C0-authored by @cottoncandyloverprincess and @letskeepitreal32

LOCAL

Parents Rights Rally

A rally organized by D.E.I. (Diversity, Equality, and Introspection) and founded by Yvonne Wilson took place, addressing concerns about parental rights in schools. As described by the Daily News-Record, the event was sponsored by the Harrisonburg/Rockingham County chapter of City Elders, a national Christian religious and political organization. The parents protesting were advocating for increased parental involvement and rights in their children’s education. They supported initiatives such as separating bathrooms and locker rooms based on “biological sex” and banning certain books in schools.

A table at the forum showcased challenged books, such as “The Bluest Eye,” “This Book is Gay,” and “Looking for Alaska”. This raised concerns from organizations like PEN America which reported a 33% increase in instances of book bans, attributing it to pressure from vocal citizens and various groups.

The rally faced opposition from protesters, some who were protesting against City Elders and others who came to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. These protesters aimed to show solidarity with transgender people in the community, emphasizing their belongingness within society.

NAtional

Grow Your Own Program

This article discusses the “Grow Your Own” program, an alternative pathway to addressing teacher shortages in the United States. It profiles Jenna Gros, a school custodian at Wyandotte Elementary School, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education through this program.

“Grow Your Own” programs aim to recruit future teachers from local communities and are supported by state and federal funding. The program fees are $75 a month, and at the end, she will be a teacher. 175 million has been allocated to this program by the State, local, and federal governments. With currently 55,000 vacant teacher spots all over America, this program can help fill these vacancies while also helping those in the community. 900 districts in the US have implemented these programs.

​​The U.S. Department of Education supports these programs, but researchers call for more rigorous evaluation to determine their impact on teacher diversity and student outcomes. The programs themselves can differ from school district to school district and have different needs. The problem this program faces is not having statistics to back the money given to it.

GLOBAL

Voting at the Vatican Meeting

Men largely attended Vatican policy gatherings, but for the first time this year, women were allowed to participate. Women’s voices and votes took center stage for the first time this year in a historic move for the church.

Helena Jeppesen-Spuhler, an advocate for the ordination of women, joined a major Vatican meeting this month. She was a little skeptical that an institution dominated by men for 2,000 years was ready to listen to women like her.

Pope Francis called the meeting to discuss the future of the Roman Catholic Church, including sensitive topics — married priests, the blessing of gay couples, sacraments for the divorced and remarried, as well as the role of women.

Women were surprised because many priests, bishops, and cardinals openly supported the advancements of women; some even backed the ordaining of women as deacons. Deacons are ordained ministers who can preach, perform weddings, funerals, and baptisms.