Education

Rebekah Bruesehoff, a transgender student athlete, speaks at a press conference on LGBTQI+ rights, at the U.S. Capitol

National ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports passed by U.S. House panel

BY: - March 9, 2023

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee early Thursday passed a bill on a party-line vote that would block transgender girls from competing in school sports consistent with their gender identity, a reflection of a broader push in multiple states to curb the rights of transgender student athletes. The bill, H.R. 734, introduced […]

A cart of children's books in a library

Livingston library board member ousted in wake of AG Landry’s opinion

BY: - March 8, 2023

The Livingston Parish Council voted Tuesday evening to oust a member of its Library Board of Control. The decision comes just weeks after Attorney General Jeff Landry issued an opinion that argued parish governments are free to remove library board members before their terms are up.  Parish Councilman Garry Talbert said he wanted to remove […]

A three-story Catholic school building with an adjoining parking lot

Private school tax credit is a ‘charitable facade’ for the rich, study says

BY: - March 8, 2023

A new study found that Louisiana’s private school voucher tax credit is siphoning money from public education and serving as a tax shelter for the wealthy rather than encouraging charitable donations.  In a report published Tuesday, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy analyzed various school voucher tax credits in multiple states and found them […]

A man in a suit jacket sits at a table. In the foreground, a blurred figure stands at a podium.

Anti-censorship advocates sue Lafayette library board chair over First Amendment violations

BY: - March 7, 2023

Two anti-censorship advocates are suing Lafayette Consolidated Government and the chair of the Lafayette Library Board of Control on allegations of First Amendment and open meetings law violations.  Lynette Meía and Melanie Brevis, co-founders of Lafayette Citizens Against Censorship and Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship, allege that Robert Judge, chair of the Library Board, unlawfully restricts […]

President Biden delivers remarks on mass shootings and gun legislation

Louisiana Higher Ed: Biden to hold risky college leaders liable; smartphone security research

BY: - March 6, 2023

The Louisiana Illuminator takes a weekly look at news from universities and colleges around the state. Have a tip or want to submit a Louisiana Higher Ed news item? Contact [email protected] Biden admin to hold risky college leaders personally liable  The U.S. Department of Education issued guidance on how it will hold leaders of risky […]

A cart of children's books in a library

Little known religious group behind First Lady’s ‘Fred the Turtle’ book

BY: - March 5, 2023

JACKSON, Mississippi – Last year, Mississippi First Lady Elee Reeves announced the launch of her new initiative aimed at improving child development – an issue leaders have increasingly recognized as a critical economic driver in the most impoverished state in the nation. Joined by the press in the Governor’s Mansion, Reeves revealed her new strategy: […]

The flags of Arkansas and the United States fly in front of the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock.

Arkansas bill to remove work permit requirement for children under 16 goes to Sanders’ desk

BY: - March 4, 2023

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – A proposed Arkansas law that would remove the requirement for children under 16 to prove their age to get a job will head to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ desk for approval. House Bill 1410, or the Youth Hiring Act, would delete the portion of existing law that requires an employment certificate […]

A woman holds up a sign that reads "Books are the least of your worries. They are learning far worse from the internet and their peers"

St. Tammany libraries to ‘red flag’ certain graphic novels

BY: - March 1, 2023

MADISONVILLE – The St. Tammany Parish Library will move all graphic novels containing depictions of sex acts behind the circulation desk.  The decision came at Tuesday’s meeting of the library’s governing board, which voted 4-1 to approve a resolution to move all graphic novels containing depictions of “sexual conduct” as defined in Louisiana Attorney General […]

Student loan borrowers gather near the White House to tell President Biden to cancel student debt

Biden student debt relief plan met with skepticism from U.S. Supreme Court conservatives

BY: - February 28, 2023

WASHINGTON — The majority conservative wing of the U.S. Supreme Court appeared skeptical Tuesday that the Biden administration had the authority to implement a federal student debt relief program that was estimated to potentially aid millions of borrowers. The conservative justices, who hold a 6-3 majority on the court, questioned whether the Department of Education […]

Alena Allen

Alena Allen to become first Black dean at LSU law school

BY: - February 28, 2023

A professor who resigned from the University of Memphis School of Law due to a lack of Black leaders will be the first Black dean of LSU’s law school.  Alena Allen, currently a law professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, will be the next dean of the LSU Law Center, the university […]

Southeastern target of cyberattack; State Police investigating

BY: - February 27, 2023

Southeastern Louisiana University was the target of a cyberattack that led to much of the campus being without internet throughout the weekend due to the university intentionally taking the network offline as a preventative measure, campus administrators confirmed Monday,  The attack was reported to Louisiana State Police, which is investigating the attack, according to a […]

A purple sign that says "Student Health Center" stands in front of a building and an oak tree

Louisiana Higher Ed: Pennington gets diabetes funding; meal vouchers curb campus hunger

BY: - February 27, 2023

The Louisiana Illuminator takes a weekly look at news from universities and colleges around the state. Have a tip or want to submit a Louisiana Higher Ed news item? Contact [email protected] A research professor at Pennington Biomedical Research center was awarded a $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study diabetes.  David […]