NEWS
LGBTQ+
Title IX agreements on shaky ground after Education Department rescinds gender-identity deals
April 11, 2026
The Education Department took an unprecedented step this week to nullify Title IX agreements previous administrations had made with school districts over gender identity, laying the groundwork for an environment that turns such settlements into political ping-pong.
The department rescinded six agreements made during the Obama and Biden administrations that required districts to implement policies such as gender discrimination trainings or instructions on preferred names and pronoun usage for transgender students.
The Trump administration said Title IX is based on sex, therefore the enforcement by past administrations was “illegal and burdensome.”
“Prior Administrations regularly misinterpreted Title IX to pander to political ideology and police ‘misgendering’ despite not having sound legal grounds. With yesterday’s actions, the Trump Administration is upholding the law and righting years of wrongs,” Amelia Joy, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, said Tuesday. Read More
Trump administration terminates agreements to protect transgender students in several schools
April 6, 2026
The Education Department said Monday it has terminated agreements with five school districts and a college aimed at upholding protections for transgender students, backing away from requirements negotiated by previous administrations that took a different interpretation of civil rights.
The decision removes the federal obligations for the schools to keep up measures such as faculty training on abiding by a students’ preferred name and pronouns and allowing students to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
One of the school systems, Delaware Valley School District in rural eastern Pennsylvania, received notice of the change from the Trump administration in February and has since voted to roll back its antidiscrimination protections for transgender students. Read More
Jews paused Indiana’s abortion ban — by turning a religious freedom law against the evangelical right
March 31, 2026
When Elly Cohen chose to terminate her pregnancy in 2022, it aligned with her understanding of Jewish law that life begins at birth, not conception.
Cohen and her husband were eager to give their then 4-year-old daughter a sibling. But her fetus had been diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a severe chromosomal disorder that, in most cases, leads to death before birth or within the first year of life. She decided to end the pregnancy.
Had she gotten pregnant just a few months later, she might not have had that choice. She lives in Indiana, one of 13 states that enacted near-total bans on abortion following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade. Read More
Trans youth rally at Pa. Capitol: ‘The system will not save us’
March 15, 2026
Nearly 100 people gathered on the Pa. state capitol steps Sunday for a rally promoting Transgender Day of Visibility on Tuesday.
The crowd waved flags, holding signs with quotes like “Trans youth deserve to thrive” and “our love is louder.”
There were no counter-protesters at the event, although one passerby drove by hurling expletives at the rally and saying “Trump 2028.” The crowd ignored him.
Reading Between the Lines: HR 7661 Seeks to Ban LGBTQIA+ Books
March 25, 2026
Children across the United States are being barred from reading books—not by their parents or teachers, but by their state governments. In January alone, Katy Independent School District banned over 140 LGBTQIA+ books from school libraries. Language around book bans has been intentionally ambiguous, but PEN America defines the process in clear terms as “…any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by governmental officials, that leads to a book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished.”
Book bans are, unfortunately, a time-honored tradition in many school districts. In fact, every year, the American Library Association (ALA) hosts a Banned Books Week, which was created in 1982 “…in response to a sudden surge in the number of book challenges in libraries, schools, and bookstores,” according to the ALA website. Read More
Outstanding LGBTQ Stories Are Winning Audiences — Hollywood Is Leaving Money on the Table | Guest Column
March 26, 2026
For teens entering high school—an anxious time for many—inclusive environments benefit
Last fall, a spokesperson for the Pentagon attacked the hit series Boots, calling it “woke garbage.” It was one example of the overreach that is creating a chilling effect across the entertainment industry. Just a few weeks later, GLAAD’s most recent Where We Are on TV study showed that over 40% of the LGBTQ characters tracked in the study would not be returning.
Audiences, however, are pushing back on this narrative.
In the past year, LGBTQ-inclusive series like “Heated Rivalry,” “Stranger Things,” “Yellowjackets,” “The Gilded Age” and many more have been among the most watched and talked-about series on television. These titles are creating cultural buzz and driving viewers, retention and revenue while telling nuanced and diverse queer stories. Read More
Trump’s Minions Have Quietly Disappeared Most Federal Data on Gender Identity
March 26, 2026
President Donald Trump already has signed more executive orders since January 2025 than during his entire first term—and more than many presidents signed during their tenures in office. But one order has gone far beyond the others in reshaping the ecosystem of information the government and so many others, rely on.
