Civil Rights
School software provider is the latest target of major hack of personal data
The sensitive data of millions of American adults and children have been compromised after hackers targeted California-based education software company PowerSchool, the company confirmed this week. The breach happened at the end of December, and new information confirmed by TechCrunch Thursday morning says that hackers were able to access student addresses, Social Security numbers, grades and medical […]
Federal judge vacates Biden Title IX rule, scrapping protections for LGBTQ+ students nationwide
A federal district court judge in Kentucky has struck down President Joe Biden’s effort to protect transgender students and make other changes to Title IX, ruling the U.S. Department of Education violated teachers’ rights by requiring them to use transgender students’ names and pronouns. The ruling issued Thursday, which applies nationwide, came as a major […]
º£½ÇÉçÇø Gov. Mike DeWine signs dozens of bills, including LGBTQ+ ‘forced outing’ bill
º£½ÇÉçÇø Gov. Mike DeWine signed nearly 30 bills Wednesday, including legislation that would require schools to notify parents if the child identifies as LGBTQ+ as well as allow parents to opt out of so-called “sexuality” content. The GOP denies it is homophobic, saying it’s just a way for parents to stay informed. State Reps. D.J. […]
Librarians gain protections in some states as book bans soar
Karen Grant and fellow school librarians throughout New Jersey have heard an increasingly loud chorus of parents and conservative activists demanding that certain books — often about race, gender and sexuality — be removed from the shelves. In the past year, Grant and her colleagues in the Ewing Public Schools just north of Trenton updated […]
How º£½ÇÉçÇø police justify charging hundreds of dollars for bodycam video
Police officers in º£½ÇÉçÇø are defending their soon-to-be new ability to charge hundreds of dollars for body camera footage requested by the public and media, saying it protects officers from harassment. Advocates, attorneys and professors fear for government transparency and accountability. Police body and dash camera footage helps º£½ÇÉçÇøans know what’s going on in their […]
Camping bans, penalties after Supreme Court ruling could worsen homelessness, experts say
A man is sleeping on the ground next to a bus stop wrapped in a blanket when he is spotted by a police officer. A City of Las Vegas Marshal notices the 55-year-old while patrolling near the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas on a recent November morning, according to the police report. Officer […]
º£½ÇÉçÇø Gov. DeWine signs bill into law to charge public for police video
º£½ÇÉçÇø Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a controversial bill into law that could charge the public hundreds of dollars for footage from law enforcement agencies, including body cameras. At 11 p.m. Thursday, DeWine announced signings and line-item vetoes on bills. The governor is able to make line-item vetos on provisions in bills that contain appropriations, […]
º£½ÇÉçÇø economists overwhelmingly agree that state can lessen infant mortality
º£½ÇÉçÇø and the United States have a big problem with infant mortality. But the state government can take measures to significantly lessen it, the vast majority of º£½ÇÉçÇø economists surveyed on the matter said. When infants die at high rates, it isn’t just a tragedy for them and their families. It also is expensive and […]
Abortion-rights organizers talk failed ballot measures and what’s next
Most abortion-rights ballot measures succeeded this past year, but November marked the first time since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade that some citizen-led bids to restore access failed. Organizers with campaigns in Arkansas, Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota spoke with States Newsroom about what went wrong. A few said they’re not giving […]
º£½ÇÉçÇø law aims to reduce license suspensions
The º£½ÇÉçÇø Poverty Law Center is praising a bill passed in the lame-duck session of the º£½ÇÉçÇø General Assembly that is intended to reduce the huge number of º£½ÇÉçÇøans whose driver’s licenses are suspended because of unpaid debts or drug offenses. The bill awaits Gov. Mike DeWine’s signature. In a state so poor that a […]
º£½ÇÉçÇø LGBTQ+ advocates warn against school ‘forced outing’ bill
º£½ÇÉçÇø advocates are warning against an º£½ÇÉçÇø bill that would require schools to notify parents if the child identifies as LGBTQ+, as well as opt out of so-called “sexuality” content. The GOP denies it is homophobic, saying it’s just a way for parents to stay informed. During the last expected week of lame duck session, […]
º£½ÇÉçÇø Senate moves antisemitism definition on same day it’s criticized for infringing on free speech
The º£½ÇÉçÇø Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would use an international group’s definition of antisemitism in state law, a move that garnered strong opinions both in support and against it in committee as recently as the morning of the chamber vote. º£½ÇÉçÇø Senate Bill 297, passed with a 27 to 4 vote, would add […]