Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A <keyword id="130981" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Utah">Utah</keyword> state lawmaker walked back his comment about at-home rape kits being a "novelty purchase" after receiving backlash.</li><li>State Rep. <keyword id="10683726" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nelson-abbott">Nelson Abbott</keyword> — who supports the kits being purchased and sold — said, "If a person wants to purchase this for a novelty purpose or for a non-law enforcement purpose, they ought to have that right." </li><li><a href="https://le.utah.gov/~2021/bills/static/HB0168.html">A Utah House Bill 168</a>, which prohibits selling or providing an over-the-counter <keyword id="4126674" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="rape-kit">rape kit</keyword>, was passed Friday.</li></ul>Republican state representative Nelson Abbott walked back his comment calling at-home rape kits a "novelty purchase" after receiving backlash.Abbott's comment came during a state House hearing where a bill, which would <a href="https://le.utah.gov/~2021/bills/static/HB0168.html">prohibit selling or providing an over-the-counter rape kit</a>, was passed on Friday. T"If someone does it themself, more than likely they're not going to be able to give this evidence to law enforcement and it won't be able to be used to prosecute their alleged persecutor," Democratic state lawmaker Angela Romero who proposed the bill said in the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee hearing Friday afternoon.Romero, who sponsored the bill, advocates for survivors of sexual assault. She passed House Bill 200, which requires all rape kits to be tested in Utah, <a href="https://www.angelaromero.com/">according to her website</a>. During the <a href="https://le.utah.gov/av/floorArchive.jsp?markerID=113228">hearing</a>, Rep. Abbott opposed the bill saying, "If a person wants to purchase this for a novelty purpose or for a non-law enforcement purpose, they ought to have that right." After receiving criticism for his comment, Abbott said the criticisms around his phrasing was "probably fair.""I think their criticism was probably fair to some extent because I did use the word 'novelty,'" Abbott told <a href="https://kutv.com/news/utah-legislature-2021/utah-lawmaker-says-at-home-rape-kits-could-be-used-for-novelty-purpose">KUTV</a>. "Which I think has a different connotation than what I intended to say."Abbott told KUTV that he supports the at-home rape kits as long as the marketing is not deceptive.Utah state lawmakers met on January 22 to initially debate whether or not do-it-yourself rape kits could be sold in stores, according to the <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/2021/01/23/bill-banning-sale-do-it/">Salt Lake Tribune</a>.Those in favor of the bill say the DIY kits give victims "false hope" and can be "misleading.""The problem with these [kits] is when an individual is victimized by rape, health care is incredibly important. ... That is our number one," Julie Valentine, a member of Wasatch Forensic Nurses, told Salt Lake Tribune. "We then give them the choice if they want to have evidence collected in a sexual assault kit."

GOP state lawmaker walks back his comments calling at-home rape kits a 'novelty purchase' as he defended the 'right' for people to purchase them

