Patriotic protests at Oklahoma high school after students American flag ban
Lawmakers are calling for changes in Oklahoma over a high school student and an American flag. It stems from a decision during the week of Aug. 18, in which the student was told to stop flying the flag on his truck.
The decision prompted a wave of protests outside of Edmond North High School. Students, parents and members of the public are proudly displaying American flags in support of the student, including Oklahoma’s State Superintendent Ryan Walters.
Caleb Horst, a senior at the school, said he’s baffled by its decision to ban the flag on his truck. Especially because he’s been flying it for some time. Horst spoke to an Oklahoma City ABC affiliate and shared his thoughts on the incident.
Since speaking out, there’s been a surge of support, some also coming from local lawmakers. Many are demanding that the school’s decision be overturned.
The Edmond Public School District said its policy prohibits any flags on vehicles to prevent disruptions and ensure safety in the school parking lot. Still, that explanation hasn’t calmed community backlash.
Superintendent Walters is vowing to amend the guidelines for all public schools in the state. He posted a video on X, stating his stance that no school in Oklahoma should restrict a student from flying the American flag.
The protest in Edmond has even caught the attention of “Dukes of Hazard” star John Schneider, who posted a video applauding Horst’s efforts.
The district said it will handle any discipline on a case-by-case basis. And despite the growing support for Horst, the school district is holding firm on its policy and threatening disciplinary action if Horst does not comply.
Horst said he plans to continue his fight and is touched by the overwhelming community support.
School bus rides are getting greener, but in some cases more expensive
As students across the United States return to classrooms, their transportation may soon be getting cleaner. School districts nationwide are exploring the adoption of electric school buses, a move that promises environmental benefits but has come with some financial challenges.
This year, a district in California is set to unveil the first all-electric fleet of school buses in the nation, marking a significant milestone in the transition to cleaner energy. The shift is part of a broader trend, with states like New Jersey and Georgia securing millions of dollars in federal grants to electrify their school bus fleets.
However, the transition to electric buses has not been without its hurdles. The high upfront cost of electric vehicles (EVs) is a major concern for many school districts. These buses, while environmentally friendly, require substantial investments that some districts find difficult to justify or sustain.
Maryland’s largest school district announced plans in 2022 to introduce over 300 new electric buses. The district projected that the shift would cut fuel costs by 50%, a promising incentive given the rising costs of traditional fuels. However, the nearly $170 million investment has faced significant setbacks.
Dozens of the ordered buses were delivered behind schedule, and those that did arrive were quickly beset with mechanical and charging issues. On average, it took two weeks to resolve these problems, leading to operational disruptions.
With buses arriving late and requiring lengthy repairs, the district was forced to find alternative transportation solutions, ultimately deciding to spend almost $15 million more to purchase 90 diesel school buses.
Under Florida’s law, public secondary school and college sports teams are required to be designated based on “biological sex.” The state defines biological sex as the one printed on the student’s official birth certificate at or near the time of birth.
Norton will also no longer be able to work for the district as a computer specialist, but she must be given a different job with equal responsibility and pay.
Norton and several other school staff members were reassigned to non-school sites while the district investigated. She was the only one not cleared of any wrongdoing.
In December, state officials placed Monarch High School — where Norton’s 16-year-old daughter has been on the girls’ varsity team the last two season — on administrative probation for a year and fined the school $16,500 for allowing her to play on the team.
Norton’s daughter was also told by the Florida High School Athletics Association that she is banned from playing sports for an FHSAA school through November of this year.
NY bans graphic active shooter drills as parents say they’re traumatizing students
New York, which is home to the United States’ largest school district, is banning the use of realistic active shooter drills in all schools in the state. The New York State Board of Regents approved the change on Thursday, July 11.
The new rules will begin this school year and the board unanimously approved them. Schools now cannot use actors, props and violent depictions during school shooting drills. Instead, schools will be required to use only “trauma informed” and “age appropriate” procedures. Additionally, parents will have to be notified of the drills one week in advance.
