Latest news with #DepartmentofEducation
New York Post
5 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC teachers getting anti-Israel literature in DOE schools
Hateful anti-Israel propaganda has slipped into city Department of Education literature and schools at least five times in the past two months, The Post has learned. In the latest instance, faculty members at a large Brooklyn elementary/middle school received an email Monday with the subject line: 'How Much Jewish Wealth From The Black Slave Trade Was Used To Help Create Israel?' Among a dozen links to inflammatory texts, the email includes several articles branding Jews as former slave owners; a piece by Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakahn claiming 'Jewish behavior has ill-affected Black people and others;' and a Palestinian children's workbook decrying 'bullies called Zionists.' 4 Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos has vowed to crack down on dissemination of 'politically one-sided materials deeply offensive to the Jewish community.' Andrew Schwartz / 'It's clearly an attack,' a Jewish teacher who received the diatribe in her DOE email told The Post. The incident is evidence of rising antisemitism in NYC schools and other educational institutions since the Israeli-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023, experts say. The emails came from think.285@ an encrypted account hiding the sender's identity. The teacher asked that she and her 'amazing' school, which she described as close-knit and harmonious, not be named. 'There was never an issue with antisemitism — not once,' she told The Post, adding she wears a Star of David at work. 'It wouldn't be fair to drop such a stain on the school. I would put my last penny on the fact that I don't think it's a person from the school' who sent the offensive missive. 4 The links to antisemitic literature in an email sent to Brooklyn teachers include a Palestinian children's handbook that refers to 'bullies called Zionists.' Obtained by the New York Post Like many other NYC schools, the Brooklyn school posts its teachers' DOE email addresses on a public website. Two assistant principals were 'horrified' by the cyber stealth, but the teacher has not discussed the emails with the principal — who did not address them with staff. It's the latest in a series of anti-Israel attacks popping up in DOE communications. In early April, schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos apologized after a 17-page 'Stop Gaza Genocide Toolkit' was linked in a newsletter sent to teachers and parents. 4 Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos apologized in early April after a 17-page 'Stop Gaza Genocide Toolkit' was linked in a newsletter sent to teachers and parents. Weeks later, a 'Teacher Career Pathways' newsletter for master teachers in the city's 1,800 schools called for student voices to be heard on the 'genocide in Gaza.' In a DOE crackdown on 'politically one-sided materials that are deeply offensive to the Jewish community' being disseminated, Aviles-Ramos halted the release of mass communications sent to educators, students and parents without her approval. At the same time, an anti-Israel group, the Labor for Palestine Network, sent an email blast to city teachers on their DOE accounts calling for a May Day strike and other 'civil disobedience' to protest the Gaza war. The DOE said it would investigate. Last month, a flyer distributed in several Manhattan schools urged teachers voting in their union elections to back a campaign to divest pension funds from Israel. 4 Elias Rodriguez, 31 of Chicago, is charged in the May 21 murders of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington, D.C. Katie Kalisher via Storyful The flyers came after the cold-blooded murder of two young Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C. by a gunman who yelled, 'Free Palestine.' The United Federation of Teachers disavowed the flyers. The DOE said it removed them from schools. Karen Feldman, a middle-school teacher and Holocaust educator studying the rise of antisemitism in NYC public schools, said the mounting incidents 'point to a systemic issue.' 'We must all demand stronger oversight and safeguards to ensure public institutions do not become platforms for hate,' she said. Asked whether the Brooklyn school had reported the emails, a DOE spokeswoman said, 'We are investigating this matter and will address it as appropriate with disciplinary action, community engagement, and educational intervention.' Officials said the DOE has identified who sent previous anti-Israel emails, but would not elaborate on 'personnel matters.'