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="13076348" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="book-bans" source="Orion">Book bans</keyword> often targeting race- and LGBTQ titles were carried out in 26 states, PEN America says.</li><li>The bans in school libraries and classrooms affect 1,145 unique book titles.</li></ul>Nearly 1,600 book bans often targeting race- and LGBTQ-related titles were carried out in school districts across the country during the last nine months, with <keyword id="11896956" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="texas" source="Orion">Texas</keyword> leading the way, a new report found.The <a href="https://pen.org/banned-in-the-usa/">report from PEN America</a>, a literary and free expression organization, identified 1,145 unique titles affected by the bans in school libraries and classrooms in 26 states as controversial books in schools have become a common flashpoint in political culture wars over the teaching of race, gender and sexuality.The top three banned titles focus on LGBTQ+ individuals or touch on same-sex relationships: "Gender Queer," "All Boys Aren't Blue," and "Lawn Boy." PEN America described a dramatic escalation in school book bans — defined actions that lead to removing, restricting, or diminishing access to books, based on objections to their content — after previously seeing only a handful of such cases each year."What is happening in this country in terms of banning books in schools is unparalleled in its frequency, intensity, and success," said Jonathan Friedman, director of PEN America's Free Expression and Education program and lead author of the report. "Because of the tactics of censors and the politicization of books we are seeing the same books removed across state lines: books about race, gender, LGBTQ+ identities, and sex most often."The 713 bans in Texas — where conservative politicians have waged war against books on racism and sexuality — account for nearly half of the 1,586 book bans nationwide. Some banning efforts may be the result of state Rep. Matt Krause, a Republican, <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/26/texas-school-books-race-sexuality/">launching an investigation</a> in October into Texas school district content, inquiring about 850 books, the report says. School districts in Granbury and San Antonio removed titles on Krause's list.Texas Republican Gov. <keyword id="11906065" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="greg-abbott" source="Orion">Greg Abbott</keyword>, meanwhile, called for <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/O-MorathMike202111090719.pdf">criminal charges</a> against anyone providing "pornography" books to students."In too many instances, you have left-wing educators putting explicit pornography in front of kids," Sen. <keyword id="11971766" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ted-cruz" source="Orion">Ted Cruz</keyword>, a Texas Republican, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ted-cruz-pornography-book-banning-teachers-culture-wars-texas-2022-2">told Insider in February.</a> "I think that is severely misguided."The number of Texas bans is followed by those in Pennsylvania (456), Florida (204), Oklahoma (43), Kansas (30), Indiana (18), Virginia (16), and Tennessee (16), where the <a href="https://www.mcminn.k12.tn.us/o/mcsd/article/639918">McMinn County Board of Education</a> drew attention in January for removing the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus, about the holocaust, from its 8th-grade language arts curriculum.Many of the book bans — 41 percent — are tied to directives from state officials or elected lawmakers to investigate or remove books in schools, marking an "unprecedented shift" from community members initiating the demand, the report says.The bans were widespread, according to the report, occurring in 86 school districts in 26 states between July 1, 2021, and March 31 of this year. The districts represent 2,899 schools with a combined enrollment of more than 2 million students.The figures represent cases either reported directly to PEN America or covered in the media.Of the books that were banned, 22% directly address issues of race and racism while 33% explicitly address LGBTQ+ themes or have protagonists or prominent secondary characters who are LGBTQ+.The 42 children's books that were "censored" include biographies of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Ruby Bridges, Duke Ellington, Katherine Johnson, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cesar Chavez, Sonia Sotomayor, Nelson Mandela, and Malala Yousafzai.PEN America says 98% of the bans and restrictions involve "departures from best practice guidelines for how school authorities may remove books," occurring without proper written forms, review committees or transparency."This is an orchestrated attack on books whose subjects only recently gained a foothold on school library shelves and in classrooms," Friedman said in a statement. "We are witnessing the erasure of topics that only recently represented progress toward inclusion."

Conservatives have enacted about 1,600 book bans in school districts over the last 9 months, with Texas leading the way, report says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Country star <keyword id="322982" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Willie-Nelson">Willie Nelson</keyword> headlined the final day of the four-day march against <keyword id="43546" type="EVENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Voting">voting</keyword> legislation in <keyword id="15710" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="texas">Texas</keyword>.</li><li>Texas is one of several GOP-led states that have introduced voting bills following the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-lashes-out-after-release-of-election-overturning-bid-docs-2021-8?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">2020 election</a>.</li><li>The protested legislation proposes several policies, including new ID requirements for voting. </li></ul>Country music star <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-did-famous-musicians-look-like-when-they-were-20-2020-2">Willie Nelson</a> has headlined the close of a four-day march in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-attorney-general-called-olympian-simone-biles-national-embarrassment-2021-7?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Texas</a> in support of voting rights. Texas is one of several GOP-led states that has introduced voting and elections bills following the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-lashes-out-after-release-of-election-overturning-bid-docs-2021-8?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">2020 election</a> - and masses have come out to protest as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/10-things-in-politics-top-democratic-campaign-staffers-millennials?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Democrats</a> call them an attack on voting rights. Nelson played a short set to close out the rally staged in Austin to close out the rally, which featured the star's 2018 song, "Vote 'Em Out." "It is important that we ensure the right for EVERY American to vote and vote safely," Nelson said in a statement through the Poor People's Campaign when he announced his participation in the rally in support of Democratic state legislators who bolted for Washington two weeks ago to block GOP-backed voting restrictions."Laws making it more difficult for people to vote is un-American and are intended to punish poor people, people of color, the elderly, and disabled - why? If you can't win playing by the rules, then it's you and your platform - not everyone else's ability to vote." In addition to Nelson, Rev. Barber, the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the campaign, and <keyword id="7017054" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Beto-ORourke">Beto O'Rourke</keyword> took the stage.The voting regulations have been proposed in light of unfounded allegations that the 2020 presidential elections were fraudulent - despite the <a href="https://www.cisa.gov/news/2020/11/12/joint-statement-elections-infrastructure-government-coordinating-council-election">CISA stating </a>that it was the most secure election in history. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has pledged to schedule a special session to pass the new voting legislation that includes new ID requirements to vote, a ban on drive-thru voting, new regulations for early voting hours, including a ban on 24-hour voting, and a ban on the distribution of mail-in ballot applications. President Biden has previously stated full support for those fighting the new legislation, saying, "We'll be asking my Republican friends in Congress and states and cities and counties to stand up, for God's sake, and help prevent this concerted effort to undermine our elections and the sacred right to vote. Have you no shame?"