The move follows years of complaints from parents. Parents, activists, doctors and lawmakers claimed the graphically detailed drills traumatize children and do not actually prepare them for such events. Instead, they said, the drills create a culture of fear and anxiety among students.
In one case, a parent reportedly complained that their child came home and began locking doors and windows in response to an active shooter drill at their school. In another instance, a five-year-old asked their parent what a “bullet can do to a body.”
Parents said that these incidents show that students’ focus are turning from learning to concerns about violence. However, in reality, the likelihood of being in a school shooting still remains very rare.
Data from Everytown for Gun Safety reveals that less than 1% of gun deaths annually are from school shootings. However, gun control advocates point out that gun violence remains a problem at schools. Everytown for Gun Safety also showed that there have been 118 incidents of gunfire on U.S. school grounds this year so far.
Meanwhile, Stella Kaye, a 17-year-old, who survived two school shootings, said that the realistic active shooter drills do not really prepare students for the actual shootings. Kaye also said she supports the change coming to New York schools.
The New York State Legislature is also looking to reduce the number of mandatory lockdown drills in schools, from eight to four each year and to reduce evacuation drills from four to two annually.
Advocates for the changes argued that the better solution for school safety is to train staff on how to respond to active shooter situations and other safety measures such as locks on doors and windows in classrooms.
Why some school districts won’t comply with Oklahoma’s Bible mandate
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters released guidelines on the state’s mandate that all schools teach the Bible on Wednesday, July 24. Walter’s memo included instructions on how to incorporate the Bible into classroom discussions and said that teachers will emphasize the Bible’s historical, literary and secular benefits.
However, more than a handful of Oklahoma school districts said that they will not implement the mandate and will instead keep their current curriculum. Some schools also argue that their studies already include discussions on the impact of religion on society.
The Oklahoma attorney general has said that state law allows for the Bible to be taught in schools but also noted that doing so is a district-by-district decision. Most districts refusing the superintendent’s directive are using the attorney general’s statement as grounds for their decisions.
Meanwhile, the Center for Education Law said that Walters’ mandate is not legally enforceable. The firm previously won a case against Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education that challenged the board’s authority to restrict certain content from school libraries. The judge in that case ruled that decision is to be made by a local school board — not the state Board of Education.
However, Walters maintained that he would enforce the Bible mandate by using “every means to make sure of it.”
“The radical leftist mob has tried to rewrite history in Oklahoma,” Walters. “It stops today, and Oklahoma schools will refocus our kids’ education, so they know the value of the Bible in its historical context.”
The directive by Walters told teachers to present the Bible in a “neutral way.” However, how to present it in that manner is not explicitly outlined in the guidelines and which version or translation of the Bible to be used has not been specified. Additionally, how schools are supposed to pay for the extra books is still unclear.
The mandate is likely to be challenged in court as opponents have argued that the mandate in Oklahoma is a clear constitutional violation of the separation of church and state.
The guidance from Walters comes after Oklahoma tried to implement the country’s first religious charter school. However, the implementation was struck down in court. The move also comes as Louisiana has required that the Ten Commandments be place in every classroom, which has been delayed until at least November while it faces challenges from Louisiana parents in court.
Haley among former rivals to show support for Trump at RNC
Former rivals of Donald Trump call for unity during the second day of the Republican National Convention (RNC). And President Joe Biden is reportedly planning to back sweeping changes for the Supreme Court. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
Haley among former rivals to show support for Trump at RNC
The message on the second day of the RNC was one of unity as several former rivals of former President Donald Trump took the stage in Milwaukee to show their support for the GOP nominee — including Trump’s former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. The former South Carolina governor and Trump’s last competitor in the primary race was greeted by cheers and a few boos from the convention crowd as she stepped to the microphone Tuesday night, July 16.
With Trump in attendance, Haley removed any doubt over her choice for president.
“I’ll start by making one thing perfectly clear: Donald Trump has my strong endorsement,” she said. “Period.”
Haley then turned her attention to the Republican voters who backed her during the primaries.
