All posts tagged: parents

Supreme Court says Maryland parents can pull their kids from public school lessons using LGBTQ books

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Maryland parents who have religious objections can pull their children from public school lessons using LGBTQ storybooks. The justices reversed lower-court rulings in favor of the Montgomery County school system in suburban Washington. The high court ruled that the schools likely could not require elementary school children to sit through lessons involving the books if parents expressed religious objections to the material. The decision was not a final ruling in the case, but the justices strongly suggested that the parents will win in the end. The court ruled that policies like the one at issue in the case are subjected to the strictest level of review, nearly always dooming them. The school district introduced the storybooks, including “Prince & Knight” and “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” in 2022 as part of an effort to better reflect the district’s diversity. In “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” a niece worries that her uncle won’t have as much time for her after he gets married to another man. The justices have repeatedly endorsed claims of religious …

Bristol parents rally to save area’s last community primary from Church takeover

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] A primary school in Bristol of no religious character is being threatened with a merger into a Church of England school, risking leaving no options for non-Christian families in the area. Plans by the Cathedral Schools Trust (CST) to merge Hotwells Primary School – the only non‑faith primary in the local ward – into the Church of England‑designated Cathedral Primary School have provoked a wave of opposition from parents, pupils, and local residents. If approved, the move would mean every primary school in the ward will be a faith school. The CST claims that the proposal is to account for the volume of student numbers on the site, with the Cathedral Primary School running Key Stage 1 from the Hotwell’s buildings and the current Cathedral Primary School buildings running Key Stage 2. Campaigning parents and supporters of Hotwells say that the CST has ‘failed to provide convincing evidence to justify such a drastic decision.’ The Save Hotwells Primary School campaign has been launched to prevent the proposed amalgamation. Additionally a petition to save Hotwells …

Mattel and OpenAI have partnered up – here’s why parents should be concerned about AI in toys

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] Mattel may seem like an unchanging, old-school brand. Most of us are familiar with it – be it through Barbie, Fisher-Price, Thomas & Friends, Uno, Masters of the Universe, Matchbox, MEGA or Polly Pocket. But toys are changing. In a world where children grow up with algorithm-curated content and voice assistants, toy manufacturers are looking to AI for new opportunities. Mattel has now partnered with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, to bring generative AI into some of its products. As OpenAI’s services are not designed for children under 13, in principle Mattel will focus on products for families and older children. But this still raises urgent questions about what kind of relationships children will form with toys that can talk back, listen and even claim to “understand” them. Are we doing right by kids, and do we need to think twice before bringing these toys home? Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, …

Parents protest secular school takeover plans

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] The National Secular Society is supporting parents and children in Bristol campaigning to stop a secular school being taken over by a faith school. The plans would see Hotwells Primary School, which has no religious ethos, amalgamated into the Anglican Cathedral Primary School. The resulting school would be spread over the sites of both schools but would take on the name and Church of England ethos of Cathedral Primary School. Parents with children at Hotwells Primary have launched a campaign website and a petition urging the schools’ academy trust not to “erase Hotwells Primary school, losing the only local secular primary choice”. Parents and pupils have held a public protest outside Hotwells Primary. They were joined by TV presenter David Dimbleby (pictured below, with his wife Kate and former Hotwells pupil Lila Howe), whose grandchildren are understood to have attended Hotwells. A merger or closure of Hotwells Primary would mean all schools in the Clifton and Hotwells and Harbourside wards would be Church of England faith schools, even though local authorities have a duty …

11 Reasons People Who Avoid Hanging Out With Anyone But Their Immediate Family Usually Have

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[ad_1] Parent-child relationships hold a lot of power over people’s happiness, life satisfaction, and general well-being into their adult lives, according to a study from the Journal of Family Studies. It’s not all about their childhood experiences, but how their parents continue to invest time and effort into the connection now. Especially for adult children navigating social isolation, a tumultuous dating landscape, and resentment-fueled conversations at work, it’s not surprising that they’re gravitating back to their parents, seeking the effort and intentionality they’re putting in. People who avoid hanging out with anyone but their immediate family usually have these reasons — they feel valued, heard, and supported by their close partners, kids, parents, and siblings. Especially in today’s age, when genuinely making someone feel heard is a struggle amid technology and rising narcissism, these relationships can feel like a safe space. Here are 11 reasons people who avoid hanging out with anyone but their immediate family usually have 1. They had a healthy childhood PeopleImages.com – Yuri A | Shutterstock Many people who make the conscious decision to …