“EO14168 has been overwhelmingly responsible for driving changes to federal forms and survey data,” says Melanie Klein, an analyst with the federal monitoring organization dataindex.us who has been tracking these alterations. Although Trump signed EO14168—better known by its title “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”—on his first day in office, data experts are still getting a sense of its far-reaching scope. Read More
‘I will not comply’: Tennessee librarian refuses to move LGBTQ+ books
March 21, 2026
In a message sent this week to the Rutherford County Library System board, Director Luanne James said she would not comply with an order to move more than 100 LGBTQ+ titles from youth sections to the adult area.
“Restricting access to these materials through subjective relocation or removal constitutes a violation of the community’s right to information and a direct infringement on the principles of free speech,” she wrote in a letter to the board of the Rutherford County Library System on Wednesday.
She called the board’s vote “a clear act of viewpoint discrimination” and said carrying it out would violate both the First Amendment and her professional obligations.
“Therefore, I will not comply,” she wrote. Read More
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Race & Discrimination
Judge says Penn must turn over information about Jewish employees in US discrimination probe
April 1, 2026
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the University of Pennsylvania to hand over records about Jewish employees on campus to a federal agency as part of an investigation into antisemitic discrimination but said it did not have to reveal any employee’s affiliation with a specific group.
U.S. District Judge Gerald Pappert said employees can refuse to take part in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation but the agency “needs the opportunity to talk to them directly to learn if they have evidence of discrimination.”
He mostly upheld an administrative subpoena but said Penn does not have to disclose any worker’s affiliation with a Jewish-related organization nor must it provide information about three Jewish-affiliated groups. He set a deadline of May 1 to comply. Read More
Lawmakers celebrate CROWN ACT taking effect in Pennsylvania
March 23, 2026
Lawmakers and citizens gathered in Harrisburg on Monday to celebrate the passage of the CROWN ACT, which bans discrimination in schools and the workplace based on hairstyles.
The bill, which was signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro on Nov. 25, 2025, has now taken effect in the Commonwealth.
“When I signed the bipartisan CROWN Act into law, we made it clear: no matter where you’re from, what you look like, or what hairstyle you choose, we’ll protect your freedom to be who you are here in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro wrote on social media.
Pennsylvania is among 28 states that have passed similar laws, and New Jersey and Delaware have done so as well.
A CROWN ACT was proposed at the federal level, but while it passed the House, it failed to pass the Senate. Read More
Bucks Co. families see discrimination as Trump dismantles the Education Dept.
March 5, 2026
In their mostly white school district, Black students routinely heard racial slurs. White classmates hurled insults like “slave,” “monkey” or worse.
It often went unpunished.
Parents made those claims in a 2024 complaint asking the U.S. Education Department to investigate racial bullying at the Pennridge School District in Pennsylvania. They thought their complaint had the power to make things better. Instead, it became one of thousands sitting in a federal office with little hope of gaining attention after layoffs by the Trump administration.
Families say they’ve had nowhere else to turn.
“There was an expectation that something was going to happen,” said Adrienne King, who has two daughters in the district and is president of the NAACP Bucks County chapter. When nothing did, “it’s a very hollow, empty feeling.” Read More
Trump’s DEI Crackdown Hit a Wall in Court. What’s Next?
March 4, 2026
A federal judge voided a Trump administration directive that pressured educational institutions to end all programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion last month.
The directive, issued by the Department of Education as a “Dear Colleague” letter to public schools in February 2025, stated that school districts who failed to drop “discriminatory” DEI practices could violate civil rights law and lose federal funding. The letter cited the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ruled that race-based affirmative action programs in college admissions are unconstitutional.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit the following month on behalf of the National Education Association, a labor union of about three million educators, arguing that the Education Department’s policy violated due process and First Amendment protections. Read More
Slavery exhibit removed by Trump administration is returning to Independence Mall in Philadelphia
February 19, 2026
Workers on Thursday began restoring an exhibit on the lives of the nine people once enslaved at the former President’s House in Philadelphia amid a contentious legal fight between the city and the Trump administration.