“We should acknowledge there are some Americans who don’t agree with Donald Trump 100% of the time,” Haley said. “I happen to know some of them, and I want to speak to them tonight … My message to them is simple: you don’t have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him.”
Haley also said she agrees with Trump more often than not.
“Donald Trump has been demonized,” DeSantis said. “He’s been sued, he’s been prosecuted and he nearly lost his life. We cannot let him down, and we cannot let America down.”
Day 3 will be headlined by Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who will address the convention Wednesday night, July 17.
Reports: Secret Service ramped up Trump security weeks ago over Iran threat
It has been revealed that the Secret Service security was already ramped up around former President Donald Trump weeks before Saturday’s assassination attempt, after U.S. intelligence officials say they found evidence of an Iranian plot to kill him. According to multiple reports, the agency increased resources and assets for Trump’s protection in June.
So far, intelligence officials have found no ties between last weekend’s shooting and the Iranian plot.
Sources familiar with the matter say Iran has been making these types of threats since former president Trump ordered the airstrike that killed Iranian military general Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.
Reports: Biden planning to back major changes to Supreme Court
Reports say President Biden told lawmakers in the Congressional Progressive Caucus during a virtual meeting Saturday, July 13, that he had been consulting constitutional scholars on the matter for more than a month.
The proposals, which could be unveiled in the coming weeks, would need congressional approval, which is not likely given Republican control of the House and the slim Democratic majority in the Senate.
Elon Musk moving SpaceX, X headquarters out of California over new law
Calling it the “final straw” on X, Musk made the announcement in response to California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signing a new law that bars school districts from requiring teachers to notify parents if their children ask to change their gender identification.
Supporters of the law say it protects children from being forced into being outed and creates a safe place for them in school, while critics say it infringes on parents’ right to be informed.
‘Rust’ armorer’s lawyers call for new trial or case to be dismissed
Lawyers for the armorer of the film “Rust,” who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 deadly on-set shooting of a cinematographer, are asking for a new trial or to have her case thrown out entirely in the wake of actor Alec Baldwin’s case being dismissed. They also want her released from prison, where she’s serving an 18-month sentence following her conviction in March.
Attorneys filed a motion on behalf of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed over “severe and ongoing discovery violations by the state.” It was revealed during Baldwin’s trial that the special prosecutor in the case had suppressed evidence, which is why his case was dropped.
Oakland A’s rookie throws fastest pitch in All-Star Game history
The best in baseball battled it out in the MLB All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas Tuesday, July 16, with one rookie pitcher throwing his name into the history books. Oakland A’s closer Mason Miller not only struck out Los Angeles Dodgers star player Shohei Ohtani in his All-Star Game debut, the 25 year old followed that up by throwing the fastest pitch ever recorded at an All-Star Game.
Miller threw a 103.6 miles per hour fastball to Phillies shortstop Trea Turner, striking him out too. Miller ended up throwing eight pitches that reached triple digits during his 12-pitch inning.
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.
Middle schoolers suspended for foul impersonations of teachers on TikTok
A Pennsylvania middle school is drawing national attention over students’ First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Middle school students in Chester County set up nearly two dozen fake TikTok accounts to impersonate teachers.
The New York Times, which first reported on the accounts, said a group of eighth graders in the Great Valley School District posed as teachers and made 22 fake TikTok profiles filled with pedophilic and homophobic remarks, racist memes and rumors about sexual hookups between the staff.
The accounts first surfaced in February, but the district’s superintendent said more have popped up over this summer break. District officials said they consulted with law enforcement and acted at the school level. Multiple sources said the students behind the accounts were suspended.
“It’s so disheartening and I want to extend my sincere concerns for our staff and know that this has truly hurt them,” Superintendent Daniel Goffredo said in a news conference Monday, July 8. “Our students’ behavior has truly wounded the staff here at great valley. I want to assure our staff that we have your back. We are going to continue to support you. We will hold students accountable.”
However, the superintendent said legal action could not be taken because the accounts were created on students’ personal time and may represent their right to free speech.
