NEW YORK, Aug. 27 (TNSletter) -- The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following letter to Blount County School District Director Tara Ruehling: * * * August 20, 2026 Tara Ruehling Administrative Assistant to Justin Ridge, Director of Schools Blount County School District 831 Grandview Drive Maryville, TN 37803 Re: Public Records Request Concerning Ten Commandments Displays Dear Ms. Ruehlin more PR

NEW YORK, Aug. 27 (TNSletter)-- The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following letter to Monika Ridley, public records request coordinator at Rutherford County Schools: * * * Here is the text of the letter: August 20, 2026 Monika Ridley Public Records Request Coordinator Rutherford County Schools 2240 Southpark Drive Murfreesboro, TN 37128 Re: Public Records Request Concerning Ten Commandm more PR

NEW YORK, Aug. 27 (TNSletter) -- The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following letter to Washington County Schools Superintendent Jerry S. Boyd: * * * Here is the text of the letter: August 20, 2026 Jerry S. Boyd Superintendent Washington County Schools 405 West College Street Jonesborough, TN 37659 Re: Public Records Request Concerning Ten Commandments Displays Dear Mr. Boyd: I am a Te more PR

NEW YORK, Aug. 27 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following letter to White County Schools Board Secretary Jeanie White: * * * August 20, 2026 Jeanie White Executive Assistant/Board Secretary White County Schools 576 Hale Street Sparta, TN 38583 Re: Public Records Request Concerning Ten Commandments Displays Dear Ms. White: I am a Tennessee resident and the L more PR

NEW YORK, Aug. 27 (TNSletter) -- The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following letter to Wilson County Schools Director Travis Mayfield: * * * Here is the text of the letter: August 20, 2026 Travis Mayfield Director of Schools Wilson County Schools 415 Harding Drive Lebanon, TN 37087 Re: Public Records Request Concerning Ten Commandments Displays Dear Mr. Mayfield: I am a Tennessee resi more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on Aug. 26, 2026: * * * CAIR Welcomes Baltimore Co. School Board Member's Apology, Commitment to Visit Mosque and Meet with Muslim Communities Muslim civil rights group says sincere dialogue is an important step toward repairing harm and rebuilding community trust - The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed Baltimore County Board  more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release: * * * DNC Congratulates Everton Blair on Winning the Special Election for Georgia's 13th Congressional District The DNC congratulates Everton Blair on winning the special election for Georgia's 13th Congressional District. Georgia voters once again turned out to back a candidate who is focused on fighting for working families and making life more affordable. In response to Blair winning the special election, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the followi more PR

NEW YORK, Aug. 25 [Category: Sociological] -- Everytown for Gun Safety posted the following news release: * * * Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund Announces New Round of Volunteers and Everytown Leaders Endorsements, Backing 54 Candidates Across 24 States * Everytown Endorsements Include Candidates Running in AR, CA, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NC, ND, OH, OK, RI, TN, TX, VT, VA, and WV NEW YORK -Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund announced its latest round of endorsements of Moms Demand Action volunteers and more PR

PHOENIX, Arizona, Aug. 26 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Goldwater Institute posted the following news: * * * Goldwater Initiative Boosts U.S. History Instruction with Textbooks, Teacher Training * Two major school districts and thousands of students and their teachers are reaping the benefits of a groundbreaking new Goldwater Institute program to rekindle high-quality U.S. history and civics instruction throughout our nation's schools. This month the Queen Creek Unified and Peoria Unified school districts in Arizona-alongside other public c more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Michigan, chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following news release on Aug. 25, 2026: * * * @EdWorkforceCmte Holds Michigan Field Hearing on Defending Servicemembers in Our Schools RICHMOND, MI -- Today, Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) delivered the following statement, as prepared for delivery, at a field hearing in Richmond, Michigan titled "Deployed, Not Disqualified: Defending Servicemembers in Our Schools": "Military servicemembers more PR

CARBONDALE, Illinois, Aug. 27 -- Southern Illinois University issued the following news release: * * * SIU Alumni Association to honor 2026 distinguished alumni Sept. 11 The SIU Alumni Association will honor six Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumni at ceremonies next month for achievements that advanced scientific research, entrepreneurship, public health, documentary filmmaking and alumni engagement. They will each be honored during the association's 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, in Morris Librar more PR

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas, Aug. 27 -- The University of Arkansas issued the following news: * * * A Panda Named Pico: The Award-Winning AI Two New Razorbacks Built On a Chromebook screen in a Bentonville classroom, a cartoon panda blinks and waits. It does not interrupt. It does not get tired. When a child who stutters needs 10 seconds to finish a sentence, the panda listens first, then answers patiently. Its name is Pico, and it was built by two teenagers who understood, better than most adults, why that patience matters. For Sanjay Shr more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- Afterschool Alliance issued the following news release: * * * STEM Is Our Future - and Afterschool Programs Are Leading the Way New Study Finds Huge Leap in Afterschool Programs Providing STEM Education, But Students in Rural Communities and Low-Income Families Lag Behind; More Computer Science & Tech Education Needed in Afterschool - Many more parents than ever before report there are STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning opportunities in their child's afterschool program. Ninety-two percent of  more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (TNSrep) -- The Center for Economic and Policy Research issued the following news release on Aug. 25, 2026: * * * The Teacher Pay Penalty Remained High in 2025 Teachers earned 25.2 percent less than comparable college graduates in other professions in 2025, according to a new report (https://www.epi.org/324563/pre/3d9b278354de76e3fc04e6e097dd136981ae7aa2c2aea6e8d96ffb877c0785b2/) from the Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). The relative teacher pay penalty-- which is adjusted more PR