Willie Nelson condemns the Texas voting bill as 'un-American' and headlines at the end of a four-day protest

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Representatives for teacher unions in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas told Insider they're concerned that <keyword id="37180" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="schools">schools</keyword> could be opening too quickly. </li><li>In Arkansas, for example, 90% of educators said they were concerned about student <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">health</keyword>, and 98% concerned about social distancing in school buildings.</li><li>Union leaders told Insider that they're calling for a delayed start for in-person classes.</li><li>They also want federal and state governments to issue guidelines and offer funding that could help protect students and staff from COVID-19.</li></ul>Schools across the United States are gearing for classes to start back up again this fall, but teacher unions are hotly debating the wisdom behind holding in-person lessons.In many states, the decision behind reopening public schools has largely been <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/07/15/891598558/is-school-safe-will-districts-test-for-covid-19-answering-back-to-school-questio">left up to individual school districts</a>. President Donald Trump has <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/07/coronavirus-donald-trump-urges-governors-reopen-schools-fall/5390294002/">urged schools to reopen in the fall</a>, and even <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/07/13/no-trump-devos-cant-withhold-funding-schools-whenever-they-want-heres-what-they-can-do/">threatened to withhold federal funding</a> if they don't.But the reactions from states have been mixed.As of last week, Texas decided to allow <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/17/texas-schools-fall-closed-reopening/">virtual classrooms to continue across the state</a>. <a href="https://www.wrdw.com/2020/07/23/georgia-state-board-considers-delaying-school-year-until-sept-8/">Georgia</a> and <a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article244401862.html">Kansas's</a> boards of <keyword id="6355445" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="education">education</keyword> aren't delaying school openings, and are letting districts to figure out how to keep students and <keyword id="6356089" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="teachers">teachers</keyword> safe.Still, teacher unions are concerned with what could happen if students and staff returned to physical classrooms — and they want state and local governments to help prepare. In an ideal world, teachers would have access to PPE, space in their classrooms to social distance, and funds that could help alleviate issues with online learning if it's needed. But current plans are falling short. Clay Robison, the spokesman for Texas State Teachers Association, and Doug Folks, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Education Association, told Insider that they would not hold statewide teacher strikes if schools do reopen. They said strikes are illegal in their states and are often left up to districts themselves, where teachers can better assess their risks and work with local governments to gauge their overall protections.Still, there have been protests in multiple states, including <a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2020/07/24/back-school-iowa-teachers-protest-return-to-in-person-instruction-gov-kim-reynolds/5502219002/">Iowa</a>, <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2020/07/22/arizona-teachers-protest-against-reopening-schools-in-person-classes-amid-covid-19-crisis/5487235002/">Arizona</a>, <a href="https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/picture-gallery/news/2020/07/23/alabama-teachers-against-covid-19-protest/5495143002/">Alabama</a>, <a href="https://www.wesh.com/article/florida-schools-reopening-teachers-protest/33236183">Florida,</a> and <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-coronavirus-illinois-schools-reopening-federation-of-teachers-20200720-sirmdxcpmjeubn7xyhhbwhmspq-story.html">Illinois</a> in which teachers called for in-person school to be delayed. <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/07/teachers-back-to-school-protests.html">Teachers told New York Magazine earlier this month</a> that they would consider striking in some states.Robison said the idea of going back to school building "frightens" teachers, especially those with underlying health conditions. The state is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-starr-county-hospital-forced-choose-who-sent-home-die-2020-7">dealing with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the country</a>."One reason Texas is a hotspot now is because Gov. [Greg] Abbott reopened restaurants, hair salons, gyms, and other businesses too early in the spring," Robinson told Insider. "We cannot afford for that to happen in our schools."