Across the country, Democrats and Republicans are united in their determination to get cellphones out of classrooms.
From Florida and Virginia to New York and North Dakota, over half of U.S. states have taken real steps to restrict or ban cellphone use in K-12 schools, according to the Parents Television and Media Council’s <a href="https://www.parentstv.org/resources/PDF/Studies/2025-School-Phone-Policies-Update.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest survey</a> of state phone policies.
They&#8217;re responding to a growing body of research — and public outcry — showing that smartphones and social media are damaging student achievement, mental health, and classroom discipline.
According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 72% of American high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in their classrooms. One 2018 Rutgers study found that students who used phones during class scored lower on their final exams — as did students sitting near them, even if they weren’t using devices themselves. The London School of Economics reached the same conclusion: just having a phone within sight can reduce academic performance.
But the issue goes far beyond academics. Since smartphones became widespread, mental health among adolescents has been in sharp decline. Since 2010, suicide rates among preteen girls have risen by more than 160%. Boys aged 10–14 have seen a 91% increase. Much of this can be traced to social media addiction, cyberbullying, sextortion, fear of missing out, and algorithms that lead users to increasingly extreme content.
The truth is, for years, we’ve been sold the lie that giving kids unfettered access to technology would prepare them for the future. What it’s done instead is isolate them, addict them, and rob them of the ability to focus and relate in real life.
State legislators are doing what Congress so far has not: taking decisive action to protect America’s children from the harmful effects of digital addiction.
As of now, over 30 states have passed or advanced school-based smartphone policies. Even California — home to Silicon Valley — is moving toward mandated restrictions.
These state-level reforms demonstrate a willingness to tackle the problem head-on: “bell-to-bell” bans that restrict phone use throughout the school day, new funding for secure storage solutions, pilot programs to test best practices, and mandates to block access to social media on school Wi-Fi.
And they aren’t coming from a single party or ideology. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognize that tech-fueled distraction and distress have reached a crisis point — and local communities are demanding solutions.
Meanwhile, in Washington, Congress has yet to pass a single major law addressing the mental health fallout from kids’ digital dependence.
Parents are doing their part — but they are being asked to work alone to combat a multibillion-dollar industry that has integrated psychological manipulation into their business model. They need help — from schools, from tech companies, and especially from Congress.
It’s time for federal lawmakers to stop dragging their feet and caving to Big Tech interests by finally passing the Kids Online Safety Act.
This bipartisan bill would create a duty of care for online platforms to prevent harm to minors. It would give parents more control, limit manipulative algorithms, and require platforms to default to the safest settings for young users.
Congress could also take the former Surgeon General’s suggestion and require warning labels to be added to social media platforms, as New York and Minnesota already have. It’s one common-sense solution among many that rightly aims to confront social media harms
School cellphone bans alone won’t solve the youth mental health crisis. That will require a unified effort from states, the federal government, parents, and teachers. Restricting kids’ access to phones during the day is a critical first step in combatting their digital dependence — and the broad, bipartisan support for these policies should serve as an example of what can be done.
Our children deserve better. So do the parents and teachers working hard to raise and educate them.
Congress should be the force that empowers these efforts — not the obstacle standing in the way.
Melissa Henson is the vice president of the <a href="http://www.parentstv.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parents Television and Media Council</a>, a nonpartisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment. Follow them on X @ThePTC
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The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Teenagers using cellphones

States Are Leading The Fight On Cellphones In School. Why Isn’t Congress?