This comes as a Massachusetts teacher lost her federal appeal after being fired for controversial TikTok posts she made.
The teacher – who is also a local school board member – said she was fired over anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-critical race theory posts on the social media platform.
She appealed the decision, saying the firing violated her right to free speech. The court did not agree.
Jamie Dimon wants to fix America’s schools-to-job pipeline
It’s no secret job hunting has become more difficult in recent years – especially for those entering the labor force for the first time. Now, the leader of one of America’s biggest banks, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, is calling out schools.
Dimon said he wants to see schools doing more to bring students up to pace with the working world instead of leaving it to businesses to bridge the gap. Dimon wants schools to be monitored on whether their students launch careers after they graduate, as opposed to whether they go to college.
“Businesses have to hire a lot of people and they have to train them, so when the school system doesn’t do it, it makes this harder for companies,” Dimon told Axios on Thursday, June 27.
He said more certificates and training are needed to help people land skilled jobs.
It seems students agree with Dimon. Education data specialists with National Student Clearinghouse reported in January that undergraduate enrollment grew 1.2% in fall 2023 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
That report also showed significant growth in vocational courses, which are designed to help students learn in a practical way to prepare them for a skills-based role. The database reported that at community colleges with a high vocational program focus, enrollment grew 16% in fall 2023, bringing them above fall 2019 levels.
Biden, Trump tout their records in first presidential debate
The first presidential debate is in the books. We have a full recap, as well as what the reaction has been like. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, June 28, 2024.
Biden, Trump tout their records in first presidential debate
Per CNN’s rules, there was no live audience and the candidate’s mics were muted when the other one talked. But that did not stop both from firing back at one another while discussing topics like the economy, abortion, immigration, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and their overall aptitude.
Thursday’s debate began with the presumptive nominees walking on stage, forgoing the traditional handshake.
The first topic was on the economy, with Biden focusing on Trump’s record as president, but seeming to lose his train of thought as his response went on.
“We’d be able to help make sure that all those things we need to do — childcare, elder care, making sure that we continue to strengthen our health care system, making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do — with the COVID — excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with, look…we finally beat Medicare,” Biden said.
When it came to immigration, Trump highlighted the crisis on the border, calling the Biden administration’s recent legislation limiting asylum access a “nothing deal” and “insignificant.”
“He decided to open up our border, open up our country too,” Trump said. “People that are from prisons, people that are from mental institutions, insane asylum, terrorists. We have the largest number of terrorists coming into our country right now. All terrorists, all over the world, not just in South America, all over the world. They come from the Middle East, everywhere, all over the world. They’re pouring in.”
President Biden fired back, “I’m not saying that no terrorist ever got through but the idea they’re emptying their prisons, where we’re welcoming these people, that’s simply not true, there’s no data to support what he said. Once again, he’s exaggerating. He’s lying.”
On the subject of abortion, Trump commended the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade while Biden vowed to reinstate it.
“You had Roe v. Wade, and everybody wanted to get it back to the states,” Trump said. “Everybody without exception — Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, conservatives. What happened is we brought it back to the states and the country is now coming together on this issue. It’s been a great thing.”
“It’s been a terrible thing once you’re done,” President Biden rebutted. “The fact is that the vast majority of constitutional scholars supported Roe was decided support it Roe that was this idea that they were all against it. It just ridiculous.”
As for American veterans, Trump claimed he took care of them during his presidency, as Biden took exception to reported comments made by Trump — which the former president denies.
“Our veterans are on the street,” Trump said. “They’re dying because he doesn’t care about our veterans. He doesn’t like the military at all, and he doesn’t care about our veterans. Nobody been worse. I had the highest approval rating for veterans taking care of the VA he has the worst he’s gotten rid of all the things that I approved.”
Biden responded, “I was recently in France for D-Day and I spoke at all about those heroes had died. I went to the World War II cemetery, World War I cemetery, refused to go to he was standing with his four-star general and he told me said, ‘I don’t want to go in there because they’re bunch of losers and suckers.’ My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.”
Trump denied Biden’s claim, calling that a “made-up quote.”