Irish Independent
15 hours ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Tríocha bliain ag foghlaim trí Ghaeilge – Gaelscoil Charman marks major milestone
With this school year marking thirty years since the Gaelscoil first opened its doors in Wexford town, the red carpet was rolled out and the community was invited to come and help pupils, staff and management to mark the milestone. While a sports day at Pairc Charman was supposed to form part of the celebrations, the weather failed to play ball, but things were quickly re-arranged and pupils showed off some of their musical talents as príomhoide Dearbhla Mhic Chaoilte thanked the local community and pupils and parents, past and present, for all their support over the years and cut a special 'birthday cake' with the help of the school's oldest and youngest pupils. On foot of a local demand, the first tentative steps to establish a Gaelscoil in Wexford town were taken back in 1994. Initially, the school opened with just 37 pupils, under the leadership of príomhoide Áine Uí Ghionnáin, and it didn't receive permanent recognition from the Department of Education until 1997. Twenty years ago, in 2005, Gaelscoil Charman received its permanent building on Whiterock Hill and it was a momentous day for Áine and her staff. In 2021, Áine retired from her role and was succeeded by Dearbhla Mhic Chaoilte. From it's humble beginnings, the Gaelscoil has gone from strength to strength and today it has over 200 pupils with eight mainstream classes and one ASD class. Indeed it was a huge source of pride when Gaelscoil Charman became one of the first Gaelscoileanna in the south east to open an ASD class and to offer education completely trí Ghaeilge. "Gaelscoil Gharman is proud of its inclusivity and welcomes all families of many different backgrounds,' Príomhoide Mhic Chaoilte said. 'The school community as a whole is united in its love of the Irish language and culture and is very proud to be able to pass on this love to its pupils.'
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
$1 billion in school mental health grants won't be renewed; PA organizations are worried
(WHTM) – The Strong Minds, Bright Futures is a statewide partnership of over 60 organizations dedicated to improving youth mental health across Pennsylvania. They are strongly urging the Department of Education to reconsider the decision to cut $1 billion in federal grants supporting school-based mental health services. 'I think many of our kids, our families and even our teachers and principals don't yet understand the negative impact that this is going to have,' said CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters, Marcus Allen. Advocates say if this decision is not reversed, it will leave more than 250,000 students across the Commonwealth without mental health support. Families will lose access to school counselors, social workers, and programs designed to support students' well-being and prevent youth suicide. 'The Trump administration taking a wrecking ball to this funding that provides these critical services for students who are experiencing behave, role and emotional challenges. It's incredibly shortsighted,' said Chris Lilienthal with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. This funding stems from a law passed in 2022 following the tragic shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The law is called the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. 'It was designed to help schools hire mental health professionals including counselors and social workers,' said Allen. 36 schools across Pennsylvania received funding, including four in the Midstate. Senator John Fetterman shared a statement with abc27: 'We're facing a mental health crisis in this country, and I don't know any Pennsylvanian who thinks our kids have the mental health support system they need in our classrooms. As a senator, but more importantly, as a parent, I'm working to improve access and increase the number of counselors in our schools. Instead, the Trump administration is gutting the very program that would make these improvements possible. It's a cruel move that will only hurt our kids. I'm calling on the administration to immediately reverse course.' Department of Education Deputy Assistant Secretary, Madi Biedermann said in a statement: 'The Department decided not to continue funding these grants beyond the initial award terms. These grants are intended to improve American students' mental health by funding additional mental health professionals in schools and on campuses. Instead, under the deeply flawed priorities of the Biden Administration, grant recipients used the funding to implement race-based actions like recruiting quotas in ways that have nothing to do with mental health and could hurt the very students the grants are supposed to help. We owe it to American families to ensure that tax-payer dollars are supporting evidence-based practices that are truly focused on improving students' mental health.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Irish Examiner
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Colin Sheridan: Paradise lost? Today's teens miss out on beauty of yesterday's poetry
