Free Republic

Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Steve Joel pushed back Thursday against what he said was misinformed reaction to the district’s gender identity training by national commentators and news outlets... “Never once has anyone inside our system mandated that a teacher take (the words) ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ or ‘ladies’ and ‘gentlemen’ out of their interactions with children or interaction with adults. There’s no policy, there’s no procedure, there’s no changes being made to bathrooms in schools.” ... Among the advice in the handout was to avoid gendered terms like "girls" and "boys" and opt for gender neutral terms such as “campers” or...

In an effort to make classrooms more gender-inclusive, teachers at a middle school in Lincoln, Nebraska were given teaching guidelines advising them not to use "gendered expressions" by calling students "boys and girls." The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the teachers have been advised to use more gender-neutral expressions like campers, readers, athletes or even purple penguins. The teaching handout called "12 easy steps on the way to gender inclusiveness" advised teachers to avoid separating students by gender, but instead by birth dates or preferences. For example, they could ask students whether they prefer skateboards or bikes, milk or juice,...

A Nebraska school district has instructed its teachers to stop referring to students by “gendered expressions” such as “boys and girls,” and use “gender inclusive” ones such as “purple penguins” instead. “Don’t use phrases such as ‘boys and girls,’ ‘you guys,’ ‘ladies and gentlemen,’ and similarly gendered expressions to get kids’ attention,” instructs a training document given to middle-school teachers at the Lincoln Public Schools. “Create classroom names and then ask all of the ‘purple penguins’ to meet on the rug,” it advises. The document also warns against asking students to “line up as boys or girls,” and suggests asking...

A Nebraska school district has instructed its teachers to stop referring to students by “gendered expressions” such as “boys and girls,” and use “gender inclusive” ones such as “purple penguins” instead. “Don’t use phrases such as ‘boys and girls,’ ‘you guys,’ ‘ladies and gentlemen,’ and similarly gendered expressions to get kids’ attention,” instructs a training document given to middle-school teachers at Lincoln Public Schools. “Create classroom names and then ask all of the ‘purple penguins’ to meet on the rug,” it advises.

LINCOLN, Neb. —Parents from a Lincoln elementary school were astounded when their children came home with a flyer about how to handle bullies. The flyer had the following rules: Treat the person who is being mean as if they are trying to help you Do not be afraid Do not verbally defend yourself Do not attack If someone physically hurts you, just show you are hurt; do not get angry Do not tell on bullies Don’t be a sore loser Learn to laugh at yourself and not get “hooked” by put-downs Lincoln Public Schools addressed the flyer on its Facebook...

Thomas Christie calls his small office, buried deep in the Lincoln Public Schools' administrative building, his museum. Now, he'll have to make room on the wall for a national award honoring the district's multicultural education program. The National Association for Multicultural Education each year honors innovative programs for their outstanding contributions. This year, it chose a program that can trace its beginnings back 37 years - 20 years before Nebraska legislators passed a law requiring all districts to have multicultural education. It grew and changed during that time, when the nation passed Title IX and the district created an equity...

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska wants to make sure parents know they can keep their high school students' records from military recruiters - if they wish. A portion of the federal No Child Left Behind law requires that schools provide the names, addresses and phone numbers of juniors and seniors to all branches of the military, although it allows parents to "opt out." "Consent is assumed unless a parent takes affirmative steps," said Amy Miller. legal director of ACLU Nebraska. The problem: Some parents say they didn't realize they had the option to refuse release of the information....

Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman will give a free presentation, “Return of Depression Economics,” at Lincoln North Star High School at 7 p.m. May 8. “The Lincoln Public Schools District is indeed fortunate – especially in this era of economic downturn – to host the current, reigning Nobel Prize winner in economics,” said Randy Ernst, social studies curriculum specialist at LPS. Krugman is an economist, columnist, author and professor of economics and international affairs at Princeton University. [+]Enlarge Story Photo Paul Krugman, Nobel Prizewinning economist (AP Photo/Mel Evans) Story Photo Paul Krugman, Nobel Prizewinning economist (AP Photo/Mel Evans) He was...