Mayor Cherelle Parker visited the site Thursday morning and thanked the workers for their efforts, spokesperson Joe Grace said.
A federal judge had set a Friday deadline for the Interior Department to restore the exhibit on the people enslaved by George Washington at the site on Independence Mall. The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the restoration work, a spokesperson said.
The administration argues that it alone can decide what stories are told at National Park Service properties. Park service workers last month abruptly removed exhibits from the Philadelphia site, prompting the city and other supporters of the exhibit to sue. Read More
Generations of Black Philadelphia Students Report Persistent Racism in Schools
February 18, 2026
A sociologist interviewed over 45 former and current Black students in Philadelphia public schools, ranging from ages 14 to 95, and found persistent reports of anti-Black attitudes, low expectations from teachers, and racial trauma across generations. While some students experienced affirmation of their Blackness in majority-Black schools, many described feeling singled out, degraded, and disciplined more harshly than their non-Black peers.
Why it matters
This research provides critical insight into the lived experiences of Black students in Philadelphia’s public education system over multiple generations, highlighting the entrenched nature of systemic racism and the need for meaningful reform to create more equitable and inclusive schools. Read More
Department of Education Backs Down on Unlawful Directive Targeting Educational Equity
February 18, 2026
In a victory for academic freedom and education equity, the U.S. Department of Education conceded the end of its February 14, 2025, “Dear Colleague” directive that sought to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in schools and higher education institutions nationwide. Upon the U.S.’s concession that the directive and subsequent certification requirement are vacated – meaning they are formally nullified – the district court issued a final ruling today, permanently invalidating the directive and preventing the government from enforcing, relying on, or reviving it. As a result, the challenged guidance is no longer in effect and cannot be enforced against anyone, anywhere nationwide.
“This ruling affirms what educators and communities have long known: celebrating the full existence of every person and sharing the truth about our history is essential,” said Sharif El-Mekki, CEO at The Center for Black Educator Development. Read More
28 banned Black books every American must read
February 11, 2026
Book bans across America have surged to unprecedented levels, with Black authors bearing the brunt of censorship efforts. This Black History Month, a powerful reading initiative challenges those bans head-on by spotlighting 28 essential works that schools and libraries have attempted to remove from shelves.
The campaign pairs each book with a liberation leader whose life embodied the same principles of resistance and transformation found within those pages. Together, they form a comprehensive education in Black history that extends far beyond February’s 28 days.
Why these books face censorship
The works targeted for removal share common threads. They confront uncomfortable truths about American history, explore the psychological impact of racism and challenge sanitized narratives taught in classrooms. Read More
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Censorship/Book Bans
“Wrongheaded” Court Decision on Iowa Book Ban Law Upholds Bans in Schools for Titles with Sexual Content
April 7, 2026
PEN America today condemned two court rulings that vacated a preliminary injunction against Iowa’s book banning statute and held that schools or state legislatures “can categorically prohibit sexual content or profanity in school libraries without running afoul of the First Amendment.” One decision also vacated the district court’s preliminary injunction of a section of the statute barring school districts from providing any instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Elly Brinkley, staff attorney for U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America, said: Read More
GLAAD, Little Bee Books Release New LGBTQ Titles Ahead of Pride Month
April 7, 2026
GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is proud to announce its continued partnership with Little Bee Books in celebration of two vibrant, affirming new titles publishing today: Something to Be Proud Of by debut author Anna Zoe Quirke and Sunflowers and Lavender by graphic novelist Maisy Valais.
As part of this partnership, GLAAD is supporting both titles through marketing and publicity efforts designed to connect these stories with readers nationwide. A portion of proceeds from each book will directly support GLAAD’s work to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance. Read More
Find your joy at the library: ALA urges communities and news media to stand against book bans
April 7, 2026
Libraries and local news are kindred in many ways, including a shared mission of supporting our communities and providing information. Both libraries and news media have also faced funding challenges, and they stand together on the front lines defending the First Amendment.
