The Supreme Court is filing a high-profile First Amendment case that prompts federal lawsuits after Maryland’s school board withdraws its initial opt-out policy for books on gender and sexual conduct.
Although the Supreme Court appears to be living with parents before the final ruling, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten shared her concerns about the case.
“My concern for this situation is that when what we really need to do is that it can bother each other when we need to make sure we accept every child of God in the classroom,” Winlington said on “Stories” on Tuesday.
“Whether that person is an evangelical Christian or that person is a daughter or a gay parent’s son, it’s our obligation in school. So we are all in the Supreme Court at the moment.”
Trump prepares to transform the Ministry of Education as math, reading scores show alarming lows
Back in 2022, Montgomery County, Maryland, introduced new books with LGBTQ+ roles and themes to elementary school curriculum, as part of the region’s “Inclusive” initiative.
The district refuses to allow parents to opt out of the reading program, just as older students can give up sex teaching.
Although the school board initially allowed parents to turn their children out, the plaintiffs said officials quickly reversed the course and announced in March 2023 that the exception would not be approved and that parents would not be notified until the books were introduced to the children’s classroom. Officials believe that the increase in absenteeism is one of the reasons for the change.
Although Weingarten’s union did not participate in the Maryland case, she commented on the bigger issues of awakening ideology and parental rights in her education Tuesday.
The union boss confirmed that parents have “rights” in their children’s education, but she also highlighted the critical role of the community at the local level, requiring “enough dialogue” about “age-appropriate” or “controversial” materials.
Educators hope that now, gender ideology is out of the door, will address “bad” national literacy rates
Despite affirming parents’ rights, Weinadin emphasized creating a “welcome and safe environment” in the classroom, despite increasing focus on American test scores.
She told Fox News host Martha MacCallum that he believes the role of education is to “fill the opportunity gap” and “help every child succeed.”
MacCallum pushes back, pointing to a sharp decline in reading and math scores across the country over the past two decades.
The 2024 Education Progress Assessment (NAEP) is often called the “national transcript” and is given one of the best indicators of academic progress in the U.S. school system every two years. The most recent exams were conducted in every state in early 2024, with math and reading skills tests for fourth and eighth grade students.
The results show that the average math scores of eighth graders have little change compared to 2022, while reading scores have dropped by 2 points at both grade levels. In the history of assessment, one-third of eighth graders scored below “basic” than ever before.
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Among several highlights, the fourth grade math advancement has improved by 2 points in the range of 500. But it is still 3 points below the frequent average in 2019.
Some states have also seen personal success, including Mississippi, which has expanded school selection and teacher training. Weingarten called the progress “great” and explained that her union is working to “more” on what Mississippi does to understand the progress of students.
Weingarten agrees with MacCallum that the emphasis on awakening problems is a “distraction”, but she remains “both” to create a passionate and safe classroom and helps students successfully read, write and math.
Bradford Betz, Shannon Bream, David Spunt and Bill Mears of Fox News Digital contributed to the report.
