‘Prepare for disruption’: Alabama leader warns of Department of Education closure

https://www.al.com/educationlab/2025/03/prepare-for-disruption-alabama-leader-warns-of-department-of-education-closure.html

created by Tsweet7 on 06/03/2025 at 21:39 UTC

640 upvotes, 31 top-level comments (showing 25)

Comments

Comment by Academic_Object8683 at 06/03/2025 at 22:19 UTC

221 upvotes, 8 direct replies

This is worse for special needs kids

Comment by Purple_Analysis_8476 at 06/03/2025 at 22:16 UTC

180 upvotes, 2 direct replies

Parent to 4th Grade Teacher: "Do you teach critical race theory?"

Teacher: "Well tell me what it is and I'll tell you if I teach it."

Comment by YouTerribleThing at 06/03/2025 at 21:51 UTC

59 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Use https://5calls.org/[1] to call your reps every single day. Ask them to hold town halls and explain these things.

1: https://5calls.org/

Join the 50501 movement to protect the constitution of the United States.

https://www.reddit.com/r/50501/s/P676KSsmcz

Comment by mckulty at 06/03/2025 at 21:48 UTC

102 upvotes, 5 direct replies

Despotic hostage-taking. Cancel a vital public resource, then force the public to beg for bits and pieces back.

This should generate some small disquiet among Alabama MAGA parents, when their kids' scholarships get cancelled.

Comment by ChitzaMoto at 06/03/2025 at 22:44 UTC

28 upvotes, 1 direct replies

The poorest states are primarily red states, 9/10, New Mexico being the outlier. Alabama is in the other 9. Blue states send more money to the federal government than they receive back to fund programs(Title 1, Medicaid, SNAP, etc.). Alabama receives more than they pay. EVERY county in our state has Title 1 schools. Rural counties with little or no revenue base depend on Title 1 funds to keep their schools open. It’s not difficult to see there will be a negative balance for schools.

Comment by SHoppe715 at 06/03/2025 at 22:24 UTC

51 upvotes, 5 direct replies

If primary education standards are left up to states to determine, there will be no 50-state recognizable standard for high school graduation. Soon thereafter, colleges will stop recognizing high school diplomas so staying put and attending college or trade school in-state will be the only option for many students. ACT and SAT scores will end up meaning an awful lot more than they already do.

Soon thereafter, ACT and SAT scores will start showing the disparities between states which will lead to higher or lower acceptance rates by state and people will scream and yell about discrimination…except they’ll have no leg to stand on because merit based is merit based…oh the sweet sweet irony.

Comment by Significant-Fruit455 at 06/03/2025 at 21:53 UTC

29 upvotes, 2 direct replies

If public education is left up to the states to manage, 100%, there *will* be some states that fail their students. This will happen. Alabama would be on that list of states most likely to fail their kids. Keep in mind, it wasn't that long ago that the state of Alabama chose to pull money from their Education Fund to shore up debt in the state's General Fund. Rather than raise taxes or make any kind of change, they chose to take funding from education.

Some states will not come out ahead if public education is 100% left up to each state.

Comment by ur-mom_is-hot at 07/03/2025 at 01:04 UTC

10 upvotes, 0 direct replies

My poor autistic nephew is going to fail school now. He’s already struggling very badly in first grade :(

Comment by Some_Reference_933 at 06/03/2025 at 23:34 UTC

7 upvotes, 0 direct replies

When did we get leaders in Alabama?

Comment by WangChiEnjoysNature at 06/03/2025 at 22:22 UTC

7 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Republican party has been gunning for this for quite a long time now. Why is the state of Alabama not already fully prepared? Why would there be disruptions if they've been wanting and one would expect planning for this?????

Comment by MonchichiSalt at 07/03/2025 at 04:17 UTC

6 upvotes, 0 direct replies

I'm incredibly grateful my youngest has already graduated.

There is zero intention to stay in Alabama. All but one of my 5 adult children have left the state, to get settled somewhere blue. In their words, "The blue states care about people". The one still here, simply has not settled on which college to go to. It won't be in a red state. I'll be moving to wherever they land so I can be involved with grandkids. (The troop wants to stay together, just not here).

And I can't argue. We will buff up anything football related, and absolutely make it hard on the kids who use their brain instead of bruising it. Red states routinely vote against their own needs, just to stick it to someone else. We are little bully toddlers, who are playing with a ball we had to borrow from the big kid blue states.

Prepare for disruption? Trump told us he was going to be a dictator from day 1.

It was wild watching people say he was kidding, just to rile up the libs.

He is only good at being a con man. If he had stayed out of business, he would be far richer. The man bankrupted two casinos in Vegas. Where the house always wins. Unless it's the house of Trump.

Alabama is getting what it deserves with our myopic voting.

How flipping pathetic do you have to be at business that you bankrupt two casinos?

But hey, he is orange. And says the hateful things the hateful people believe, so he is their new Christ.

Have you heard?

Jesus is too woke for the christofacist nationalists. It's being preached in churches, in the deep south, that empathy is not godly, and Jesus was too woke.

It's all about The prosperity gospel. If God loves you then you'll be rich and white. If he doesn't then you'll be made an other and should be shit upon by the white and blessed.

Capitalism, in theory is merit-based. When you have nepotism to the degree that the echelons have achieved there is no merit.

Look at Trump and Musk. They inherited everything. If left to their own devices? They would still be living in their mommy's basement.

Comment by Rollmericatide at 07/03/2025 at 02:33 UTC

4 upvotes, 2 direct replies

Honestly could our education in Alabama get worse than current?

Comment by Summerplace68 at 06/03/2025 at 23:55 UTC

11 upvotes, 1 direct replies

This is just another way to repress women. If schools are closed, who is going to watch the children?

Comment by BedouinFanboy3 at 06/03/2025 at 23:18 UTC

4 upvotes, 0 direct replies

What he means is Alabama can't run their own schools.

Comment by akgreenie2 at 07/03/2025 at 12:34 UTC

4 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Some states will step up and do whatever they have to do to fund education: Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Virginia. The Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, etc. type states will not.

Comment by figgypudding1 at 07/03/2025 at 22:18 UTC

5 upvotes, 0 direct replies

i hate anyone that voted for this

Comment by PtotheL at 07/03/2025 at 12:50 UTC

3 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Find out phase. Engaged.

Comment by figgypudding1 at 07/03/2025 at 22:18 UTC

3 upvotes, 0 direct replies

i hate this place

Comment by beBRAVE_2025 at 07/03/2025 at 00:46 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

https://action.womensmarch.com/events/women-s-day-unite-resist-in-dadeville-al?source=rawlink&utm_source=rawlink&share=1519558a-c6aa-4f7f-b0bb-b7cf37e9e640

Comment by TelevisionEconomy517 at 08/03/2025 at 03:01 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

So when things are less than perfect under a Dem, magats demand change and so does the media. However under maga, hey it will just be a little pain, without ever qualifying pain.

Comment by corn7984 at 08/03/2025 at 04:46 UTC

2 upvotes, 1 direct replies

This is terrifying. I heard and expert on a television show say we all need to be frightened and that our senators are working for the Russians.

Comment by beer_flows_like_wine at 09/03/2025 at 00:11 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

GOP supporters have no souls

Comment by EffockyProotoci at 07/03/2025 at 08:51 UTC

1 upvotes, 1 direct replies

I really don't understand why the government is targeting the education sector. What the hell is wrong with it?