Sam Helmick is the American Library Association’s (ALA) president for the 2025-2026 term. Helmick’s affinity for libraries began in college. “I volunteered there as an undergrad. I fell in love, and I realized that when libraries say, ‘welcome to all,’ that’s what they mean. There is something for everyone.” Read More
Book Bans on the Rise in the US; Librarians, Writers, and Others Fight Back
March 26, 2026
U.S. government institutions and conservative, moneyed interests are leading a multipronged effort to ban books as part of a nationwide strategy to seize control of American society by first controlling education and the dissemination of ideas.
What is unfolding in America is more than just a battle over books; it is the conflagration of two warring visions of freedom for the soul of the nation. What is at stake is nothing less than democracy itself. Read More
WSU guest opinion: Modern censorship and its ancient roots
March 25, 2026
Censorship is a common and exasperating aspect of everyday life. Many people seem determined to prevent others from reading, watching or saying certain things. Whether in the context of politics, universities, K-12 schools, books, music, or ideas in general, attempts to muzzle individuals or groups never seem to end. Yet censorious folks are often outraged when someone seeks to limit their freedom of expression.
To solve the problem of censorship, the solution is actually simple: Censor those who want to censor others.
Just kidding! Read More
Reading Between the Lines: HR 7661 Seeks to Ban LGBTQIA+ Books
March 25, 2026
Children across the United States are being barred from reading books—not by their parents or teachers, but by their state governments. In January alone, Katy Independent School District banned over 140 LGBTQIA+ books from school libraries. Language around book bans has been intentionally ambiguous, but PEN America defines the process in clear terms as “…any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by governmental officials, that leads to a book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished.”
Book bans are, unfortunately, a time-honored tradition in many school districts. In fact, every year, the American Library Association (ALA) hosts a Banned Books Week, which was created in 1982 “…in response to a sudden surge in the number of book challenges in libraries, schools, and bookstores,” according to the ALA website. Read More
Central Pa. school board policy bans books that offend ‘good taste or propriety’
March 24, 2026
Southern York County’s elected school board approved a policy with broad language banning library books and any other material that “offends good taste or propriety.”
The language of the policy, adopted unanimously by members of the all-conservative board, is nearly identical to policies adopted by several other far-right school boards, including Pequea Valley in Lancaster County.
During Southern York’s March 19 meeting, board members said the library policy was drafted by the board’s solicitor. It’s not clear if any outside groups were also involved in its creation.
West Shore’s school board considered and ultimately tabled its own policy with similar language over concerns raised by administrators that it would inadvertently ban works by William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer. Read More
Southern York policy bans books that offend 'good taste or propriety'
March 23, 2026
Southern York County’s elected school board approved a policy with broad language banning library books and any other material that “offends good taste or propriety.”
The language of the policy, adopted unanimously by members of the all-conservative board, is nearly identical to policies adopted by several other far-right school boards, including Pequea Valley in Lancaster County.
During Southern York’s March 19 meeting, board members said the library policy was drafted by the board’s solicitor. It’s not clear if any outside groups were also involved in its creation.
West Shore’s school board considered and ultimately tabled its own policy with similar language over concerns raised by administrators that it would inadvertently ban works by William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer.
That policy was based on one approved in the Adams County-based Bermudian Springs School District that, in turn, was drafted by the conservative, Christian Independence Law Center. The ILC has promoted book bans and anti-LGBTQ+ policies in districts across the state. Read More
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Advocacy
Trans youth rally at Pa. Capitol: ‘The system will not save us’
March 15, 2026
Nearly 100 people gathered on the Pa. state capitol steps Sunday for a rally promoting Transgender Day of Visibility on Tuesday.
The crowd waved flags, holding signs with quotes like “Trans youth deserve to thrive” and “our love is louder.”
There were no counter-protesters at the event, although one passerby drove by hurling expletives at the rally and saying “Trump 2028.” The crowd ignored him.
'EMPTY FEELING' Families turn to states for civil rights support as Trump dismantles the Education Department
March 15, 2026
In their mostly white school district, Black students routinely heard racial slurs. White classmates hurled insults like “slave,” “monkey” or worse. It often went unpunished.
