Thirty-one states have opted in to the federal Education Freedom Scholarship Program, while 19 states and Washington, D.C. have not done so, ahead of the January 2027 deadline. The Trump administration launched the school choice initiative in 2025 through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This created a federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 annually for individuals who donate to certified Scholarship Granting Organizations.
State teacher unions have once again displayed their complete and reckless hold over elected officials, even when it means Rhode Island kids will suffer, while kids in other states will benefit. Per the nationally renowned Committee to Unleash Prosperity: “It’s an ongoing travesty that 20 governors (19 Democrats and Republican Phil Scott of Vermont) have […]
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched investigations Tuesday into five medical schools nationwide to determine whether their admissions practices violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin.
Eighty-six House Democrats are urging the U.S. Department of Education to stop plans to transfer two key offices to other federal agencies, arguing the move exceeds the administration’s legal authority and could weaken federal protections for students. In a letter to the department, the lawmakers said the Trump administration’s proposal to move the Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to the Department of Health and Human Services violates congressional authority.
Rhode Island ranks near the bottom nationally with a score of just 1 on the 2026 EdChoice Friedman Index, placing it in the “Good Start” tier. The Ocean State has funded eligibility for private school choice under 1% and choice awards equal to only 2% of public per-pupil spending. While 14 states now offer universal choice, Rhode Island’s limited scholarship program continues to lag far behind the national expansion of educational options for families.
Defending Education exposes radical Sunrise Movement and Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) guides in Rhode Island, including the “Schools: Drop ICE Toolkit” and “Wide Awake Guide,” urging students to stage campus sit-ins, May 1 boycotts, indefinite campouts, and overnight noise protests at Hilton hotels and Enterprise rentals for ties to ICE.
A national tracker documents 486 student walkouts and protests in U.S. based K-12 schools since 2022, with a sharp spike in 2026 tied to opposition against immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, according to Defending Education. The organization’s K-12 Student Walkout and Protest Tracker relies on social media, news reports and press releases. It logs events across 48 states and the District of Columbia, affecting 245 districts and 523 schools.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California policy that allowed schools to withhold information about a child’s gender transition from parents, based on constitutional claims. In Mirabelli v. Bonta, a 6-3 decision, the justices said California’s policy violated the First and 14th amendments. While specific to California, the case has ramifications throughout the rest of the country.
The Ocean State Current has obtained a copy of the RI Supreme Court Brief filed last Friday (1/16/26) on behalf of the aggrieved West Warwick mother, Jane Doe, in her lawsuit against the RI Department of Education (RIDE). Doe’s daughter was secretly assisted in her desired transition to a boy by school officials, in accordance […]
In his column published on the national platform – The Daily Caller – on October 12, 2025, Mike Stenhouse writes: “In their effort to create “safe spaces” that might save lives, the Left’s God-denying agenda has made schools unsafe places that put the emotional and physical health of students at severe risk. The suicide attempt by […]
Across multiple fronts, the RI Department of Education (RIDE) continues to fail Ocean State students and families. In the latest instance that highlights RIDE’s woke incompetence, the United States government has just filed legal action to stop RIDE and the Providence Public School District (PPSD) from discriminating against teachers based on their race in violation […]
In a case that could rewrite the rules of K-12 transgender policy nationwide, shocking new revelations are emerging. Mike Stenhouse is joined by attorney Chas Calenda to unpack explosive developments in the Jane Doe v. RIDE lawsuit — from a deeply personal family tragedy to what may be the most unhinged legal accusation yet from the state’s education department.
A legal battle over a controversial Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) regulation intensified this week, as Jane Doe, the mother at the center of a high-profile transgender policy lawsuit, and her legal team filed a scathing reply brief objecting to the state’s argument.