cell phones

Congress

High School

K-12

Mental Health

As a mother, advocate, and candidate for the Alabama State School Board, I’ve seen firsthand how the quiet march of artificial intelligence (AI) into our public school classrooms is happening with little public awareness and even less parental consent. While the tech industry touts AI as the future of education, the reality is far more complicated — and in many ways, far more dangerous.
This is not a debate about whether technology belongs in schools. It’s a call to pause, evaluate, and protect children before we hand over their data, emotions, and daily experiences to unregulated machines.
Across the country, AI tools are already embedded in software used in classrooms — often installed by default on school-issued devices without informing parents. These tools don’t just support learning; they track facial expressions, predict emotional states, and collect vast amounts of personal information. When I raised concerns in my local district, even administrators admitted they didn’t know the apps even existed on the machines.
It gets worse. Some AI systems store data on third-party servers, outside the reach of school district oversight. Parents rarely have access to this data, don’t know who can see it, and can’t opt out. In many cases, children are being profiled and emotionally analyzed without ever giving meaningful consent.
And this is happening to minors. Children who legally cannot open a bank account or create a social media profile without parental consent are being subjected to predictive algorithms inside the classroom.
Advocates of classroom AI say it improves safety by detecting potential threats. In tech-heavy communities like Huntsville, Alabama, some districts have adopted facial recognition and behavioral analytics to monitor students. But these programs raise urgent questions: What happens when a system flags a student incorrectly? What emotional harm comes from constant surveillance? And what precedent does this set for future generations?
We are raising children in what author Jonathan Haidt calls The Anxious Generation — a generation already plagued by rising anxiety, isolation, and digital dependence. Normalizing AI surveillance in their learning environments only exacerbates these problems. It teaches kids to perform for machines rather than relate to people. It chips away at trust between students and teachers, families and schools.
The good news? People are starting to take action.
First Lady Melania Trump has championed child protections in the digital age. She recently celebrated the signing of the Take It Down Act, legislation backed by the Trump administration to remove explicit AI-generated content involving minors from the internet. This is a critical step in the right direction.
But classroom AI poses a broader risk. We need transparency, oversight, and parental rights built into the law. I’m advocating for a model policy that any state can adopt:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A ban on emotion-detecting and behavior-predicting AI systems in schools</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Mandatory parental opt-in before AI tools can be used on students</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Transparency requirements for all EdTech vendors</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Annual AI ethics and data privacy training for school staff</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A statewide or state-level task force to assess AI impact, report findings, and recommend guardrails</li>
</ul>
Local school boards don’t need to wait for Washington or their state capitol. They can start now:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Audit every digital tool currently in use</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Inform parents</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Pause new AI adoption until clear guardrails are in place</li>
</ul>
We must ask ourselves: Are we solving real problems with AI in classrooms, or creating new ones we don’t yet understand?
This isn’t anti-technology. It’s pro-accountability. Pro-parent. Pro-child.
Whether you live in Alabama, California, or anywhere in between, your school district likely has AI embedded in ways you never imagined. It’s time to demand transparency, ask hard questions, and ensure that no child becomes a test subject for Big Tech.
Let’s make this a national conversation. Let’s protect the classroom.
* * *
Emily Jones, a North Alabama native and founder of the state’s first Moms for Liberty chapter, is running for the Alabama State School Board to restore excellence to a system in decline. Like many parents, COVID-era schooling opened her eyes to just how far our public education system has fallen—from slipping academic standards to a breakdown in trust between families and schools. With Alabama ranking 45th in the nation, we must ask: what are we doing to stop the slide? Emily is committed to rebuilding the vital partnership between parents and teachers and restoring classrooms as places where educators are empowered to teach and students are expected to thrive. It’s time to raise the bar for Alabama’s children.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Science and education concept. AI (Artificial Intelligence).

