Latest news with #PublicInstruction
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Do not send children with fever, cough, cold and other symptoms to school: Karnataka govt
As the number of Covid-19 cases in Karnataka is increasing, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has advised that if children have fever, cough, cold and other symptoms, they should not be sent to school. They should be given appropriate treatment as per the doctor's advice, and should be quarantined at home. The Commissioner of Public Instruction, who has issued a circular regarding the precautionary measures to be taken in all government, aided and unaided schools across Karnataka for the prevention and control of Covid-19 pandemic, has said that children should be sent to school only after they have recovered from fever, cough, cold and other symptoms Schools across Karnataka have resumed for the 2025-26 academic year. In the current Covid-19 pandemic situation, it is necessary to take some precautionary measures in the interest of students. If children with symptoms come to school, the parents should be informed and such children should be sent home safely with their parents, the circular states. If teaching and non-teaching staff are found to have symptoms, necessary precautionary measures, such as hygiene, hand washing and being careful while coughing and sneezing, and Covid-19 Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) should be followed. D. Shashikumar, General Secretary of Associated Managements of Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), said, 'For the safety of children, we have been instructed to follow Covid-19 precautionary measures in all schools under our organisation. Accordingly, all our schools have been sanitised. Parents have been advised not to send children with fever, cough and cold and other problems to schools. All the instructions issued by the government in this regard from time to time will be followed without fail.'
The Hindu
6 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Students welcomed back to schools with fanfare
As the schools reopened after the summer holidays, students of various government schools were welcomed for the new academic year with much fanfare by the teachers and government officials at their respective schools in Dharwad district on Friday. The school premises were spruced up for the start of the new academic year and the entrances were decorated with colourful balloons and flowers. The teachers including the headmasters and headmistresses were at the entrance to welcome the students with flowers. The students were also given free textbooks and uniforms on the opening day of the academic year. Distributing the textbooks and uniforms at Governemnt Higher Primary School in Dharwad on Friday, Additional Deputy Commissioner C.D. Geeta said that under 'Mission Vidya Kashi' several initiatives were being taken to provide quality education and training to the students and the teachers were taking every possible step to improve the performances of the students. Ms. Geeta said that the teachers had a greater role to play in improving the confidence of the students, which in turn, would help the students in facing the challenges that they come across in their lives. She also emphasised the need for taking personal care of the students to ensure that they did not skip classes and take all steps to improve the concentration of the students and boost their creativity. Senior Civil Judge and Member Secretary of District Legal Service Authority Parashuram Doddamani said that primary education was crucial as it laid the foundation. Teachers should ensure that the students were not deprived of education by treating them with love and affection and motivating them to learn without discriminating any child, he said. Deputy Director of Public Instruction S.S. Keladimath said that the total demand of uniforms for the primary schools in the district was 1,02,988 sets and it was 28,164 sets for higher education. While the 1,02,865 sets of uniforms had been supplied for primary schools, the high schools had received 28,004 sets. Similarly against the demand of 27,22,400 textboos for the district, 21,69,370 textbooks (79.69% ) had already been supplied, he said. Other officials and teachers were present. In Hubballi, MLA Mahesh Tenginakai distributed the textbooks and sweets tot he students to welcome them back to the school on the inaugural day. He visited government schools at Nagashettikoppa and Gopnakoppa in Hubballi and greeted students with sweets and distributed textbooks. Channappagouda Patil, Umesh Bommakkanavar, Block Education Officers and others were present. Meanwhile, at various places, the teachers along with students took out processions heralding the reopening of the government schools. At Broadway in Hubballi, teachers and students with music band covered the localities in the vicinity of the school highlighting the benefits of studying in government schools.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
DSEL orders survey into encroachment on government school lands
The Department of School Education & Literacy (DSEL) has directed authorities concerned to conduct a survey of encroachment on lands belonging to State-run schools and ensure that khatas have been issued to schools. Following instances of some people claiming school properties as belonging to them donated by their ancestors to schools, and some being encroached, the Principal Secretary of the department V. Rashmi Mahesh issued a note to the Commissioner for Public Instruction asking to take necessary actions to remove encroachment and get the khatas of the land done in school names. There are a total of 41,589 government primary schools and 4,871 high schools. Of these, around 16,000 primary schools and over 1,500 high schools do not own the khata of the property. A majority were gifted lands. As per data, the highest number of schools without formal land documents in the school's name were in Shivamogga district, with around 1,000, followed by Tumakuru with 900. 'We have asked the Deputy Commissioners of the respective districts to identify the school properties and ensure the khata is done in the concerned school's name. Even if they are disputing or if the gift deed is in the school's name, then it is the property of the school. This process will be completed within a month,' said K.V. Thrilok Chandra, Commissioner of Public Instruction.
Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Trump's attacks on transgender Americans are a test in California's governor's race
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - In a ballroom packed with more than 1,000 people raising money for LGBTQ+ youths, veteran California legislative leader Toni Atkins didn't mince words: To be a gay or transgender teenager right now, she said, must feel like "a rug has been pulled from beneath your feet." In her fiery speech at the annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast, Atkins, who is running for California governor, said President Donald Trump and other Republicans are working to "legislate our trans siblings out of public life." "These aren't just political stunts: These are acts that put lives in danger and strip away basic human dignity," Atkins said. "So hear me, as I say: Trans people belong. Trans youth deserve love, joy and our protection." Atkins' speech, which drew rousing applause, offered a glimpse of how Trump's efforts to undermine California's liberal values - including support for transgender Americans - will be at the heart of the state's 2026 campaign for governor. In his first 100 days, Trump issued executive orders banning trans women from women's sports and barring the federal government from recognizing genders other than male or female. Trump is also pushing to ban transgender Americans from the U.S. military, writing in an executive order that transgender identity is a "falsehood" inconsistent with the "humility and selflessness required of a service member." The Supreme Court cleared the way last week for that ban to take effect. "Cruelty, and an attempt to humiliate, seems to be the point of what they are doing," said Lisa Middleton, a transgender woman and former mayor of Palm Springs. The LGBTQ+ community has become a political force in shaping statewide policy and campaigns. Other top Democrats running to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom have also voiced strong support for LGBTQ+ rights, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Controller Betty Yee and Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. About 2.8 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people live in California, more than in any other state, and Californians overwhelmingly support laws that protect the LGBTQ+ community, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Last year, California voters overwhelming passed a ballot measure to enshrine the right to same-sex marriage into the state Constitution. A proposed ballot initiative that would have limited transgender youth medical care and required schools to notify parents about their child's gender identity failed to get enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Polling by the Los Angeles Times last year found that more than 3 in 4 Americans see issues related to transgender and nonbinary people - which affect a fraction of the American population - as a distraction from more pressing policy matters. "It is a trap that conservatives are utilizing to distract from the real issues at hand," said Evan Low, a former California Assembly member and the new president of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Atkins, a former state Senate president pro tempore, former Assembly speaker and the only gay major candidate in the governor's race, said in an interview that she's "mindful that as a woman and as a member of the gay community, what I do matters." She said she supported the bill passed by the California Legislature a decade ago that allows students to play on sports teams that match their gender identity. "This administration is using that as a weapon and politicizing it," Atkins said. "That's just cruel." An Associated Press poll found in early May that Trump's handling of transgender issues is more popular with Americans than his job performance overall. And polling done in January by the New York Times found that nearly 80% of Americans, including more than two-thirds of Democrats, opposed the idea of trans women competing in women's sports. "The Democrats, who are trying to find their voice on so many things right now, don't know how to handle it," said Hank Plante, a political journalist and former fellow at the USC Center for the Political Future who lives in Palm Springs with his husband. "They want to be true to their base and to their principles of equal rights. But at the same time, it's a loser politically when you start talking about nonconforming gender issues and young people." One of the Trump campaign's most bruising attack ads last fall showed a clip of former Vice President Kamala Harris saying she would support gender-transition surgery for inmates in California's prisons, then concluded with: "Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you." "She didn't even react to it, which was even more devastating," Newsom said on a recent episode of his podcast. "Brutal. It was a great ad." On the same episode, Newsom told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk that it was "deeply unfair" for transgender girls to play on girls' sports teams. Newsom previously supported a California law signed by former Gov. Jerry Brown that allowed trans students to compete in sports and use bathrooms based on their gender preference. The uproar that followed Newsom's comments underscored the complexities Democrats face on the issue, with some Democrats alleging that Newsom strategically abandoned a vulnerable group of people to prepare for a future presidential run. Assemblymember Christopher M. Ward (D-San Diego), the chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, said the governor's remarks left him "profoundly sickened and frustrated." But Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, one of the best-known Republicans running for governor, said he agreed with Newsom - and, if elected, would sign an executive order banning "boys competing in girls' sports." Ron deHarte, the first gay Mexican American mayor of Palm Springs, warned in his speech at