Education
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Judge blocks most of Iowa law banning some books in schools
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked key parts of an Iowa law that bans some books from school libraries and forbids teachers from raising LGBTQ+ issues. Judge Stephen Locher’s preliminary injunction halts enforcement of the law, which was set to take effect Jan. 1 but already had resulted in the…
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Lawyers argue Iowa’s book ban law too ‘vague, harmful’ in court
SF 496, Iowa’s new education law, is too vague, too broad, and too restrictive of speech and individual rights. That’s according to lawyers arguing, in separate cases, for the US District Court Southern District of Iowa to place a preliminary injunction on the law. One suit was brought led by the American Civil Liberties Union…
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Hawkeye, ISU marching bands among Top 5 in Metallica contest
Grammy-winning, Hall-of-Fame thrash metal rockers Metallica are making marching band competitions cool for a whole new crowd. In April, the band announced a marching band competition, “For Whom the Band Tolls,” offering instruments and equipment music programs at high schools and colleges that play their music the best (the band also provided their extensive sheet…
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Iowans get relief as Biden cancels nearly $5 billion more in student debt
More than 19,000 Iowans have had their student debt discharged or have been identified for debt relief due to the Biden administration’s reforms of the student loan debt system.
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Guest post: My name is mine, not the government’s
In the fall of 1972, I was a shy ninth-grader entering Mt. St. Ursula in the Bronx. My legal name was Mary Bernadette, but I always went by my middle name, Bernadette. The first day of classes, teachers had us standing in the front of their rooms until our names were called to be seated.…
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Book publisher, Iowans suing state over book bans
A second lawsuit against portions of an education law passed by Iowa Republicans and signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds just dropped this week. Penguin Random House, a major US book publisher, filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging SF 496 for banning some of the publishers’ books from Iowa schools. Joining the lawsuit were the Iowa State…
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Iowans welcome news of Moms for Liberty school board defeats
Candidates backed by Moms for Liberty, an organization that has supported private school vouchers, anti-LGBTQ legislation, and book bans in Iowa, lost in school board races across the state Tuesday. Since its inception, Moms for Liberty has helped fuel national right-wing culture war attacks on public schools, teachers, and students in Iowa and elsewhere. The…
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Johnston School Board gains progressive edge as Moms For Liberty candidates flop
In a room packed with supporters, candidates, Johnston residents and plants, cheers rose up as Jason Arnold and Lya Williams won two of the four open seats on the Johnston School Board while incumbents Soneeta Mangra-Dutcher and Jennifer Chamberland retained their seats. The foursome, who worked together on the campaign trail, held a watch party…
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Cedar Rapids $220M school bond fails, 3 school board members hold on
Though the largest school bond in state history failed, three out of four sitting Cedar Rapids school board members kept their seats, with only the District 4 seat changing hands. Seven board members serve staggered four-year terms. Four of those (two at-large as well as the District 1 and District 4 seats) were open this…
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Right-wing candidates lose in Linn-Mar despite national push
For more than a year, outrage over a policy to protect transgender and nonbinary students hung a black cloud over the Linn-Mar School District, but Tuesday’s school board elections served as a referendum for supporters of the policy that was later gutted by state lawmakers. Incumbents Barry Bucholz (4,637 votes, or 14.46%), and Brittania Morey…