Parents made those claims in 2024 complaint asking the U.S. Education Department to investigate racial bullying at the Pennridge School District in Pennsylvania. an They
thought their complaint had the power to make things better. Instead, it became one of thousands sitting in a federal office with little hope of gaining attention after layoffsby the Trump administration. Families say they’ve had nowhere else to turn
There was an expectation that something was going to happen,” said Adrienne King, who has two daughters in the district and is president ofthe NAACP Adrienne King Bucks County
chapter. When nothing did, “it’s a very hollow, empty feeling.” Read More
Report: PA school districts facing budget, mental health and special education challenges
March 9, 2026
Budget pressures – especially from rising healthcare and special education costs – remain a top concern for the state’s public schools, along with sagging math scores and growing needs around student mental health.
That’s according to the 10th annual State of Education report from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, which represents the vast majority of the leadership for the state’s 500 public-school districts. The 2026 report, released on Monday, includes data from 230, or 46%, of those districts, highlighting schools’ most pressing challenges and overall trends.
Chief among these was the persistently rising proportion of students requiring costly and labor-intensive special education – now 1 in 5 pupils, a 28% increase over the past decade. The report noted that while special education expenses have more than doubled since the 2009-10 school year, state and federal special education funding has risen only 21% during that time. Read More
ProPublica Sues Education Department for Withholding Records About Discrimination in Schools
March 2, 2026
ProPublica has sued the U.S. Department of Education in federal court in New York, accusing it of withholding public records about how it’s enforcing civil rights protections for millions of American students.
The Education Department has failed to provide public records related to its investigations, communications and other work that ProPublica sought through four Freedom of Information Act requests filed last year.
The Education Department’s civil rights arm for decades has investigated allegations of discrimination in schools. It historically has kept an online list of its open investigations and posted the findings of completed inquiries. But under Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, the Office for Civil Rights has been decimated and the work of its remaining investigators is largely cloaked in secrecy. Read More
Students feel safer in school when their concerns are heard, YouthTruth finds
March 2, 2026
- Nearly 80% of elementary students and 75% of middle and high school students do not feel safe on school buses, while 67% of secondary students feel safest in their classrooms, according to a report released last week by YouthTruth, a nonprofit that prioritizes student voice in improving schools.
- While safety anxiety is widespread, students who are Black; Hispanic or Latino; English learners; American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous; or LGBTQ+ experience higher rates of safety anxiety.
- As school leaders set safety policies and procedures, they should engage students and staff to learn about their concerns, recommendations and lived experiences so schools can become safer and more trusting spaces, YouthTruth advises. Read More
American Public Health Association and 123 Public Health Leaders Urge Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to Withdraw Proposed Rules Intended to Restrict Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Youth
February 17, 2026
Two public comments were filed today by 123 public health and health policy deans, chairs and scholars from leading academic institutions nationwide and the American Public Health Association (APHA) opposing two proposed rules issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that would significantly restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
The first proposed rule, “Hospital Condition of Participation: Prohibiting Sex-Rejecting Procedures for Children” would bar hospitals from participating in Medicare and Medicaid if they provide puberty-pausing medications, hormone therapy, or surgical care for transgender adolescents under age 18. Read More
Hempfield School District ends partnership with religious rights firm
February 12, 2026
The Hempfield School District in Lancaster County has decided to cut ties with the Independence Law Center, a religious rights firm associated with many school districts in the Susquehanna Valley, following a school board vote.
During this week’s school board meeting, the board, which is Democrat-majority for the first time in years, voted 6 to 3 to sever ties with the organization.
Republicans on the board expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision.
Justin Wolgemuth said, “This board appears intent on eliminating ideas, perspectives, or partners that do not align with their personal viewpoints.”
Grant Keener echoed these sentiments, stating that the board should consider diverse viewpoints when making decisions for Hempfield. Read More
Editorial | The heartless decision to suspend youth transgender care
February 11, 2026
Imagine, for a moment, that your child requires specialized medical treatment. Imagine researching everything available on the topic, networking with other parents in a similar situation and locating the most qualified medical experts. Imagine watching your child receive this expert care and feeling relieved and amazed by how much it helped them.
Revel in that feeling, for a moment. Then imagine that expert care is suddenly ripped away.
This is precisely what just happened to hundreds of families in Wisconsin: the families of transgender kids.
