Already feeling under attack and facing increased government scrutiny, international college students balked at a new Trump administration proposal that could limit their stays in the US to four years.

It's back-to-school time at Boston-area colleges and universities, but as political and economic challenges mount, life in the college bubble feels a little different this fall.

This beautiful harbor seal was just lounging on a rock during my recent trip to Maine. A few dozen were swimming nearby as I kayaked in Morgan Bay. Thankfully there were no sharks hunting.

Some groups argued that nonprofit newspapers and other publications have been allowed to endorse candidates without running afoul of the IRS, while IRS rules barred churches and other nonprofits from doing the same. religionnews.com/2025/07/08/c...

The IRS ending the Johnson amendment is a big change. It could turn churches into PACs, giving GOP donors a tax break for unlimited political spending. The good news? It could drive even more people to leave conservative churches. Millions already have. www.salon.com/2025/07/11/t...

OPINION: One hundred years after the Scopes trial, the culture war over evolution and creationism remains intense. religionnews.com/2025/07/01/1...

Excellent impact story by @casamuels.bsky.social of @hechingerreport.org on the SCOTUS ruling . How will giving parents the right to opt out of curriculum, books for religious reasons affect K-12 education? #MahmoudvTaylor #SCOTUS

Sotomayor, in dissent, correctly says that today's decision in Mahmoud will lead public schools to simply censor books featuring LGBTQ characters and themes, creating "chaos" and stigmatizing children with LGBTQ families. This decision will lead to book bans. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

The authors and illustrators involved in the Mahmoud v Taylor case released this statement in today's devastating ruling. Grateful to @penamerica.bsky.social for all their support and for sharing this on our behalf. pen.org/press-releas...

I am deeply disappointed in today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which limits access to LGBTQ+ inclusive books in public schools. Read my full statement at www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapp....

🚨 The Supreme Court’s ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor undermines public education by allowing parents to exempt their children from lessons based on religious beliefs. This paves the way for religious interference in the classroom and threatens secular education.

Breaking news: The Supreme Court ruled that religious parents can opt their children out of public school lessons with LGBTQ+ books, a case that could have implications for schools nationwide.

Fyi @edwriters.bsky.social this is huge news. How will this affect book, curriculum decisions in schools?

The Supreme Court said on Friday that public schools in Maryland must allow parents with religious objections to withdraw their children from classes in which storybooks with LGBTQ themes are discussed. Here's what to know. nyti.ms/4l30zXd

And so it goes. Trump gets over $1 million in royalties for Bible he hawks, same Bible that I wrote about in @hechingerreport.org @vanityfair.com article on Oklahoma schools chief's Bible in classroom mandate. @religionnews.com.web.brid.gy article on Bible here: religionnews.com/2025/06/24/p...

I just can't stop thinking of the song, Blowing in the Wind... "How many times must the cannonballs fly before they're forever banned?"

A federal appeals court on Friday blocked a Louisiana law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom of the state’s public schools and universities.

The Butcherie is a beloved store in the Boston area for the Jewish community. It's in Brookline near Judaica stores, bagel shops, and a book shop, all catering to the Jewish community. Sorry to hear of this incident. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/15/m...

Some mornings are lazier than others.

Trump officials have cast undocumented immigrants as criminals, blamed them for the state’s troubles and said residents are overreacting to basic deportation operations that aim to reduce illegal immigration. Federal and state data tell a far different story.

Governor Maura Healey announces Massachusetts first ever state poet laureate, Regie Gibson (30th May 2025) www.youtube.com/live/tylWyCT... #poetry #booksky #massachusetts 📚 (masspoetry.org , regiegibson.com)

Congrats to Regie Gibson, Massachusetts poet laureate! lexobserver.org/2025/06/05/r...

We should all be horrified by the latest antisemitic attack in the US. Please be an upstander and condemn all hate and bigotry. #Boulder

@adrianwalkerboston.bsky.social Welcome to BlueSky, Adrian!