the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast that the LGBTQ+ community and its allies will "march with greater fervor - we will do more than ever before." "If you are a member of the military - transgender or not - if you are willing to fight for me, then I must be willing to fight for you," deHarte told the crowd. In an interview, deHarte said that elected officials are now facing an ethical test over whether to speak out against Trump administration policies that they see as hurting their communities, at the risk of losing federal funding. He said all eyes are on Maine, where the Trump administration stopped all federal education funding after Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, refused to comply with Trump's directive to ban trans girls from girls' sports. "It's a challenging line to walk," deHarte said. "You have to make sure you have not only the right moral standing, but the right legal standing too." Since Trump's inauguration, federal officials have targeted California over laws aimed at protecting trans students. The U.S. Department of Education is investigating the California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees sports at more than 1,500 high schools, and the California Department of Education over a law that bars schools from automatically notifying families about issues related to students' gender identities. Gay and trans high school students right now are experiencing fear that is "like being a little more closeted," said Delana Martin-Marshall, 38, an art teacher at A.B. Miller High School in Fontana. She and her wife, a physical education teacher at the school, drove a dozen students from the school's gay-straight alliance in two vans to the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast. "Students are really scared," she said. "Scared of being themselves." There's little that state-level officials can do to reverse decisions from the White House on issues like military eligibility and passports, but the state can still be a refuge for gay and trans students, attendees said, including shoring up funding and legal protections for gender nonconforming students and for gay couples. "The state has to prepare for what's coming," Plante said. He pointed to Justice Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion when the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, which said that the court "should reconsider" past rulings codifying Americans' rights to contraception, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. Christopher Martinez, 32, attended the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast with fellow students from College of the Desert who said they hope the next governor will focus on the day-to-day issues that affect transgender and gay college students, including the rising cost of living and housing insecurity. "Everything is getting really expensive," Martinez said. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's attacks on transgender Americans are a test in California's governor's race
In a ballroom packed with more than 1,000 people raising money for LGBTQ+ youths, veteran California legislative leader Toni Atkins didn't mince words: To be a gay or transgender teenager right now, she said, must feel like "a rug has been pulled from beneath your feet." In her fiery speech at the annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast, Atkins, who is running for California governor, said President Trump and other Republicans are working to "legislate our trans siblings out of public life." "These aren't just political stunts: These are acts that put lives in danger and strip away basic human dignity," Atkins said. "So hear me, as I say: Trans people belong. Trans youth deserve love, joy and our protection." Atkins' speech, which drew rousing applause, offered a glimpse of how Trump's efforts to undermine California's liberal values — including support for transgender Americans — will be at the heart of the state's 2026 campaign for governor. In his first 100 days, Trump issued executive orders banning trans women from women's sports and barring the federal government from recognizing genders other than male or female. Trump is also pushing to ban transgender Americans from the U.S. military, writing in an executive order that transgender identity is a "falsehood" inconsistent with the "humility and selflessness required of a service member." The Supreme Court cleared the way last week for that ban to take effect. "Cruelty, and an attempt to humiliate, seems to be the point of what they are doing," said Lisa Middleton, a transgender woman and former mayor of Palm Springs. Read more: Newsom says sharing his beliefs on trans athletes wasn't 'some grand design' The LGBTQ+ community has become a political force in shaping statewide policy and campaigns. Other top Democrats running to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom have also voiced strong support for LGBTQ+ rights, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Controller Betty Yee and Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. About 2.8 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people live in California, more than in any other state, and Californians overwhelmingly support laws that protect the LGBTQ+ community, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Last year, California voters overwhelming passed a ballot measure to enshrine the right to same-sex marriage into the state Constitution. A proposed ballot initiative that would have limited transgender youth medical care and required schools to notify parents about their child's gender identity failed to get enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Polling by the Los Angeles Times last year found that more than 3 in 4 Americans see issues related to transgender and nonbinary people — which affect a fraction of the American population — as a distraction from more pressing policy matters. "It is a trap that conservatives are utilizing to distract from the real issues at hand," said Evan Low, a former California Assembly member and