During the second week of 2026, families with transgender children lost access to medically necessary, lifesaving health care. With no warning, UW Health decided to stop providing gender-affirming care through its Pediatric and Adolescent Transgender Health clinic due to “federal actions.” Read More
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Sex Education
PA Rep. introduces resolution for ‘Sex Ed for all Month’
March 3, 2026
A Pennsylvania Representative is looking to introduce a resolution that would recognize May 2026 as “Sex Ed for All Month” in the Commonwealth.
The resolution, authored by Rep. Mary Jo Daley, argued that comprehensive sexuality education gives young people accurate, age-appropriate information about the emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality, providing them with knowledge to protect and advocate for their health.
The “Sex Ed for All Month” is coordinated by the Sex Education Collaborative and a national coalition of sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice organizations. The effort is meant to recognize the importance of ensuring all young people have access to education that is comprehensive, medically accurate and inclusive. Read More
Why sex ed should be taught in schools
February 11, 2026
CONTENT WARNING: This story contains mentions of potentially triggering topics. Please use discretion when proceeding.
At one point, most of us have gone through the high school or middle school education system in the United States. However, education quality can heavily depend on the state you were raised in.
Many states such as New York, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Florida and more don’t require sexual education, or only teach abstinence. This leads to education inequality regarding certain topics or ideas, especially wellness, health and sexual education. Read More
Attorney General James Wins Court Order Protecting Health Education Programs
October 25, 2025
New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after winning a court order preventing the Trump administration from enforcing its illegal requirement for states to censor sexual education programs to erase references to gender identity and transgender status:
“Politics has no place in our young people’s health education. The administration’s illegal attempt to censor effective health education puts youth at risk and undermines programs that help prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Denying the existence of transgender and nonbinary individuals is cruel and wrong, and I will keep fighting to ensure young people get the accurate health information they need.” Read More
Federal judge blocks the Trump administration from pulling funding for sex ed on gender diversity
October 28, 2025
A federal judge in Oregon has blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from pulling sexual education funding over curricula mentioning diverse gender identities.
U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken issued the preliminary injunction Monday as part of a lawsuit filed against the Health and Human Services Department by 16 states and the District of Columbia, which argued that pulling such money violated the separation of powers and federal law.
The complaint, filed last month, says the department is attempting to force the states to “rewrite sexual health curricula to erase entire categories of students.” Read More
White House threatens sex education funds unless states nix references to transgender people in curriculums
August 27, 2025
The Trump administration has told US states and territories they will lose federal funding for their sex education programs if they do not remove references to transgender people.
In letters sent to 46 states, territories and Washington DC on Tuesday, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) demanded they “remove all references to gender ideology” within 60 days or risk losing funding from the Personal Responsibility Education Program, or Prep.
The Prep initiative was created in 2010 to help prevent teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Read More
Trump administration tells 40 states to remove gender identity from sex ed or lose federal funds
August 26, 2025
The Trump administration is threatening to pull federal funding from 40 states for a sex education program aimed at vulnerable teens unless those states remove references in their curriculum to gender identity and transgender people.
In a Tuesday press release, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the action reflected the Trump administration’s “ongoing commitment to protecting children from attempts to indoctrinate them with delusional ideology.”
The threat comes after California refused to change its curriculum last week and HHS terminated the state’s nearly $6 million-a-year grant. Read More
Letter: Comprehensive health and sexual education
April 12, 2025
Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is critical for young people. The World Health Organization states CSE should cover relationships, autonomy, anatomy, puberty, contraception, sexually transmitted infections, and how to care for one’s health.
The Walla Walla Public School (WWPS) website states that its curriculum was “highly recommended, [and] is state-reviewed and endorsed.” Unfortunately, many middle and high schoolers feel they do not have sufficient knowledge on how to access medical resources or care for themselves. Read More
Rhode Island and California get an A in Sex Ed: See how other states stack up in new study
January 17, 2025
Research shows that comprehensive sex education reduces teen birth rates and sexually transmitted infections, improving outcomes for young people. However, the implementation of sex education is left to the states, causing vast differences in what adolescents learn (and don’t learn) about sex.
