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New Federal Tax Credit Could Expand Colorado School Choice Options
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, Commentary, State

New Federal Tax Credit Could Expand Colorado School Choice Options

By Brenda Dickhoner | Commentary, The Colorado Sun State lawmakers made the right move to postpone legislation that would have created barriers for the program. Colorado lawmakers have been working to close a budget gap of more than $1.5 billion, and programs that students and families rely on are under pressure. At the same time, a new federal tax credit gives Colorado a chance to bring substantial philanthropic dollars into education without drawing from the state’s general fund. The Education Freedom Tax Credit allows taxpayers to receive a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 annually for charitable contributions to scholarship-granting organizations that support K-12 students. Essentially, the program encourages private giving to step in where public fun...
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Colorado Student Granted Religious Exemption From School’s Digital Monitoring System
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Westword, Approved, Local

Colorado Student Granted Religious Exemption From School’s Digital Monitoring System

By Hannah Metzger | Westword "The district is deeply committed to honoring parental rights." Hail Satan? A young member of the Satanic Temple was granted a religious accommodation from the Elizabeth School District, arguing that the district’s digital hall pass system conflicts with her beliefs. The parents of the Elizabeth High School student had requested that she be exempted from the system, but their request was initially denied, according to TST. That’s when the Temple’s lawyers stepped in. “This was a cut-and-dry case of a TST member’s bodily autonomy being violated by invasive digital controls,” says Eliphaz Costus, campaign director of the Temple’s Protect Children Project. Using the digital hall pass system to monitor and restric...
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It’s your child: Why parents must take the lead in education
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

It’s your child: Why parents must take the lead in education

Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I really liked the video linked at bottom. I think at some point the Independence Institute started a new video series about education, and this is one of their episodes. The thing that made this one catch my eye was the topic. It’s something near and dear to my heart: not just an encouragement to get involved in your child’s education, it’s also a guide. To give you a quick sense of the topics in this discussion, I took a picture of the timestamps from the video description and attached as screenshot 1. I’ll leave it to you to watch the video, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a couple last thing. One of the most important things you can (and should if you’re not) be doing to make sure...
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Cutting Social Studies Tests Means Less Accountability For Schools
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Cutting Social Studies Tests Means Less Accountability For Schools

By Ari Armstrong | Commentary, Complete Colorado If “public education is the bedrock of Colorado’s democracy,” as Democratic sponsors declare in the TABOR-busting Senate Bill 26-135, then why do lawmakers want to cut social-studies testing from two grades to one? Someone might conclude that not even the legislators believe the slop they’re slinging on behalf of the teachers’ unions. A look at social-studies testing Given how abysmally most Colorado students perform on the social studies portion of the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, maybe it’s no wonder that some legislators want to sweep the evidence of underperforming public schools under the rug. If you look at CMAS results by year, you’ll find that the last publicly-released data f...
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Colorado collected $3.1 billion in marijuana taxes. Here’s how much actually reaches schools.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado collected $3.1 billion in marijuana taxes. Here’s how much actually reaches schools.

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice When Colorado voters said yes to legal marijuana back in 2012, schools were a big part of the pitch. More than a decade in, the state has collected over 3.1 billion dollars in tax revenue. So where does it all go? That number still carries a certain weight. It suggests a level of impact that would be visible in classrooms across the state. But when the dollars are traced through the system, then stacked up against what it actually costs to run schools, the effect looks different. Not invisible. Just smaller than people tend to expect. A closer look at what schools receive In the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, Colorado collected about 231.1 million dollars in marijuana tax revenue, according to the state’s nonp...
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National School Association Tells Schools to Treat Campuses as “Safe Zones”
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Just The News, Approved, National

National School Association Tells Schools to Treat Campuses as “Safe Zones”

By Esther Wickham | Just the News The webinar highlighted that public schools should function as “safe zones” for children and are not legally required to assist federal immigration enforcement without a valid judicial warrant. The American Association of School Administrators hosted a members-only virtual webinar last week, providing school leaders with guidance on how to respond to potential encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on school campuses, according to materials exclusively obtained by The Center Square. The webinar highlighted that public schools should function as “safe zones” for children and are not legally required to assist federal immigration enforcement without a valid judicial warrant. The webinar, titled: Operational Rea...
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Teachers Accused of Pushing Anti-ICE Activism on Young Students Nationwide
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Breitbart, Approved, National

Teachers Accused of Pushing Anti-ICE Activism on Young Students Nationwide

By Warner Todd Huston | Breitbart Anti-American, left-wing teachers are forcing K-12 kids to join anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests all across the country as Democrats and foreign-funded activists continue to march in support of criminal illegal migrants. A school teacher in Boston, for instance, proudly released a video showing what appears to be first grade children parading inside the classroom with anti-ICE signs, according to the MassDailyNews. https://twitter.com/MassDailyNews/status/2018930359635689602?s=20 Teachers have a vested interest in Joe Biden-styled, open borders immigration because as more illegals enter the country, more students from families of illegals are fed into the school systems for free education. Hence more t...
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Greeley-Evans School District Nurse Reprimanded Over ICE Protest Email
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Greeley-Evans School District Nurse Reprimanded Over ICE Protest Email

By: Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado GREELEY – While businesses closed, teachers called in sick and students walked out of class across Colorado as a sign of solidarity with two recent shootings by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minnesota, one Greeley-Evans School District 6 staffer decided to push her political opinions onto colleagues via the district email system, earning her a sit down with human resources about the appropriate use of school resources. The recent killing of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE officials in Minneapolis, who were attempting to take into custody suspected criminal aliens in the country illegally, has sparked protests across the country, including in Colorado. Although District 6 has had classes as usual, and...
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Colorado School Accused of Teaching Students to Track ICE Agents
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TownHall.com, Approved, Local

Colorado School Accused of Teaching Students to Track ICE Agents

By: Joseph Chalfant | Townhall A presentation was allegedly given at a Jefferson County, Colorado public school instructing students on how to document ICE agents conducting operations. The information included the often-used acronym “S.A.L.U.T.E.” to instruct their children on how to ensure full documentation of the activity of federal agents, essentially equipping them to work as “ICE watchers” like Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Children were told to gather information like number of officers, appearance, location, and the equipment of officers that students might observe. “Remember: document and record everything,” one slide of the presentation read. The presentation also “informed” students that “ICE leadership has given officers the go-ahead to violate the [...
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2 Colorado School Districts Close as Nationwide Shutdown Tied to Immigration Protests Disrupts Staffing
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

2 Colorado School Districts Close as Nationwide Shutdown Tied to Immigration Protests Disrupts Staffing

By Parker Gordon | KDVR DENVER (KDVR) — Aurora Public Schools and Adams County School District 14 will not have classes on Friday due to a high number of staff absences, the same day as a planned nationwide shutdown. A planned national shutdown is also scheduled for Friday to show solidarity with Minnesota, and against actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The shutdown calls for supporters to stay home from work and school, and not to shop to “stop funding ICE.” In addition to APS and ACSD 14, some Denver Public Schools will be on a two-hour delay Friday while MI and AN Center programs and Early Childhood Education programs will not have school. Aurora Public Schools A spokesperson for Aurora Public Schools and Pickens Technical Colleg...
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