Good weather can only mean one thing: Leaving Cert English paper one. Soundings. The Planter's Daughter versus Paradise Lost. Emily Dickinson vibing on a funeral in her brain. Dylan Thomas's point-blank refusal to mourn. Paddy Kavanagh counting the bicycles headed down to Billy Brennan's yard, hornier than a goat, thirsty at the prospect of chasing a bit of skirt down Iniskeen Road on a July evening. Feeling nostalgic, I reached for a copy of the great green book and started to leaf through its fabled pages. First published in 1969, Soundings — more cultural touchstone than simple poetry anthology — had more reprints than the King James Bible. There isn't a house in Ireland built in the last 55 years that hasn't had a half dozen copies cycle through it. Notes, scribbled in pencil, about the margins. Arrows and underlines elucidating on curious metaphors. A girl's name. A heart with an arrow through it. The lovestruck doodles were poems all by themselves. An introduction from editor and academic Augustine Martin implored students to ignore the glossaries provided in the footnotes. 'Nobody — teacher, classmate, critic or parent — can read a poem for you,' Augustine warned. 'Ultimately, the reader himself must lay hold to the poem and experience it in the intimacy of his own mind. Unless he does this, the whole effort of teaching is at worst a fraud, at best a waste of time.' The front cover of the much-loved Soundings poetry book, which was part of the Leaving Cert English curriculum for many years. Strong words, and ones that my own English teacher taught by. To dare read the footnotes was a cowardly surrender to conformity. He would rather you die thinking Austin Clarke had genuinely lost a heifer if it meant you read the poem your way — even if you misunderstood it — so long as you didn't go straight to the bottom to see what the cheat-sheet said. Sadly, Soundings was dumped off the Leaving Cert English curriculum in 2000 after a significant revision of the English syllabus. This new module introduced a broader and more diverse range of texts, including contemporary authors, modern novels, and film studies. The aim was to modernise the curriculum and move beyond the traditional, predominantly male and canonical selections that characterised Soundings. While the reasoning was sound, one can't help wondering what students today and for the last 25 years have lost by being deprived of the exposure to some of the greatest minds in literature. When you're young and live in your own head, reading Percy Bysshe Shelley's Stanzas written in Dejection near Naples can be quite formative. Especially if you had a teacher who brought it to life, as I had. What happened? Was Paradise Lost too dark, too apocalyptic, too critical of Man's first disobedience, to be trusted in the hands of an 18-year-old? Has the Department of Education ever watched an episode of Euphoria? Perhaps the straw that broke the lost heifer's back was The Planter's Daughter, Austin Clarke's love letter to a beauty so profound, it silenced entire pubs. Nowadays, a line of pure genius such as 'They say that her beauty/Was music in mouth' could be construed as a sentiment a little too close to outright objectification, and therefore be disqualified as leery misogynistic nonsense. If that's the calculation, then, oh, what a loss. Some German students visited our school during my secondary school years. I slow-danced with a young fraulein from Baden-Württemberg to The Pretenders I'll Stand by You at a disco in the town hall, and weeks later, in an effort to keep the romance alive until I was old enough to run away to the Black Forest to lumberjack, I wrote her a letter in which I may have told her that she was 'the Sunday in every week'. The scribbles in the margins were commonplace. In my defence, it was the pre-internet age, and we had bonded over our mutual love of poetry and Dawson's Creek. You miss all the shots you don't take. Weeks passed before a letter arrived with a German stamp on it. 'Why Sunday?' the fraulein asked, obviously unimpressed. 'It's the worst day of the week. It is long and boring, and I get depressed because I have to go back to school on Monday.' Bloody Germans, one might say, but here was a valuable lesson in her cold-eyed critique. 'No poem means quite the same thing to any two readers,' Augustine Martin said, 'or even the same reader at different periods of his life.' The fraulein read it her way, and I read it mine. Nostalgia is a seductive sauce, but I can't help thinking Soundings was something worth keeping in the schoolbags of our kids. How else will teenagers come to know that "beauty is truth, truth beauty'? And "that is all we know on earth, and all we need to know". So too, that "the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven'. When you're young, there's surely no more relatable a sentiment than that.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Teachers' Union of Ireland members vote to accept proposed Leaving Certificate reforms
Members of the Teachers' Union of Ireland have voted to accept the proposed Leaving Certificate reform package rather than take industrial action. The union recommended that its members accept the proposals put forward by the Department of Education following a series of talks earlier this year. The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) put the ballot to its members without a recommendation. Both unions had strongly opposed the Leaving Certificate reforms, set to begin in September, with teachers raising concerns around the readiness of schools to roll out the changes, along with the introduction of new project work components. In April, teaching delegates passed emergency motions at their annual congress calling for their unions to take industrial action if talks with the department failed to 'deliver an acceptable outcome". Following a vote on Friday, TUI members voted by a margin of 73% to 27% to accept the negotiated implementation measures for senior cycle redevelopment. TUI president David Waters said it is clear members still have a 'range of concerns' around various issues relating to the redevelopment process. "We will be insisting that the department honours the commitments set out in the negotiated document.' The TUI has specific concerns around system capacity for the roll-out of science subjects, the potential risks to assessment posed by AI, and the 'additional resourcing required to ensure that no students, particularly those in DEIS settings, are put at a disadvantage by any of the changes'. 'It is now imperative that these and any other arising issues are urgently addressed,' Mr Waters added. Read More Deis plan to emphasise retention of students up to Leaving Cert and beyond