There has been two recent and important developments in the complaint filed by the Law Centre at the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity on behalf of Jane Doe, plaintiff, in a case seeking repeal of the RI Department of Education’s illicit 2018 transgender regulation. Oral arguments in RI’s Superior Court are scheduled for August […]
There have been two major developments in the Jane Doe case against the RI Department of Education (RIDE), where the plaintiff suffered a parental rights nightmare that resulted in a 2024 suicide attempt by her daughter. Two related complaints have been filed by the Law Centre at the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity against RIDE and its Commissioner, Angelica Infante-Green.
There have been a number of developments in two complaints filed by the Law Centre at the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity against the RI Department of Education (RIDE) and its Commissioner, Angelica Infante-Green.
In a pivotal vote Tuesday night, the conservative majority of the Chariho Regional School Committee rejected a contract extension for Superintendent Gina Picard ending speculation about direction of the district. Picard has faced criticism from parents for her progressive agenda. The proposed contract would have extended Picard’s tenure through June 2028 at a starting salary of $170,404.20 with provisions for annual salary adjustments, and enhanced benefit.
NOTE: Below is the testimony I submitted to the RI Senate Committee on Education for its March 12 hearing on Senate bill No. 0238, which would prohibit parents and the community from seeking to remove sexually-explicit and age-inappropriate materials from K-12 public schools. —— Original Message —— From “Mike Stenhouse” <mstenhouse@rifreedom.org> To “Slegislation@rilegislature.gov” <Slegislation@rilegislature.gov> Date […]
The Law Centre at the Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), alleging that multiple state entities are violating Title IX regulations. The complaint, submitted Wednesday evening, cites nine named entities, including Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Angelica Infante-Green, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, Attorney General Peter Neronha, and six school districts—Barrington, Chariho, Cumberland, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, and Providence.
The Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity announced Wednesday that it has received more than 160 petition signatures from residents urging the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) to end its policy allowing biological boys to compete in girls’ K-12 sports.
In addition to an open letter by prominent RI athletes to the RI Interscholastic League, petitioning it to repeal its policies that allow boys to compete in girls’ sports … Ocean Staters are now weighing in. As reported by the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity, below are the unedited comments from some of the […]
Families across Rhode Island gathered at the third annual ALL SCHOOL FAIR! Hosted by Rhode Island Families for School Choice this free, family-friendly event featured over 30 schools and vendors, including traditional public schools, charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling resources.
On January 31, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order aimed at expanding educational opportunities for American families through school choice. This order emphasizes the belief that parents should have the primary role in determining their children’s education rather than government institutions. The executive order is a significant move towards redirecting federal funds […]
The Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity praises President Trump’s executive order reaffirming the legal definition of sex and protecting women’s sports under Title IX. Learn more about the national debate and policy implications.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: It’s National School Choice Week. Because of the overwhelming political influence on Ocean State lawmakers, teacher unions have blocked virtually every attempt to allow parents to have more choices, or education freedom, when it comes to selecting the most appropriate schools for their children. Private, Catholic, and home schools present a compelling alternative […]
Discover Rhode Island’s top school options! On January 26, 2025, families attended the third annual All School Fair in Cranston, hosted by RI Families for School Choice. Explore K–12 options, including public, charter, private, and homeschooling. Part of National School Choice Week. Learn more at RISchoolFair.com!
President Trump’s January 20, 2025 Executive Order – Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing – addresses Critical Race Theory by seeking to dismantle DEI programs that incorporate CRT principles. Per a 2023 report by the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity, a significant portion of the social studies standards adopted by the […]
Bob Chiaradio addressed the Providence School Committee with a stern and urgent message, urging them to reject the Title IX rewrite influenced by the Rhode Island Department of Education’s (RIDE) guidance.
Bob Chiaradio delivered a passionate critique of the Bristol-Warren School Committee, condemning their Title IX policy for endangering young girls by exposing them to unnecessary risks
Bob Chiaradio passionately addressed the Burrillville, RI School Committee, urging them to remove the Rhode Island Department of Education’s (RIDE) guidance from their transgender policy.
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