Education

School officials in Texas have pulled all of the yearbooks for one high school after an inappropriate comment describing some of the students was printed.

Students and parents of Mesquite High School in were appalled and shocked to read a section dedicated to special needs students described as "mentally retarded," according to KDFW.

The yearbooks were recalled and school administrators stated that they would remove the section and return the yearbooks once the section was removed. more >>

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius addressed Georgetown University graduates at an awards ceremony Friday despite opposition from conservative Catholics over her invitation.

Although Sebelius did not directly address the controversy surrounding the birth control mandate she helped craft, she cited John F. Kennedy's famous 1960 speech on the separation of church and state.

"In that talk to Protestant ministers, Kennedy talked about his vision of religion and the public square, and said he believed in an America, and I quote, 'where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials – and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against us all," she recalled. more >>

Anti-bullying expert Paul Coughlin plans to teach the community leaders of values-based and faith-based organizations how to bring justice, mercy and compassion into the "theater of bullying" during a half-day seminar on Saturday.

Coughlin, founder of The Protectors, an organization aimed at equipping children, parents, and school officials against the rising trend of bullying, will be speaking at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. The seminar and training session will be webcast for free from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PDT.

Bullying is now the leading concern among parents and students – surpassing illicit sexual activity, drug use and gang activity, said Coughlin, citing a Harris Poll done in 2011. more >>

In honor of the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, every state primary and secondary school in England is set to receive a copy of the holy text distributed by the Department for Education.

Close to 24,000 Bibles are being distributed all across England, with Education Secretary Michael Gove insisting that every child should have the chance to read "the most important book written in the English language." According to The Daily Mail, the initiative was being backed by religious leaders across different religions, as well as academics, historians and cultural figures.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has reportedly shared with Grove that he supports the idea, but wanted to make sure that the project is not being funded by taxpayers' money, in order to avoid conflicts with non-religious groups opposed to the plan. Grove has expressed that it was with the help of charity money that the project got funded. more >>

While some consider Vanderbilt University's new all-comers policy to be an assault on religious freedom, one lawyer for the American Center for Law and Justice argues that the university's Christian students have become more unified as a result of increased campus hostility.

In early 2012, the private university, located in Nashville, Tenn., implemented an all-comers policy for its student-run organizations. The policy prohibits campus groups from selecting members and leaders based on race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

David French, senior council of the ACLJ, told The Christian Post that "in a very discouraging incident, this Vanderbilt attack, it's been a bright spot to see how the Christian students have responded." more >>

Anti-bullying expert Paul Coughlin knows well what it is like to feel worthless. As a child he was abused in his own home.

"I was bullied by a parent and a sibling so I know what it does to a person. I know what it's like to not want to wake up the next day and you are just so miserable and you've been so humiliated, so torn up, you think you are worthless," said Coughlin, founder of The Protectors, an organization aimed at equipping children, parents, and school officials against the rising trend of bullying.

Founded in 2005, Protectors was born out of Coughlin's own experience and understanding of just how damaging bullying can be to a person's emotional and psychological wellbeing – damage that can negatively affect a person sometimes for the rest of their lives. more >>