Hims set out to find the states providing the most comprehensive curriculum and services inside schools, using the following data sets to rank each state. Read More
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Immigration
DA investigating arrest of Pa. high school students that left some bloodied, handcuffed
February 23, 2026
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office says it is investigating an incident on Friday where a police officer arrested high school students participating in an ICE protest.
“Our office is conducting an independent investigation into the police response during this incident,” Manuel Gamiz Jr., a spokesperson for Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan, said to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Read More
York Latino immigrant community members describe life in this ICE age
February 23, 2026
Thalia Ortiz recalls one incident in recent weeks as she pulled into a Walmart parking lot in West Manchester Township.
Her pulse started racing when she noticed vehicles she believed belonged to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with men inside dressed like officers.
“They were staring at me,” Ortiz said. “I got scared for my life.”
Ortiz is Puerto Rican — which is a U.S. territory — and her husband is Mexican. They are both U.S. citizens, but that status does not make her feel safer.
“If you’re Hispanic, it doesn’t matter,” she said. “At any moment, something can happen.” Read More
Schools prepare for ICE encounters
February 15, 2026
Pittsburgh-area school districts are moving to reassure families and protect students as anxiety spreads through local communities over stepped-up federal immigration enforcement.
In recent weeks, several districts have strengthened policies and procedures outlining how staff should respond if approached by federal agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
Aliquippa in Beaver County last week issued guidance to school bus drivers on how to respond if confronted by immigration authorities. Penn Hills is refining new procedures around what to do if law enforcement comes to schools with a warrant. Riverview on Monday passed a new policy directing the superintendent to lead a response if staffers are approached by federal agents. Read More
Students walked out of Pa. and NJ high schools to protest ICE
February 6, 2026
Students made their voices heard on Friday as they protested the federal government’s immigration enforcement.
At Phoenixville Area High School, Cherry Hill High School East and North Penn High School, students walked out of class on Feb. 6 to protest ICE and show support for immigrants.
North Penns’ principal sent a letter to parents on Thursday saying that while the school recognizes the importance of free speech, any student who took part in the walkout would be subject to the standard consequences for skipping class.
A spokesperson with the Phoenixville Area school shared a statement with NBC10 that read in part: Read More
Hundreds of students rally for immigrants outside Reading High School
January 20, 2026
tudents at Reading High School stepped away from the classroom today to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts.
Hundreds of students gathered at the school’s entrance with signs in support of immigrants as they chanted anti-ICE slogans.
They say America is a land of immigrants.
A school district official says the district supports the students and affirms their First Amendment rights.
The Department of Homeland Security says during the past year it has secured the border to historic levels and made hundreds of thousands of arrests. Read More
Custodian at Chambersburg Elementary School deported after being detained by ICE: family
December 14, 2025
The Chambersburg community is demanding answers after local custodian and YMCA employee, Carlos Bonilla-Yanez, was detained and deported to Mexico.
CBS 21 sat down with Bonilla-Yanez’s daughter, Tatiana Bonilla, who said her father is a law-abiding citizen and was scheduled to go to his next immigration check up on Thanksgiving Day.
Newsom signs controversial bill letting relatives care for kids if parents are deported
October 13, 2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday signed a bill allowing a broad range of relatives to step in as children’s caregivers if their parents are deported, a measure that had provoked a firestorm of conservative criticism.
Assembly Bill 495 will also bar daycare providers from collecting immigration information about a child or their parents, and allow parents to nominate a temporary legal guardian for their child in family court.
“We are putting on record that we stand by our families and their right to keep their private information safe, maintain parental rights and help families prepare in case of emergencies,” Newsom said in a press release. Read More
Chicago schools and churches on alert amid growing ICE raid reports
October 13, 2025
Immigration raids continue around the Chicago area as parents, neighbors and community members band together to protect migrants.
Why it matters: As “Operation Midway Blitz” is in full swing, Chicagoans from every corner of the city are impacted.
The big picture: Reports of agents apprehending alleged immigrants at school drop-offs and targeting churches have communities questioning the rules of engagement.
What they’re saying: “They want to break us down,” Democrat U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-3rd) said recently in front of Funston Elementary in Logan Square. “This city was built by community. Fascism isn’t welcome here today, tomorrow, or ever. We will prevail together.” Read More
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