<h2>Teachers are trying to figure out how to keep everyone safe</h2>It remains unclear how opening schools — with social distancing measures put in place — could impact communities.Some studies have found that children are <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/back-school-what-doctors-say-about-children-covid-19-n1233550">at lower risk than adults of contracting the virus</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/07/10/coronavirus-why-kids-arent-the-germbags-and-grownups-are/">less likely to transmit it to others</a>, while <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/children-coronavirus-transmission-in-school-reopening-2020-7">other studies show that children spread the virus more often than adults</a> within households. Research on the subject is still ongoing.<a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/school-openings-across-globe-suggest-ways-keep-coronavirus-bay-despite-outbreaks">According to Science Magazine</a>, more than 20 countries around the world have reopened schools in recent weeks, including Finland, South Africa, and Israel. Most of the programs are keeping children in small groups, requiring masks, and urging social distancing.<div type="image" title="Florida teachers, whose unions are against their members returning to school, hold a car parade protest in front of the Pasco County School district office in Land O' Lakes, Florida, U.S. July 21, 2020." height="1666" width="2500" msid="77202595" hostid="261"></div>But spokespeople for several teacher unions in the US told Insider that they're concerned they won't have space to socially distance and worry there won't be easy access to PPE for students and staff. <a href="https://www.aeaonline.org/2020/07/15/statewide-educator-survey-results/">The Arkansas Education Association (AEA) recently conducted a survey</a> that found 90% of respondents — which represented all state counties — were concerned about student health, and 98% were concerned about social distancing in school buildings.More than 40% of teachers said they were retiring early or changing professions because of the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic. Some teachers are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/16/us/coronavirus-teachers-preparing-wills/index.html">even preparing wills</a>.Ben Linas, an infectious disease doctor at Boston University School of Medicine, told Insider that it's "theoretically possible" for schools to be open in some places in the US, but schools in COVID-19 hotspots should be careful."It goes without saying that all teachers those have the PPE they need at all times at every school in America," he said. "The same way that we would flip out if our hospitals ran out of PPE and we were asking healthcare workers to go in and take care of patients."<h2>Florida's teacher union filed a lawsuit over the state's decision to reopen in-person classrooms on August 31</h2>Some unions have taken legal action over school reopening plans. On Monday, the Florida Education Association <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-teachers-union-dont-want-to-be-the-petri-dish-2020-7">filed a lawsuit to push against the state's plans to start in-person classes</a> at the end of August. The association's president told <a href="https://www.today.com/video/head-of-florida-teachers-union-we-don-t-want-to-be-the-petri-dish-for-america-88045637962">NBC's "Today" show</a> that he's concerned classrooms could become a "Petri dish" for America."We need a survival kit. We need our state government to lead in our issues," he said.AEA Executive Director Tracey-Ann Nelson <a href="https://www.aeaonline.org/2020/07/10/educators-demand-safety-in-school-reopening/">said in a statement on July 10</a> that delaying in-person classes is a "step in the right direction."The AEA said it has formed a "Return to Learn" committee, in which educators across Arkansas have gathered to discuss what guidelines need to be in place and what expectations need to be met before students can return to class.<div type="image" title="Florida teachers, whose unions are against their members returning to school, hold a car parade protest in front of the Pasco County School district office in Land O' Lakes, Florida, U.S. July 21, 2020." height="1666" width="2500" msid="77202600" hostid="261"></div>She's now calling on state officials to provide funding to districts so they can ensure cleaning standards will be up to par and PPE will be available to staff and students when school does start in-person."While some decisions may be more appropriately made at a local level, this virus does not know school district boundaries," she said. "There must be a detailed statewide plan that anticipates a number of scenarios to ensure student and school employee health and safety."Wafaa El-Sadr, a professor of epidemiology and medicine and the director of ICAP at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, said schools should be screening for illnesses among students and staff, lower classroom densities, space out desks, and require face masks if they want to accurately adhere to public health measures.But before that, she told Insider, they must evaluate the status of COVID-19 in their community and determine whether or not it would be a risk to reopen schools."The risk is dependent on transmission risk in the community and transmission risk in the school," El-Sadr said. "Schools have to take into account the situation in their communities as they decide what to do."