A Bible in Every Classroom?

Good Day,

So…did you all catch the Presidential debate? If you didn’t, we envy you. Our brains are still a little mushy, so let’s go straight to the fuel source.

Cheers ☕

Bibles in the classrooms

Last week, Louisiana challenged the First Amendment by mandating that school classrooms display the Ten Commandments. In Oklahoma, they decided to throw the whole book under Ryan Walters's directive. On Thursday, he sent a letter to all school districts about the implementation.

He also states that this will be for grades 5-12 and that it is being implemented because of the Bible’s “historical importance.” Of course, there was backlash after the directive was sent out, with the main criticism being that it is unconstitutional as it goes against the whole concept of separation of church and state. Walter’s directive comes just two days after an Oklahoma court blocked the public funding of a religious charter school as unconstitutional.

Walter’s claim that he has authority to do this under Title 70 of the Oklahoma state Statute is a significant point. The passage that is cited is as follows:

Some argue that teaching the Bible as a historical artifact is already clearly outlined in the current curriculum, which can be used as part of a social studies curriculum, so for Walters to direct this in the forceful manner he did leads his critics to believe that he wants to go beyond teaching this as a historical document. The concern is grounded in facts based on Walter’s clear conservative history, which he has made no secret about. That challenge to this directive has already been made, so it will be interesting to watch how this will unfold before this upcoming school year starts.

Maria Cervantes

Maria Cervantes has been with the Grand Rapids Public Schools for 40 years. Wow! She was recently presented with a plaque from the GRPS board in recognition of her with the district over the past 40 years.

Cervantes’ 40-year career began in 1984, when she was 19, only a few years after moving from her home country of Mexico. She was a literacy paraprofessional at Burton Elementary, where she taught English and math to Spanish-speaking students. Three years later, she transferred to Buchanan Elementary, where she is still currently.

When the school library needed a Spanish speaker, Maria Cervantes stepped up. Her adaptability and willingness to learn were evident when an administrator noticed her reading to a group of students in Spanish and offered her a job at the library. She admitted she had no idea what the job entailed, but she was motivated and quickly learned. A lot of things have changed since she started. When she first started in the library, there were no computers. She said that she appreciates the change and advancement in technology because it does make her job easier, and students are able to access more books than they did in the past.

Even after 40 years, Maria Cervantes' commitment to the school community remains unwavering. She still works at the library, still reads in Spanish to her students, and still takes on additional responsibilities with enthusiasm. Her dedication is a testament to her love for Buchanan Elementary. Despite the urge of her family to retire, she has no plans of slowing down. Her continued service is a source of reassurance and confidence for the entire school community. You can read more of her story here.

What’s going on in Pennsylvania

Longer days, Longer School years

As part of Philidelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s 100-day action plan, she has pledged to close the achievement gap. Numerous studies have examined this idea of summer learning loss, and students can lose up to a third of what they have learned during the school year. This affects more students who live in a low-income household, and those who live in a higher-income household could get ahead in their learning. This is because higher-income household families can afford summer enrichment programs that can help keep a child engaged in their education.

The extended school day, which will run from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., will be piloted for 25 schools, primarily elementary and middle schools. A specialized enrichment program will be implemented for six weeks in the summer. Mayor Parker reiterated that students are not required to participate in the program but emphasized the importance of an extended school day and year for those who need it.

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation throws support for voucher program

For those living in Pennsylvania and have any school-age kids, this is news you have probably heard about already. For everyone else, this might be news. There was an initiative introduced last August by state Senator Judy Ward called the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) scholarship program. It aims to give low-income families from underperforming schools access to tax money to fund private education. The funds would be distributed based on the following:

• $2,500 for students in half-day kindergarten

• $5,000 for students in full-day kindergarten through 8th grade

• $10,000 for students in the 9th through 12th grade

• $15,000 for students with special needs

Any teacher understands that what is happening here is an intentional assault on public schools. As more money gets sucked out of public schools, teachers and resources will disappear. The quality of a teacher who teaches at a private school is no better than that of a teacher who teaches in a public school, yet there is this constant message that students who go to private schools will do better. The reality is that families that can send their kids to a private school have the means to put their children in summer programs and provide them with private tutors to help them get ahead in school.

Jay-Z's Roc Nation has contributed large sums of money to boost the initiative's program's profile, with other black celebrities making contributions that have added up to $24 million. These black celebrities include Meek Mill, Kevin Hart, and others. Also, billionaire Michael Rubin has thrown his support behind the initiative.

In the last couple of weeks, over 50 black pastors have sent letters to Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro lobbying him to support the PASS.

Governor Shapiro has already made his support for the program clear, which contradicts the Democratic stance on this issue last year. The momentum is strong in support of the voucher program, and it will be difficult to see this initiative fail when it is brought up for a vote again later this year.

High levels of PFAS chemicals in school waters

Polyfluoroalkyl substances, aka PFAS, have been used for a long time in manufacturing industrial applications and consumer products. Exposure to a high concentration of PFAS has been linked to a myriad of detrimental health impacts in the human body, from kidney problems, testicular cancer, liver and thyroid problems, and reproductive problems, to name a few.

Due to the long history of industrial manufacturing, much waste was dumped into the water system. Many of these chemicals were dumped decades ago but are still found in practically every waterway in the U.S., hence their nickname: forever chemicals. The unfortunate reality is that if you are an American, you have these chemicals in your body and probably drink water with PFAS in it. Sorry, that Brita filter might not be filtering out all those PFAS.

Efforts to reduce PFAS exposure, particularly in places where children spend a significant amount of time, such as schools, are underway. However, the urgency of the situation is underscored by the discovery that thirty schools in Pennsylvania have PFAS levels exceeding the allowable limit set by the EPA. This is particularly concerning as it was the first year that schools were required to monitor their water supply, leaving many unsure of what to expect from the results.

The results were concerning, and immediate action was taken in these schools. New filtration systems were installed, and bottled water was provided on-site for students.

While PFAS is present in most water systems, its concentration is higher in areas where water is sourced from wells. This means that a significant number of the affected schools were in rural areas. To address this issue, a $75 million grant program has been established to assist schools in funding environmental remediation, a resource that most schools are expected to utilize.

Closing Bell

On this day in 1908…

The Tunguska Event occurred in Russia. This was a mysterious explosion that happened, and it was measured to be about 15 megatons, which is one thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The explosion decimated over 500,000 acres of pine forest. The consensus is that the blast was caused by an asteroid or comet, which occurred anywhere from 15,000-30000 feet, so no impact was left on the earth. Still, there are outrageous theories out there that include that the explosion came from inside the planet and the blast was caused by an alien spaceship. June 30 is also World Asteroid Day.