the new president of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Atkins, a former state Senate president pro tempore, former Assembly speaker and the only gay major candidate in the governor's race, said in an interview that she's "mindful that as a woman and as a member of the gay community, what I do matters." She said she supported the bill passed by the California Legislature a decade ago that allows students to play on sports teams that match their gender identity. "This administration is using that as a weapon and politicizing it," Atkins said. "That's just cruel." Read more: Transgender issues are a strength for Trump, AP-NORC poll finds An Associated Press poll found in early May that Trump's handling of transgender issues is more popular with Americans than his job performance overall. And polling done in January by the New York Times found that nearly 80% of Americans, including more than two-thirds of Democrats, opposed the idea of trans women competing in women's sports. "The Democrats, who are trying to find their voice on so many things right now, don't know how to handle it," said Hank Plante, a political journalist and former fellow at the USC Center for the Political Future who lives in Palm Springs with his husband. "They want to be true to their base and to their principles of equal rights. But at the same time, it's a loser politically when you start talking about nonconforming gender issues and young people." One of the Trump campaign's most bruising attack ads last fall showed a clip of former Vice President Kamala Harris saying she would support gender-transition surgery for inmates in California's prisons, then concluded with: "Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you." "She didn't even react to it, which was even more devastating," Newsom said on a recent episode of his podcast. "Brutal. It was a great ad." On the same episode, Newsom told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk that it was "deeply unfair" for transgender girls to play on girls' sports teams. Newsom previously supported a California law signed by former Gov. Jerry Brown that allowed trans students to compete in sports and use bathrooms based on their gender preference. The uproar that followed Newsom's comments underscored the complexities Democrats face on the issue, with some Democrats alleging that Newsom strategically abandoned a vulnerable group of people to prepare for a future presidential run. Assemblymember Christopher M. Ward (D-San Diego), the chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, said the governor's remarks left him "profoundly sickened and frustrated." But Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, one of the best-known Republicans running for governor, said he agreed with Newsom — and, if elected, would sign an executive order banning "boys competing in girls' sports." Read more: Who is running for California governor in 2026? Meet the candidates Ron deHarte, the first gay Mexican American mayor of Palm Springs, warned in his speech at the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast that the LGBTQ+ community and its allies will "march with greater fervor — we will do more than ever before." "If you are a member of the military — transgender or not — if you are willing to fight for me, then I must be willing to fight for you," deHarte told the crowd. In an interview, deHarte said that elected officials are now facing an ethical test over whether to speak out against Trump administration policies that they see as hurting their communities, at the risk of losing federal funding. He said all eyes are on Maine, where the Trump administration stopped all federal education funding after Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, refused to comply with Trump's directive to ban trans girls from girls' sports. "It's a challenging line to walk," deHarte said. "You have to make sure you have not only the right moral standing, but the right legal standing too." Since Trump's inauguration, federal officials have targeted California over laws aimed at protecting trans students. The U.S. Department of Education is investigating the California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees sports at more than 1,500 high schools, and the California Department of Education over a law that bars schools from automatically notifying families about issues related to students' gender identities. Gay and trans high school students right now are experiencing fear that is "like being a little more closeted," said Delana Martin-Marshall, 38, an art teacher at A.B. Miller High School in Fontana. She and her wife, a physical education teacher at the school, drove a dozen students from the school's gay-straight alliance in two vans to the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast. "Students are really scared," she said. "Scared of being themselves." There's little that state-level officials can do to reverse decisions from the White House on issues like military eligibility and passports, but the state can still be a refuge for gay and trans students, attendees said, including shoring up funding and legal protections for gender nonconforming students and for gay couples. "The state has to prepare for what's coming," Plante said. He pointed to Justice Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion when the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, which said that the court "should reconsider" past rulings codifying Americans' rights to contraception, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. Christopher Martinez, 32, attended the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast with fellow students from College of the Desert who said they hope the next governor will focus on the day-to-day issues that affect transgender and gay college students, including the rising cost of living and housing insecurity. 'Everything is getting really expensive,' Martinez said. Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox twice per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
