School Controversies

Many high schools have traditionally included rituals like a benediction or invocation at their graduation ceremonies. While these terms might refer to a variety of things, many believe the words themselves invoke a religious ritual – one that is not allowed to be introduced or endorsed by public schools. The question of prayer during a graduation ceremony has also been a point of controversy for many years at high schools across the country. This year has been no exception, with a Texas public high school graduation coming to the forefront in the latest battle. We will take a look at the issue of prayer during graduation ceremonies, including why some believe that the practice is in direct violation of the constitutional separation of church and state.

What Happened in Texas?

Medina Valley High School in Castroville, Texas, has had a long tradition of including an invocation at the beginning of their graduation ceremonies and a benediction at the end. This year, a student at the school, along with his parents, took issue with the use of terms in the graduation ceremony that some could construe as religious. The family took their case to a district judge, who ruled that Medina was violating the constitution in using such terminology and ordered them to remove the invocation and benediction from the graduation program.

Ayesha Khan, the lawyer for the family, told Reuters, "We think that the district has been flouting the law for decades. We're glad

Public school auctions are not a new idea, but with the economic woes in recent years, these fundraisers have reached an all-time high in many areas across the country. As the need for successful fundraising increases, so does the intensity of the public auction experience, with more expensive merchandise offered up and even a few tempers to diffuse throughout the evening. This article will take a closer look at the public auction experience, including some of the problems schools across the country have encountered in their efforts to raise necessary funding for their students.

The Benefits of a Public Auction

According to an article at TopSchoolFundraisers.com, the public auction has long been a popular fundraising choice in schools because it offers a myriad of benefits, including:

• The potential to earn plenty of money for the school
• The ability to build a sense of community among students, staff, and parents
• The positive reputation fundraising builds within the community
• The involvement of numerous volunteers in a single purpose and activity
• The chance to provide a single, large fundraiser as opposed to multiple smaller events

The public auction falls into three distinct categories: the live auction, where individuals publically bid on items; the silent auction, where bids are listed until the deadline; and the online auction, which is similar to the silent auction but conducted through the Internet. In many cases, the auction is conducted simultaneously with another event, such as a dinner or dance, to entice more people and

Social media, which has become essential for kids and techno-savvy adults, is now entering the realm of public education as well. Schools and districts across the country are leaping aboard the Facebook bandwagon, creating pages that allow students and staff to interact during and after school hours. This online tool provides a whole new dimension to the public school community, but not everyone is thrilled with the idea of posting school business and social interactions on the Internet for the world to see. We'll take a look at both the pros and cons of the use of Facebook in public schools, as well as some districts that have embraced FB already.

This video looks at the pros and cons of using social media.

Positive Ways Schools can Use Facebook

According to an article at Mashable, there are many potentially constructive ways public schools can use Facebook to engage their communities. The author of the article, JG Visual partner David Hartstein, says at the beginning of his report, "By setting up a Facebook page, schools can establish a controlled, professional presence that allows them to capitalize on this social space in many important ways, while still protecting their students."

Hartstein suggests a number of ways to incorporate social media into the public school community, including:

Sharing News

While many schools currently rely on their websites or the old-fashioned "paper home from school" methods of sharing

Teaching Gay History in Public Schools: A Possible Mandate in California

The history books in public schools today include figures from all walks of life who have made significant contributions to the development of this country. In California, some legislators do not believe the curriculum has gone far enough to include all Americans who have played a role in our nation's history. To rectify the problem, lawmakers have introduced a bill that requires the teaching of gay history in schools. According to an Associated Press report, the California Senate approved the measure. However, it still must pass the Assembly and Governor Jerry Brown's desk before it becomes an official law of the state.

In this video, the Houston ISD Superintendent posits that what is taught in public schools should reflect today's reality, including African American history, Latino history, and LGBTQ history.

What the Bill Does

The California legislation would require schools to add LGBT figures to the list of social and ethnic groups that must already be included in current history lessons. It would also require the California Board of Education and local school districts within the state to adopt textbooks that cover the historical contributions of sexual minorities in this country. Material that reflects adversely on gays or particular religions would be banned from classroom teaching as well. Each school district would be able to determine what

Ever since the Internet has come into the public school classroom, filters have been used to keep inappropriate and obscene information and pictures away from students. However, the ACLU has recently been alerted to the fact that pornography isn't the only thing not making it into public school classrooms today. Many schools across the country are using their filtering tools to weed out information for LGBT students – even when the websites in question do not fall into the pornographic or inappropriate category. What's worse is that many of these same schools allow anti-gay websites to be accessed on campus.

What's In and What's Out

The problem came to the attention of the ACLU a few years ago when a high school student in Tennessee was searching for information about scholarships for gay and lesbian students. The student was unable to access any of the websites that provided such information, according to a report on Digital Life. However, the student did discover websites advocating that gay and lesbian behavior can be reformed or overcome. The student notified the ACLU about the issue, and the ACLU sued the school and several others in Tennessee with similar policies.

On their website, the ACLU asserts, "Blocking all LGBT content violates students' First Amendment rights to free speech. They also violate the Equal Access Act, which requires equal access to school resources for all extracurricular clubs, including gay-straight alliances and LGBT support groups." The