SOCORRO, New Mexico, Aug. 27 -- New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology issued the following news: * * * Dr. Taffeta Elliott Receives New Mexico Tech's Distinguished Service Award Dr. Taffeta Elliott, Associate Professor and Chair of the Communication, Liberal Arts, and Social Sciences (CLASS) Department,has been named the recipient of the Faculty Distinguished Service Award for her exceptional contributions to New Mexico Tech and the surrounding community. Serving as a faculty member since 2015, Dr. Elliott has demonstrated administ more PR

NEW YORK, Aug. 25 [Category: Sociological] -- Everytown for Gun Safety posted the following news release: * * * Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund Announces New Round of Volunteers and Everytown Leaders Endorsements, Backing 54 Candidates Across 24 States * Everytown Endorsements Include Candidates Running in AR, CA, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NC, ND, OH, OK, RI, TN, TX, VT, VA, and WV NEW YORK -Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund announced its latest round of endorsements of Moms Demand Action volunteers and more PR

MADISON, Wisconsin, Aug. 27 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release: * * * FFRF rebuts Oklahoma AG's defense of school-sponsored prayer The Freedom From Religion Foundation is refuting the Oklahoma attorney general's erroneous claim that a public school district is free to organize and promote a Christian prayer event. FFRF recently secured a victory for students and families in Muskogee Public Schools after the district canceled a school-sponsored "Back to School Community Prayer Walk" scheduled for Aug. 1 more PR

PHOENIX, Arizona, Aug. 26 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Goldwater Institute posted the following news: * * * Goldwater Initiative Boosts U.S. History Instruction with Textbooks, Teacher Training * Two major school districts and thousands of students and their teachers are reaping the benefits of a groundbreaking new Goldwater Institute program to rekindle high-quality U.S. history and civics instruction throughout our nation's schools. This month the Queen Creek Unified and Peoria Unified school districts in Arizona-alongside other public c more PR

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Aug. 26 -- Gov. Maura Healey, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: * * * Governor Healey Calls on Trump Administration to Reverse Changes that Would Dismantle Head Start * MALDEN -Governor Maura Healey today joined Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, Secretary of Education Steve Zrike, Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw, Head Start providers, teachers and families to call on the President Trump to withdraw a sweeping proposal that would gut longstanding standa more PR

SEMINOLE, Oklahoma, Aug. 26 -- Seminole State College posted the following news: * * * John G. Mitchell: The Educator Who Organized Seminole Junior College * A stand against political interference brought Mitchell to Seminole, where he created a college built around local access and opportunity. Long before Seminole State College had an independent governing board or a permanent campus, its future was shaped by an educator whose stand against political interference cost him one of Oklahoma's most prominent college presidencies. John G. Mi more PR

LANSING, Michigan, Aug. 27 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release: * * * John James Has Received Millions From the DeVos Family [American Journal News] "John James, the Republican candidate for Michigan governor, has received nearly $9 million from the far-right DeVos family" - New reporting from American Journal News reveals that John James has taken a massive haul of nearly $9 million in political contributions from the DeVos family over his career. Several members of the DeVos family have bankrolled James' lo more PR

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, Aug. 27 -- The Louisiana Department of Education issued the following news release: * * * Fourteen Louisiana educators begin a new term on Teachers Advisory Council Members meet with State Superintendent and other state leaders to share feedback on education initiatives and other issues affecting the classroom - The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) announced the 14 educators who will begin a new term on the Teachers Advisory Council. This group of educators from across the state meets with Louisiana State Su more PR

NEW YORK, Aug. 25 -- New York Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced the rollout of the "Renew Crew" initiative on Aug. 24, 2026, during a presentation at Queens' Dry Harbor Playground. Supported by a $2.3 million investment, the specialized team is tasked with speeding up repairs to broken equipment, sports courts, and recreation centers across all five boroughs. Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura noted that the 24 tradespeople on the team will handle maintenance projects with a target turnaround time of three weeks or less. The administration more PR

EAU CLAIRE, Wisconsin, Aug. 26 -- The University of Wisconsin Eau Claire campus posted the following news: * * * Senior music major hits right notes performing and composing at UW-Eau Claire * Jaquish began playing the violin at age 11 as he prepared to start middle school in Chippewa Falls. Continuing in orchestra through his high school years and dedicated to learning and practicing his instrument, Jaquish reached a proficiency that allowed him to enter college as a music major. For more than the obvious reasons, Jaquish's playing as a f more PR