Proposed EFA Restrictions Do Not Appear on State Board of Education Agenda

Home School, ,

The State Board of Education is scheduled to meet at 12:30 PM this Thursday, February 12, at the Arkansas Department of Education Building located at Four Capitol Mall in Little Rock. The meeting agenda is available here.

It appears the board does not plan to vote on proposed rules prohibiting homeschoolers from using Educational Freedom Account (EFA) funding to pay for team sports under the LEARNS Act.

Family Council has reached out to state officials about the status of the proposed rules. Sources tell us that the board may choose to “table” the rules for discussion later on. The situation is still very fluid, so we will let you know if we learn of any changes between now and the State Board of Education meeting on Thursday.

Here is a little more information about the situation:

In January the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that the Department of Education planned to move forward with rules prohibiting EFA spending on team sports under the LEARNS Act despite public comments from more than 200 citizens who oppose them. Family Council and its homeschool division, the Education Alliance, were among those who submitted public comments against the proposed rules.

At the time, there was talk that the State Board of Education could cast a final vote on the rules at its February meeting.

The Department of Education’s proposed EFA restrictions go beyond what state law allows.

The restrictions would completely prohibit any EFA spending on registration fees, equipment costs, dues, and any costs associated with club or team sports.

Arkansas law clearly caps spending in these areas at 25% of a student’s total EFA funding, which means no more than one-fourth of a student’s EFA money can go toward team sports and extracurricular activities. The Department of Education wants to prohibit spending on team and club sports altogether.

Many homeschoolers have also pointed out that completely prohibiting EFA spending on team sports is unfair because public schools fund team sports with state money.

At this time it looks like the State Board of Education will not vote on the EFA restrictions at its February meeting this Thursday. Our office plans to monitor the situation. If the board decides to vote on the rules, we will let Arkansas’ home schoolers know.

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Witchcraft Now Out of Stock on Etsy

Occult,

The online marketplace Etsy has reportedly removed witches selling blessings and curses from its platform.

Etsy is a popular site where people sell handmade and vintage items. The platform’s seller policies generally prohibit people from marketing “metaphysical services” such as healing, spellcasting, prayer, and so on. In other words, Etsy prohibits people from buying or selling prayers, blessings, or curses.

However, Etsy has had trouble with witches marketing curses on its website. Our friends at Axis write:

The conversation about Etsy witches came to a head in September, after the writer of a since-deleted article from Jezebel claimed to have paid Etsy witches to curse Charlie Kirk two days before his assassination (even though the curses were only supposed to involve minor inconveniences). The sale of anything that promises life change has been officially banned from Etsy since 2015 (which would also include selling prayer services)—but according to The Daily Dot, the popularity of Etsy witches has only grown since then. This popularity speaks to a view of spirituality as primarily a means of getting what we want—and to a view of “alternative” spiritual practices offering a greater sense of agency.

We have written before about how popular the occult and its cheap spirituality have become in recent years.

In 2021, “WitchTok” videos on TikTok garnered an astounding 18.7 billion views.

In October of 2017 the news outlet MarketWatch ran a story titled “Why millennials are ditching religion for witchcraft and astrology.” The article highlighted growing interest in the occult among young adults.

CBS News recently reported that astrology has become a $3 billion industry — “and it’s only getting bigger,” they say. In fact, some financial experts estimate that figure could go as high as $22.8 billion worldwide in the next five years.

In Arkansas, pro-abortion witches said they were placing jar hexes and candle curses on pro-lifers after the 2024 Arkansas Abortion Amendment failed to qualify for the ballot. While some people might think that sounds like a weird joke, we have every reason to believe these individuals were serious.

Christians need to remember three things when it comes to witchcraft:

First, that the Bible soundly condemns witchcraft. There is no question about that.

Second, Christianity was birthed in a time when paganism and witchcraft were commonplace. The early apostles encountered the occult on several occasions. — such as Acts chapters 17 and 19. If Christianity could overcome those cultures, Christianity can overcome the present one as well.

And third, only the gospel can give people the spiritual rest they seek. Amid bondage and uncertainty, scripture promises believers freedom and hope.

It’s good to see Etsy removing witchcraft from its platform. This kind of spirituality can’t give people what they are looking for. Only Christ can do that.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Marijuana is Dangerous for People with Mental Health Problems: New Study

Marijuana

A new study from Washington State shows that people with psychotic disorders face the highest risk of serious health problems from marijuana use.

Researchers studied over 4,000 marijuana users and found that people with psychotic disorders were far more likely to experience dangerous side effects like Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome — a condition that causes severe, repeated vomiting — heart problems, fainting, and hallucinations.

The study, published in the Community Mental Health Journal, found that marijuana users with mental illness also needed medical attention more often than other users.

Today’s marijuana is not the same drug from decades past. Modern marijuana is far more potent and has been linked to serious mental health problems, stroke, birth defects, cancers, and deadly heart disease. 

Researchers now say marijuana doubles a person’s risk of death from heart disease.

And instead of decreasing crime, marijuana legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels and increased the flow of illegal drugs across America.

Studies like this one remind us once again that marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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