Lawmakers to Hold Hearing on EFA Rules Monday, June 15

Home School, ,

Lawmakers on the Administrative Rules Subcommittee will hold a hearing to discuss new Educational Freedom Account rules in Little Rock this Monday, June 15.

The meeting will take place at 1:30 PM in Room A of the Multi-Agency Complex (Big MAC) nextdoor to the Capitol Building at 1 Capitol Mall, Little Rock AR 72201.

The meeting will be open to the public, and homeschoolers may have an opportunity to testify at the meeting.

The new EFA rules carry a number of unintended consequences the could affect homeschoolers in the program.

For example, the rules prevent homeschoolers from spending any EFA money on “sports that restrict or limit participation based on tryouts or ability.” That would unintentionally exclude homeschoolers from spending EFA money on many typical junior and high school athletic programs.

The rules create a bureaucratic preapproval process that could unintentionally force families to wait too long for approval or reimbursement of educational supplies and equipment necessary for courses. Homeschoolers tell us approval for EFA expenses is already taking weeks or months. The process created under these rules could take even longer.

The rules also contain language that could permanently remove families from the program for honest mistakes with their EFAs. Instead of giving families an appeal process or a way to correct honest mistakes, subsection (C) on page 35 of the rules would simply make families ineligible for the EFA program.

We are encouraging all of our homeschool friends to come to Monday’s meeting to share concerns they have about unintended consequences from the new EFA rules.

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

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Study Shows Marijuana May Interfere with Adolescent Brain Development

Marijuana

A study published this month suggests marijuana use during adolescence may interfere with brain development.

Nationwide, many states have legalized marijuana to varying degrees, and the Trump Administration has moved to ease federal restrictions on the drug. But while policymakers push for more marijuana, scientific evidence continues to show that’s a bad idea.

In a study published by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers from Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island found marijuana use during adolescence is linked to differences in brain regions related to motivation and reward. Experts say the brain is more sensitive to the effects of marijuana during teenage development, which raises serious concerns about the long term effects of using marijuana during adolescence.

We have written before how high-potency marijuana is linked to psychotic disorders and may be especially harmful to children and teens.

Modern marijuana can contain 15% to 30% THC — sometimes even 60% THC — compared to just 3% THC in marijuana from the 1960s. The higher the potency, the greater the risk there is to users.

A recent study from Columbia University found even “casual” marijuana use is linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and impulsive behavior in teenagers.

Addiction experts note that marijuana can trigger mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and psychosis.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found teen psychiatric emergencies spiked after marijuana commercialization began in the state.

All of this underscores what we have said for years: 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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Biological Male Wins Girls Shot Put Championship in West Virginia

Transgender, ,

A biological male recently won first place in the girls shot put at a West Virginia state track and field championship — beating the second-place finisher by more than two feet.

This same athlete — who has taken first place in past years — is at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case that will determine whether states can protect fairness in women’s sports. The Court is expected to rule in the case this month.

We have written repeatedly about how women’s athletics is at risk of being erased in America.

Letting men compete in women’s sports is unfair and reverses 50 years of advancements for women.

Female cyclists, swimmers, powerlifters, sprinters, volleyball players, and others have seen their sports radically changed by men who claim to be women.

In some cases, letting biological males compete against women and girls can even be dangerous.

Stories like this one are part of the reason Arkansas passed Act 461 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R — Smackover) in 2021 to protects fairness in women’s sports in Arkansas. The law prevents male student athletes from competing against girls in women’s athletics at school.

Right now the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a federal lawsuit from West Virginia that could affect state laws like Arkansas’ Act 461.

Family Council joined dozens of state policy organizations and more than 200 state legislators in a legal brief in that case last September.

Most Americans believe that athletes should compete according to their biological sex — not their gender identity. We are optimistic the U.S. Supreme Court will agree and uphold fairness in women’s sports.

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

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