Heatwave Lolly Hack For The School Pick Up Saves Parents A ‘Fortune’

Published by Sam

[ad_1] If the local ice cream van practically lives outside your child’s school, your bank balance is probably looking a little worse for wear right now. With individual ice creams being sold for anywhere between £3 and £5 at our local van – and queues longer than those at most theme parks – we’re all out here trying to find ways to save a bit of dosh. And one particular parenting hack shared on social media has been hailed by some parents as “brilliant” and “incredible”. With the heatwave showing no sign of disappearing anytime soon, Claire Russell, of Play Hooray, shared a tip which simply involves popping a couple of mini ice lollies in an insulted cup. She wrote in the caption: “Warning: do this once and the kids will expect it at every pick up FYI.” “I never thought to put them in a thermos!” said one commenter. “So clever!!” added someone else. Others called it “an incredible” and “brilliant” idea. One parent suggested if you put ice cubes into the thermos, “it …

Christian parents lose High Court judicial review of VAT on private schools

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[ad_1] The High Court has rejected claims made by a group of Christian schools, parents, and pupils that the Government’s policy for private schools to pay VAT breaches their human rights. Humanists UK has welcomed the judgment. The Christian claimants gained permission to take a judicial review case in January, claiming the heavy secularisation of state schools meant their children could not be taught in line with their religious beliefs, if the increase in private schools’ fees from the VAT policy meant they had to withdraw their children. But the High Court ruled on Friday that private faith schools having to pay VAT does not contravene Article 2 of the First Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) that requires the State to respect the rights of parents to educate their children in conformity with their beliefs. The judges pointed out that in case law in England and Wales and at Strasbourg, there is no ECHR requirement for specific schooling to be provided and where parents can’t send their children to a school …

The young professionals taking their parents’ experiences to heart and changing how they work

Published by Sam

[ad_1] FRED PÉAULT Mathéo had not yet set foot in an office, yet he was already disillusioned with work. As a teenager, he watched his mother come home from her job, year after year, increasingly overwhelmed. “She spent over 20 years at La Poste [France’s postal service]. She always worked very hard to move up, starting out without qualifications. But she saw her work lose its meaning,” recounted the young man (who requested anonymity), now 25 and living in Brittany. In a context of changing management in the public service, she faced “forced job changes, unattainable target figures and growing tensions with customers,” Mathéo said, adding that these difficulties took a toll on his mother’s morale. This first glimpse left him with a strong conviction that “the world of work is a trap,” as he put it. “I’ve seen firsthand that whatever efforts you make as an employee, you hit walls.” Now entering the job market after studying cultural presentation, he was struggling to envision a secure professional future. “Especially since I already feel like …

Parents of twins with same debilitating illness describe ‘nightmare’ NHS battle

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[ad_1] Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Parents of twins who share a rare illness that could affect the ability to walk have described the “nightmare” battle they face with the NHS to access a free drug. Givinostat, a medicine that can slow the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is being offered at no cost by a drug firm while it awaits NHS approval. The drug can prolong the time children with the condition can walk. However, despite being part of an early access programme since November, only a limited number of NHS trusts across the UK, particularly in England, are providing the medication. Duchenne UK, a charity supporting those affected by the condition, has described the situation as a “cruel” postcode lottery, with families in a race against time to secure access to the drug. The …

Why more and more parents are becoming secretive about their baby name choices

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Chat to any prospective parents and the chances are that they’ll happily explain exactly how they’re preparing for their new arrival. The colour of the nursery, the sleep plan they’re intending on following (until it all inevitably goes out of the window), the extortionate price of buggies – all these minutiae are up for discussion. It’s alternately charming and disorientating, seeing the friends with whom you sat on the school bus or snuck into clubs underage suddenly consumed by grown-up details. But there is one subject that seems to have the power to make even the most forthcoming parents-to-be fall quiet. Ask them about the baby names that they’re considering, and it’s as if a drawbridge has come up. An apparently innocuous question …