On foreign policy, Trump argued Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan showed America was weak and inspired Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. Biden called that “malarkey” and warned that Putin must be stopped.
To the war in Gaza, Trump said, “Let Israel finish the job.” Biden remarked that the U.S. is providing Israel with “all the weapons they need and when they need them.”
And while hearing the difference in policies was the goal of the debate, the two presidential candidates did not hold back on personal attacks.
“The only person on this stage who’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” Biden said. “And the fact of the matter is he is what he’s telling you is simply not true.”
Trump responded, “When he talks about a convicted felon, his son as a convicted felon at a very high level, his son has convicted going to be convicted probably numerous other times should have been convicted before, but his justice department let the statute of limitations laps. And the most important things. But he could be a convicted felon as soon as he gets out of office, you could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done.”
When discussing their abilities to handle the presidency at their respective ages — Biden 81 years old and Trump 78 — the two began arguing over their golf game.
As the debate ended, Trump said he would accept the results of the election if it’s “a fair and legal and good election.” In his closing statements, Trump said America is a failing nation under Biden and he’ll make it great again in a second term. Biden, meanwhile, said he made significant progress after what he called was a debacle left by Trump.
The two are set to debate again in September.
Reports: Some Democrats calling for Biden to step aside after debate
The response to the first presidential debate has been swift on both sides. Fact checkers have issued corrections for statements made by both candidates, but it’s President Biden’s performance getting the most attention.
News outlets in their recaps of the debate describe Biden as stumbling and seeming to ramble during his responses. The Biden campaign acknowledged the president came into the debate with a cold, admitting he had a slow start. Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on news programs following the debate to vouch for the president.
At one point, former President Trump questioned whether Biden understood his own response to a question on the border.
Trump replied, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
David Axelrod, a top adviser to former President Barack Obama, spoke of the concerns from Democrats during CNN’s post-debate coverage.
“There is a sense of shock at how he came out at the beginning of this debate,” Axelrod said. “How his voice sounded; he seemed a little disoriented. There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”
The Trump campaign declared victory after the debate, issuing a statement saying Biden was unable to defend his “disastrous record on the economy and the border.”
Former Uvalde schools police chief facing charges in deadly shooting
In a historic move, the former Uvalde school police chief has been indicted over his role in the slow police response to the 2022 mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Former Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo was indicted by a grand jury on 10 counts of felony child endangerment or abandonment.
He was briefly booked into the county jail before he was released on bond Thursday, June 27.
A former school officer at Robb Elementary was also indicted on similar charges.
More than two years later, they’re the first officers to face criminal charges in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department released a report that said law enforcement officers had many opportunities to reassess their response.
More than 300 law enforcement officers responded to the school that day, some waiting in the hallway outside the classroom, even as the shooter could be heard firing shots inside. It took them 77 minutes to shoot him and put an end to the killing.
Oklahoma’s top educator orders the Bible be taught in schools
Oklahoma’s top education officials have ordered schools to teach the Bible and have a copy in every classroom. In a memo, the state superintendent of public schools said effective immediately, the Bible must be added as part of the curriculum in grades five through 12.
The directive was immediately condemned by civil rights groups and supporters of the separation of church and state, with some calling it an abuse of power and a violation of the Constitution.
Oklahoma law already explicitly allows Bibles in the classroom and lets teachers use them in instruction. It’s not clear if the state has the authority to mandate that schools teach it.
This is the latest church versus state case in public schools. On June 19, a Louisiana law was passed requiring the Ten Commandments be shown in all public school classrooms, another action civil rights groups are looking to stop.
NFL fined $4.7 billion in ‘Sunday Ticket’ anti-trust case
The NFL has been ordered to pay nearly $5 billion in damages after a jury found it broke anti-trust laws. The jury said the league conspired with DirecTV and network partners to increase the price of the exclusive “Sunday Ticket” package.
The lawsuit claimed the NFL broke antitrust laws by selling its “Sunday Ticket” package at an inflated price and restricted competition by only offering it on a satellite provider.