<h2>Teacher unions say they need more direction from state and local governments</h2>On Thursday, Trump requested $70 billion in education funding as part of the next coronavirus relief bill, in hopes of assisting the reopening of in-person classes, according to a press release seen by Insider.<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/reopening-schools.html">The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>, too, recently urged schools to re-open, citing a "spectrum of benefits and risks of both in-person and virtual learning options."But teacher unions say there needs to be more direction.<div type="image" title="Business education teacher Malikah Armbrister stands in protest along with her colleagues in front of the Hillsborough County Schools District Office on July 16, 2020 in Tampa, Florida." height="2000" width="3000" msid="77202602" hostid="261"></div>Alicia Priest, a middle school teacher in Yukon, Oklahoma, who's also the president of the Oklahoma Education Association, said members of her teacher's union feel "extremely fearful" about returning to in-person classes in August."Most of our schools don't have the resources to open safely, so until we see that our schools have all the Personal Protective Equipment, cleaning supplies they need, we have no business thinking about in-person schools," she told Insider. "Those supplies should not be purchased by educators, but supplied through a guaranteed and reliable, state-funded supply chain, and protocols put in place to keep our students and staff safe."Priest told Insider that distance-learning is likely the best option for many school districts in Oklahoma, and teachers have been preparing to do so by learning new technology and taking trainings on <a href="https://www.cfchildren.org/what-is-social-emotional-learning/">new education methods</a>.<div type="image" title="Teacher Andrew Van Herik protests outside Chicago Public Schools headquarters on Wednesday, July 22, 2020." height="1973" width="3000" msid="77202611" hostid="261"></div>But if schools do open, Priest has called on the state to develop state-wide policies for all schools when it comes to COVID-19 protocols."We need to be ready for an up-and-down year," she told Insider. "We truly hope we don't see schools bouncing back and forth between in-person to distance learning. And we expect schools to follow safety and health protocols like wearing masks, having plenty of cleaning and sanitizing equipment. It will be key in mitigating the back and forth for students and staff members to stay home if they have been exposed or if they feeling a little under the weather."Linas told Insider that school districts, state governments, and the federal government need to work together to fund classrooms and create equity among all schools. "I feel like when people say, 'Well it's up to the districts, or 'It's up to the states,' it's very often basically a euphemism for 'We don't want to find resources and we don't want to provide a plan,'" he said.

You Searched For "nelson abbott" and got 4 results

GOP state lawmaker walks back his comments calling at-home rape kits a 'novelty purchase' as he defended the 'right' for people to purchase them

Bre'Anna Grant

Conservatives have enacted about 1,600 book bans in school districts over the last 9 months, with Texas leading the way, report says

Nicole Gaudiano

Willie Nelson condemns the Texas voting bill as 'un-American' and headlines at the end of a four-day protest

Bethany Dawson

Teacher unions across the US say they're 'extremely fearful' about in-person classes and demand states take more measures to keep them safe

Kelly McLaughlin

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides

You Searched For "nelson abbott" and got 4 results

GOP state lawmaker walks back his comments calling at-home rape kits a 'novelty purchase' as he defended the 'right' for people to purchase them

Bre&apos;Anna Grant

Conservatives have enacted about 1,600 book bans in school districts over the last 9 months, with Texas leading the way, report says

Nicole Gaudiano

Willie Nelson condemns the Texas voting bill as 'un-American' and headlines at the end of a four-day protest

Bethany Dawson

Teacher unions across the US say they're 'extremely fearful' about in-person classes and demand states take more measures to keep them safe

Kelly McLaughlin

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides

Bre'Anna Grant