We Need Parental Consent For AI In The Classroom

Artificial Intelligence

Computer

Education

Opinion

Parental Rights in Education

Parenting

Public Schools

school district

Technology

Every year, millions of high school students across the country dream of attending America’s most selective colleges. In California, that goal may be harder to reach as pro-affirmative action lawmakers push for new ways to give certain groups a leg up in admissions.
As a high school junior in San Jose, I will be applying to college next year. Students like me are taking AP classes, building their profiles, and doing everything we’ve been told to help us get into the schools of our choice.
The system is far from perfect but the basic premise is that colleges will then, in good faith, try to weigh each applicant based on merit and context. No group receives an unearned advantage at the expense of others.
<a href="https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB7/id/3029617">California Assembly Bill 7</a> (AB7) blows a hole in that idea.
The bill, which recently passed in the Assembly by a 54–17 vote, would allow California public universities to consider whether an applicant is “a descendant of a chattel enslaved person of American chattel slavery.” It’s part of <a href="https://blackcaucus.legislature.ca.gov/news/california-legislative-black-caucus-introduces-2024-reparations-legislative-package">a broader reparations push</a> and now headed to the state Senate.
The bill’s author, Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, says it’s not about race but historic harm. “For decades, universities gave preferential admission treatment to donors, and their family members, while others tied to legacies of harm were ignored and at times outright excluded,” Bryan <a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-universities-slavery-descendants-admissions-4b0e84c27b40725a9f7929b230a591ca">told the Associated Press</a>. 
He’s right about history. The legacy of slavery has shaped socioeconomic outcomes for Black Americans. But that doesn’t mean all descendants of slavery are disadvantaged — or that ancestry should now serve as some kind of admissions shortcut.
That distinction seems to be missing from the conversation. What we’re left with is a bill that awards preference based on ancestry.
This bill proposes an eligibility line drawn by lineage. To be clear, the text does not use the words “Black” or “African American” but rather delineates a specific historical category, “descendants of U.S. chattel slavery,” without using racial language. It’s designed to sidestep Proposition 209, which banned racial preferences in 1996, and the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions that struck down affirmative action nationwide.
Legal scholars describe such policies as “race proxies”: mechanisms that dodge explicit racial language but preserve race as the decisive factor in practice. Courts have repeatedly scrutinized such end-runs: in Parents Involved v. Seattle, <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2006/05-908">the Supreme Court warned</a> against policies that look constructive but act as racial stand-ins.
The legal system has long treated ancestral classifications with the same suspicion as racial ones. In Hirabayashi v. United States, the 1943 case on Japanese-American internment, <a href="https://edge.sagepub.com/epsteinpowers11e/student-resources/chapter-5-interbranch-interactions/hirabayashi-v-united-states">the Court held</a> that “distinctions between citizens solely because of their ancestry are by their very nature odious to a free people whose institutions are founded upon the doctrine of equality.” Moreover, the express text of Proposition 209 includes “ethnicity” in its enumeration of protected categories as well as race.
The bill defines a “descendant of slavery” as someone whose ancestors were enslaved specifically in the United States, meaning it would exclude many Black students whose families came from Africa or the Caribbean after abolition. Meanwhile, someone who identifies as white but has traced a distant enslaved ancestry through DNA testing could, in theory, qualify. And we know these terms circle a ridiculously arbitrary line. African American activist Angela Davis <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/angela-davis-finding-your-roots-mayflower-ancestors-rcna71700">went on PBS’s</a> ancestry show Finding Your Roots only to find out she’s a descendent from Mayflower colonists. She was mortified.
But even if Bryan turns out to be right on the legal question, does the technical distinction between race and ancestry suddenly make it fair to those it excludes?
No. Ancestry-based preferences would still have effectively all the same downsides as other affirmative action policies: lack of individual assessment, blunt group categorization, and fairness concerns for everyone else. As Chief Justice John Roberts <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf">wrote in the SFFA majority opinion</a>: “College admissions are zero-sum. A benefit provided to some applicants but not to others necessarily advantages the former group at the expense of the latter.”
Even if preference is framed as reparative, someone else is paying the price.
There are better options to help marginalized students. California lawmakers could index Cal Grants to local cost of living. They could strengthen the UC/CSU admission guarantees for top students at public high schools. They could improve outreach around community college transfer guarantees or pass bills like <a href="https://www.padilla.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/BASIC-Act-One-Pager.pdf">the BASIC Act</a>, which would give colleges resources to help students cover food, housing, and health care.
This bill, by contrast, like other affirmative action-adjacent legislation before it, assumes inherited identity stands in for “lived struggle.” It doesn’t.
We don’t need another lecture on systemic inequality. We see the results of it in classmates of all backgrounds who stop aiming high because they don’t think college is for them, or can’t imagine paying for it.
The California Senate should reject this bill and pursue fairer solutions, rather than advancing a measure the Supreme Court is likely to strike down.
* * *
William Liang is a student journalist living in San Jose, California.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Stanford Graduate School of Business

