All in Opinion
How much say should the public have about public education? Parental revolts against “wokeness” fads in the classroom are all the rage right now, but gaps between public preferences and the practice of public education didn’t suddenly begin a few months ago. They’ve been around for decades.
Given the freedom to choose whether to mandate masks for students, school boards across the state have begun voting to make face coverings optional for the coming school year.
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in March announced the launch of a task force to address growing concern grew among public school parents about political and cultural indoctrination in the classroom, specifically related to Critical Race Theory.
Benjamin Franklin gave us many great words of wisdom. One of his best lines is that we should “do well by doing good.” While this ideal may have worked in the politics and government of early American history in the 1700’s, we don’t see much of that sentiment in today’s public policy. People of all political stripes (right, middle, left and those not involved at all) are tired of the fighting and looking to support policies that exemplify the words of Mr. Franklin.
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson took aim this week at a proposed federal regulation that targets pistol stabilizing braces. Hudson led a Capitol Hill news conference Tuesday drawing attention to the issue.
The U.S. House Appropriations Committee voted to cut $40 million from the federal Charter Schools Program, in a major policy shift away from the bipartisan support that charter schools have enjoyed in recent years.
Public school districts in North Carolina have received about $5.3 billion in COVID-related relief from the federal government. But, on average, school leaders have spent just 13% of that money.
There are at least as many different ways to explain the origins of political disagreement as there are political commentators. I, for one, think such factors as cultural traditions, religious views, family background, educational experiences, and interpersonal relationships all help to shape how we choose our preferred political candidates or “sides” – and how we choose to act on those preferences.
Nearly 2 million Americans have turned down jobs because the unemployment benefits are too lucrative — backing up a Republican-led plan in North Carolina to curtail emergency pandemic benefits.
The N.C. House unanimously passed a bill Monday to allow mental health counselors to work across state lines. Aimed at increasing public access to professional counseling services, House Bill 791, Licensed Counselors Interstate Compact, would enter North Carolina into an agreement with member states allowing a counselor’s license from one state to be accepted in the others.
The voices of those urging government officials to rely on individual liberty and personality responsibility as the founding principles relate to getting the COVID vaccine are getting louder.
Ollie Mulligan, this week from an airport somewhere in the Northeast, talked about his upcoming flight home, about returning to his native Ireland, to County Kildare. He thought aloud about the bright, rolling green fields. Of horses, and of Guinness.
The latest episode of All Things Judicial features part one of a three-part series on the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission. Part one is hosted by Lindsey Guice Smith, Executive Director of the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, and the guests are commissioners Johnson Britt, Rick Glazier, and John Boswell.
A bill that advocates say would boost access to dentistry, especially in the state’s rural areas, is sailing through the General Assembly.
Gov. Roy Cooper will allow existing state mask mandates to expire on July 30, but he's recommending required masking for public school students in kindergarten through middle school. Cooper emphasized those changes during a Wednesday afternoon press conference on updated state COVID-19 guidance.
Leaders and supports of the N.C. High School Athletic Association gave a passionate defense of the organization Tuesday night in the wake of proposed legislation that would remove the organization from oversight and management of high school sports in North Carolina.
On Tuesday, the N.C. Senate Education Committee presented a bill that would effectively end the High School Athletic Association's role in supervising high school athletics, a role the organization has held since 1913.
For years, North Carolina conservatives and progressives argued incessantly about the effects of the state’s rightward turn. Conservatives said lower taxes and less regulation tend to boost entrepreneurship, job creation, and economic growth. Rejecting that position, progressives argued that spending more money on education and other public programs and making greater use of health, safety, and labor regulations would have net-positive results for the economy.
The General Assembly may allocate hundreds of millions in federal relief toward closing the digital divide this session, but policy experts says lawmakers still need to reduce regulations to further help the expansion of broadband infrastructure.
