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Hobbs and Mayes want judge to toss lawsuit Horne filed against them tied to ‘dual-language’ programs
Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes want a judge to toss a lawsuit filed against them by state schools chief Tom Horne because they can't give him the legal relief he wants: an end to "dual-language'' programs in public schools he contends are ineffective -- and illegal.
Horne files suit to get court to rule schools not using ‘structured English immersion’ violating law
Hoping to force the issue, state schools chief Tom Horne filed suit late Wednesday to get a court to rule that any school that doesn't use "structured English immersion'' to teach students who are not proficient is violating the law.
ADE says work being done on ESA program as ClassWallet continues as vendor
With ClassWallet in the process of continuing its contract with the state as the Empowerment Scholarship Account financial vendor, the Arizona Department of Education confirmed work on long-term changes to the program, most notably the revival of debit cards using automation and artificial intelligence.
Schools using 50-50 Dual Immersion Model to teach ELL not at risk of losing funds
Schools using the 50-50 Dual Immersion Model to teach English Language Learners are no longer at risk of losing funds, despite threats from the Arizona Department of Education.
Department of Education evaluating two investigations reported to Empower Hotline
The Empower Hotline, a tipline for reporting “critical race theory,” as well as “gender ideology, social emotional learning, or inappropriate sexual content,” only has two active investigations, according to the Arizona Department of Education.
DOE’s proposed ESA handbook edits draw parents’ anger
The Arizona Department of Education’s proposed edits to the Empowerment Scholarship Account handbook were met with backlash and claims of improper outside influence in a state board of education meeting today.
Covid affects students’ math, English performance
The Covid pandemic continues to negatively impact students’ success in math and English, and education leaders say it’s imperative to address these unprecedented declines in proficiency quickly.
Passing $12.8B budget means appeasing several Republicans
GOP leaders in the House and Senate introduced a $12.8 billion spending plan Monday afternoon with high hopes of passing it by Wednesday — but finding the votes to pass it will prove difficult.
Sex ed legislation fizzles early in effort to avoid controversy
This was supposed to be the year lawmakers fought hard for sex education legislation, but a controversial start to the session mixed with a pandemic put a pin in that... […]
Audit calls for more staff for voucher program
An audit into the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program management shows that the Arizona Department of Education needs to hire 21 additional full-time employees in order to run it smoothly.
Panel recommends broader definition of ‘position of trust’ in child sex abuse laws
A special committee wants to revamp Arizona's sex abuse laws to make it easier to prosecute some people who violate their position of trust with their youthful victims.
Hiring school counselors can’t wait
In Arizona, help for our schools can always wait, it seems. A 903-1 student-to-counselor ratio is an emergency. The consequences of delay could be tragic. Our state's response requires more urgency than "wait until next year."
