With help from Lauraine Genota, Michael Stratford and Nicole Gaudiano
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— Benedict College, a historically black college in South Carolina, will still host President Donald Trump on Friday, despite his “lynching” comment earlier this week.
— Chicago Public Schools are closed for a sixth day as thousands of educators and support staff continue to strike.
— Scott Israel, who served as Broward County sheriff during the 2018 Parkland high school shooting, has been kicked out of office by the Florida Senate.
GOOD THURSDAY, OCT. 24. WELCOME TO MORNING EDUCATION. I’m taking bets on when/if Lori “Aunt Becky” Loughlin will plead guilty. The “Full House” star is “terrified” of the new charges added this week in the “Varsity Blues” college admission case, according to PEOPLE. Ping me at bquilantan@politico.com with your best guess. Share event listings: educalendar@politicopro.com. And follow us on Twitter: @Morning_Edu and @POLITICOPro.
HBCU LEADERS REFRAIN FROM ANTAGONIZING TRUMP AFTER ‘LYNCHING’ COMMENT: Even after his tweet, Trump is still scheduled to speak at the presidential justice forum hosted at Benedict College on Friday. Most HBCU leaders or their spokespeople either did not respond to a request for comment or declined to antagonize the president.
— But representatives of at least a dozen HBCUs across the country, Democratic leaders, strategists and HBCU advocates described Trump’s use of the term “lynching” as not only incorrect but also an erasure of the violence black Americans have experienced over generations.
— Trump, along with 10 of the Democratic presidential candidates, will speak about criminal justice reform during the three-day event. Read more from POLITICO’s Nolan D. McCaskill and Maya King.
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE TRAINING SCHEDULED: The 25,000-member Chicago Teachers Union, on strike since Oct. 17, has scheduled nonviolent civil disobedience training for its members at its headquarters today. The Chicago Tribune reported that CTU told members in a memo that the training is being offered in case they need to “ratchet up the pressure.”
— CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates said at a Wednesday news conference that she comes from a culture of people who for the last 400 years had to be civilly disobedient to have a voice. “Our ability to raise our voices, to be civilly disobedient, is about as patriotic as you can get,” she said.
— CPS classes are canceled today for a sixth day since the strike began for CTU members and 7,500 CPS support staff, represented by Service Employees International Union Local 73.
— Union members, allies, parents and students on Wednesday participated in marches that converged in downtown as Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivered her first budget address. Quoting a police estimate, CTU tweeted the protest put 30,000 people in the streets.
OBAMAS WILL BE IN CHICAGO: Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will speak on Tuesday at the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago, the foundation announced.
— Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, will be interviewed by journalist and author Isabel Wilkerson during the morning session about how their upbringing in Chicago and the values their parents instilled have grounded their perspective on leadership and community.
— In the afternoon session, Barack Obama will be interviewed by actress Yara Shahidi about how people can bring positive change to their communities.
— “We’re hosting the Summit in our backyard, Chicago, the place the Obamas’ story began and the future home of the Obama Presidential Center and Museum,” said CEO David Simas in a statement on Wednesday. “By anchoring the Summit in the power of place, the Foundation will uplift the idea that a person’s community shapes their purpose and guides them to do meaningful and impactful work.”
ANTI-MASS VIOLENCE BILL INCLUDES SCHOOL SAFETY MEASURES: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is looking to avert mass violence with new legislation that would include internet safety provisions for schools but avoid sweeping bans on firearms.
— The RESPONSE Act, introduced on Wednesday, would “make schools less vulnerable through promoting best practices and internet safety policies to help schools better identify and assess students whose behavior indicates a threat of violence,” Cornyn wrote in an op-ed in the El Paso Times and the Odessa American.
— Cornyn’s bill follows recent mass shootings in his home state, killing 22 people in El Paso and seven in Midland-Odessa. A shooting at Santa Fe High School in May 2018 claimed 10 lives. Read more from Nicole Gaudiano.
BROWARD COUNTY SHERIFF OUSTED: In a 25-15 vote, the Florida Senate removed Israel from office on Wednesday. Gov. Ron DeSantis had suspended Israel days after being sworn in, and the ouster delivers on one of his campaign promises to install new leadership.
— Several Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies have also been reprimanded for failing to confront the Parkland shooter last year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Seventeen people were killed. Read more from POLITICO Florida’s Andrew Atterbury.
VAPING SPARKS INCREASE IN NUMBER OF TEENAGERS USING TOBACCO: Middle and high school students’ use of flavored tobacco products was most common among e-cigarette users in 2018. The Trump administration plans to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes altogether. View the full graphic from POLITICO Pro DataPoint’s Cristina Rivero and Janie Boschma.
‘WE NEED MORE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THESE ROOMS MAKING DECISIONS’: 2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson and 2019 Alaska Teacher of the Year Danielle Riha discussed countering toxic narratives and real-life challenges for students of color at a Brookings Institute event on Wednesday.
— Both Robinson and Riha talked about how they’ve developed lesson plans that work better for their students of color than those prescribed by state or federal governments. Robinson talked about his “whole child approach,” social-emotional learning and how to make sure students know you care about their well-being. Riha talked about teaching in a cultural context that makes sense for her Native American students.
— When asked about recommendations on education reform policies, Robinson said: “It’s simple, we need more people of color in these rooms making decisions.” He also said it’s important to have teachers at the table to give feedback on what policies look like in the classroom and gave a shout-out to freshman Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), who was the 2016 Connecticut Teacher of the Year.
SATISFACTION LAGS AMONG PARENTS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS: Parent satisfaction with their children’s schools is generally high, but there are gaps between those with kids in public school and those with kids in private school, according to a new EdChoice survey.
— Almost 80 percent of parents whose children attend private school expressed satisfaction with their kids’ school, compared with 67 percent of parents whose children attend public school, 77 percent of parents with public charter school students and 76 percent of parents with home-schooled kids, the report found.
— Public school parents were more likely to say they chose the school because of its proximity to their home or work or because it was their assigned school; private school parents were most likely to say their choice was based on academic reputation or safe environment; and public charter school parents most likely to say it was based on the school’s academic reputation or its proximity to home or work. Lauraine Genota has more details.
— Rev. Michael J. Sheeran, S.J., president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, announced he will retire in June 2020. He has served as president since April 2013.
— A new resource released by the Education Commission of the States compares state policies to recruit and retain teachers, especially in shortage subject areas and underserved schools. It also includes features state educator preparation program completion data, shortage and equity gap data.
— A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities examines the cuts that states have made in higher education funding in the past decade, rising tuition and how students and their families have fared as they try to afford college.
— A report from EducationSuperHighway found that 99 percent of America’s K-12 schools have the fiber-optic connections needed to meet future connectivity needs. It also found that the number of students who have access to broadband at the FCC’s original goal of 100kbps per student has increased from 4 million in 2013 to 46.3 million this year.
— Two families — one black, one white — shared a harrowing history. Then they met: The Washington Post
— Why defendants in the college admissions scam are changing their pleas: TIME
— Pell Grants are getting their due in the 2020 campaign: Salon
— Proposal to survey African parents in Bronx school district draws blowback: POLITICO New York