Thanks @edwriters.bsky.social for inviting me to participate in today's panel on religion and schools at #EWA2025. It was great to have nuanced dialogue with my fellow panelists.

Education journos - you can follow the starter pack.

Today marks five years since George Floyd was killed by police. Our June 22, 2020 cover “Say Their Names,” by Kadir Nelson, illustrated how Floyd’s murder embodies the history of violence inflicted upon Black people in America. nyer.cm/UmfefJw

This will likely lead to a constitutional challenge. To promote prayer ... Hmmm

Breaking: Texas will require public school classrooms to display Ten Commandments under bill nearing passage.

Breaking News: A divided Supreme Court rejected a plan to allow Oklahoma to use government money to run the nation’s first religious charter school.

SCOTUS today 4-4 rejected a Catholic school's bid to become a religious charter school in Oklahoma. Door still open for another state or entity to try this but for now, the charter school movement remains untouched. #churchandstate www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...

I read coverage of the South African president's visit to the White House and recalled anti-apartheid protests at my college in the 80s. I was hyper aware and horrified of what was happening to Blacks in South Africa. I also took a class on the 60s. The irony was not lost on me then and isn't now.

Horrifying that 2 Israeli embassy officials were just fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum. Sending prayers & solidarity to the victims’ families, the wounded & everyone shaken by this appalling lethal violence.

A must read. Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/u...

A depressing outlook for Gen Z. Fascinating piece by David Brooks.

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/l...

Unreal

She once said of the Library of Congress: 'It's like heaven.' www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/u...

Dr. Hayden is a consummate professional, career librarian, and public servant. I cannot think of anyone in the Trump administration who is fit to address the Librarian of Congress in this way:

Efforts continue in Texas to insert more religiosity in public schools. Bills to require prayer periods and Ten Commandments posters just advanced in the state Legislature. www.usnews.com/news/best-st... #churchstate @edwriters.bsky.social

Yes it's ok to teach about world religions in public school, a court concluded in response to a parent's attempt to stop instruction about Islam in geography class. It is still not ok to preach religion in schools. www.nj.com/morris/2025/... Check out my book Faith Ed for a deep look at this topic.

SCOTUS is once again inserting itself in ongoing culture wars already elevated by presidential orders threatening to cut funding if schools push DEI initiatives and state laws banning teaching on various controversial subjects. @lindakwert.bsky.social @casamuels.bsky.social

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has an antique copy of the Aitken Bible on his desk, and Gov. Ron DeSantis took the oath of office in 2023 on another original copy that was loaned to him from Glenn Beck.

Mazal Tov !

It was a delight last night to moderate a conversation with @juliebrill.bsky.social about her memoir, Hidden in Plain Sight @brandeisuniversity.bsky.social at an event for the Center for German and European Studies. Julie tells the story of how her father survived the Holocaust in Serbia.

Hanging out with some of the cool kids in the field of #worldreligions😊 Great turnout for my Beyond #Holidays talk yesterday. And, fun dinner last night with @lindakwert.bsky.social and folks from Tanenbaum, Kaur Foundation, and #Sikh Coalition. Thanks @religionmatters.bsky.social for this!

I had a great time today as the keynote speaker at #NCCSS25. Several hundred social studies teachers from North Carolina attended, asked great questions and added insights. Loved talking to teachers afterwards. Thanks again @religionmatters.bsky.social for the invite! @beaconpress.bsky.social

@learnreligions.bsky.social at #NCCSS25 talks about the complexity of teaching about holidays. How do you do it equitably? I'd add, focus on education, not celebrating, and understand that Hanukkah is minor Jewish holiday. Teach about Yom Kippur too.

Putting the finishing touches on this presentation today! 9AM on Thursday ➡ Beyond #Holidays: Teaching about #Religion in K-8 Classrooms. Honored to be kicking off the #ReligiousLiteracy track and looking forward to meeting some amazing social studies #teachers! #northcarolina #socialstudies