to participate in the religious curriculum. That would be in violation of the establishment clause in the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from making laws “respecting an establishment of religion.”
The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City expressed disappointment on behalf of hundreds of families who were eagerly anticipating sending their children to the charter school this fall. Despite the legal setback, they believe that “St. Isidore could still be a valuable asset to students, regardless of socioeconomic background, race or faith.”
More kids than ever qualify for special education in US
More kids than ever are qualifying for special education across the U.S., according to a Wall Street Journal report. A record 7.5 million students accessed special education services in U.S. schools during the 2022-2023 school year.
The total accounts for more than 15% of the public-school student population. A decade ago, less than 13% of students qualified for special education.
Under federal law, children in public schools qualify for special education if they are identified as having certain disabilities that hinder their educational performance, including autism, speech impairments and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The Journal reported several factors that are driving the increase.
Pandemic disruptions left kids with lingering learning and behavioral challenges. Parents have become more assertive about asking for services, as the stigma around special education has lessened. Also, autism diagnoses have risen in recent decades.
However, even as more students qualify for services, school districts nationwide are still struggling to find enough teachers — not just for special education, but across the board.
Teacher absenteeism has jumped since the pandemic, costing schools billions
Teacher absenteeism has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data collected by Kelly Services, 10% of teachers are absent from the classroom on a typical day, up from 6% during the pandemic.
In 2024, instructors from some parts of West Virginia were absent for a third or more of their contract year. On an average day in Las Vegas, nearly 25% of school teachers were absent.
Back in 2019, American teachers had an attendance rate of 95%, which equates to an average of nine missed days per teacher. Absenteeism had decreased in the two decades prior to the lockdowns of 2020.
Schools are typically in session for 180 days per year, and teacher contracts usually allow educators to miss about 10 days of work without a loss in pay.
Education officials attribute teacher absenteeism to several factors, including low pay, student behavior and stress. Frequent teacher absences negatively affect student performance and are costly for school districts.
When educators don’t show up, schools need to bring in substitutes, which means instruction intensity and consistency may decline. Data from the Regional Educational Laboratory Program suggests that when teachers are absent for 10 days, students’ achievement scores may decrease by approximately 3.3% of a standard deviation.
Substitute teachers can cost anywhere from $100-$250 per day. According to Bloomberg estimates, “if even 8% of the nation’s 3.2 million full-time public school teachers call out, that conservatively amounts to a daily cost of roughly $25.6 million for districts, or $4.4 billion per school year.”
Education officials emphasize that teacher absenteeism is having a major impact on school districts and students’ ability to rebound since the pandemic.
Report warns China using scholarship programs to plant spies, quash dissent
Academics and Researchers in the United Kingdom assert that a Chinese scholarship program is being leveraged by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to steal technology, gather intelligence, and monitor and intimidate critics of the communist regime. The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation organized a panel discussion in the Scottish Parliament, expressing concerns over the influence of Chinese government-sponsored scholarship programs in Scottish universities.
“We tend to think of a student who comes into the lab, steals information, and transfers it,” Quimbre said. “It’s much broader than this. The problem is larger, and the guidance needs to reflect this concretely.”
Robert Clark, the author of the report, revealed that at least 46 U.K. universities received between $151 million-$194 million from Chinese sources between 2017 and 2023.
Up to $30 million of this funding came from sources that were under U.S. sanctions. Clark’s findings suggest that these scholarships are used to plant spies, suppress criticism of the Chinese regime within academic settings, and steal intellectual property.
The U.K. Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee describes British universities as a “rich feeding ground” for China’s efforts. Notably, three U.K. universities received 100% of their Chinese funding from sources tied to military defense agencies or the People’s Liberation Army.
The issue of foreign interference in Scottish academia has prompted calls for a thorough investigation into university funding. Alicia Kearns, member of U.K. Parliament, questions the partnership between Edinburgh University and Chinese missile manufacturer, the Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, whose drones have been used in Xinjiang. She highlights the ethical considerations and human rights implications of such collaborations.
Alyssa Fong, a former neuroscience student and staff member at Edinburgh University, shares her experiences of surveillance and pressure from CCP associates during her time in Scotland. Fong said scholarship recipients regularly report to Chinese handlers who continuously monitor dissent at events focusing on sensitive topics like Tibet, Xinjiang, or Hong Kong. In some cases, students are sent back to China to face punishment.
Panel members urge universities to ensure their actions align with “academic freedoms and institutional autonomy.” According to Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, universities have both a moral and legal responsibility to protect academic freedom. Ethical considerations and freedom of speech are woven through the guidance provided by institutions.
However, Clark’s report clarifies that none of the UK Universities, institutes, or funding bodies mentioned are accused of knowingly contributing to the development of China’s military or its military industries.