I’m Preparing For College. California’s New Slavery Bill Could Change Everything.

I’m Preparing for College. California’s New Slavery Bill Could Change Everything.

Affirmative Action

American Universities

California

College

Sacramento

Slavery

In a state initiative with potential national implications, school districts across California are navigating the complexities of meeting the state’s looming Ethnic Studies requirement. This mandate, based on <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB101">Assembly Bill 101</a> (AB 101) signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2021, stipulates that students graduating during the 2029–2030 school year must complete at least one semester of Ethnic Studies. California stands as the first state to enact such a requirement, aiming to ostensibly foster cultural understanding through core concepts of equality, equity, justice, and the study of race and ethnicity, as outlined in the California <a href="https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp">Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum</a>.
As I reported previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-a-new-ethnic-studies-curriculum-promotes-anti-semitism-in-california">here</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/systems-of-power-ca-ethnic-studies-program-continues-to-radicalize-students">here</a>, the Northern California Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) took an ambitious approach to implementing this requirement, going beyond the basic framework typically adopted by other districts, incorporating content in English (multiple years across 9th through 12th grades), History, and Art classes. With grant funding, PVUSD hired Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, Founder and Co-Director of Community Responsive Education (CRE), whose controversial model curriculum had previously been rejected by the state for being excessively divisive and antisemitic. Despite public outcry — particularly from the Jewish community — over the district’s reliance on the rejected curriculum, PVUSD persisted through two rounds of consultation with CRE. The third round, however, stalled amidst growing dissent.
In 2024, the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, including supporters of CRE, mobilized to <a href="https://santacruzlocal.org/2024/11/13/pajaro-valley-school-board-shake-up/">change the composition</a> of the school board in the November elections. They successfully unseated three incumbents, replacing them with challengers ready to renew the contract with CRE. By April, the new board approved the final contract, signaling a shift toward dismissing community concerns. This change was epitomized by radical activist board member Gabriel Medina, who <a href="https://youtu.be/P54-FSXpoRo?si=V_mzHNecKvxy7Eb8">labeled</a> opposition to the curriculum as “propaganda” and accused dissenters of being “segregationists” intent on undermining marginalized communities. Listening to Medina’s characterizations of America in both March and April meetings, one would think we currently live under the rule of the Antebellum South.
Conversely, the Glendora Unified School District (GUSD) in Southern California adopted a more cautious strategy. District staff proposed an Ethnic Studies pilot course outline for the 2025–2026 school year, leveraging the state-approved model curriculum which focuses on four historically marginalized groups: African Americans, Chicano/Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian American/Pacific Islanders. Presented in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/9YkxqZ-rG2M">February</a> by the history and social science representatives, the pilot course adhered to the one-semester requirement.
However, the proposal faced scrutiny from the board for its lack of detailed content and transparency regarding implementation. At the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/9YkxqZ-rG2M">May</a> school board meeting, board members raised concerns about community opposition to perceived influences of Critical Race Theory (CRT) within the curriculum’s theoretical frameworks. While Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Prince emphasized that CRT was not the course’s focus, the board remained wary of its potential influence. Respecting community input, the board voted 3–2 against moving forward with the pilot course, citing the unfunded mandate of AB 101 as well as the need for further clarity and safeguards.
Unlike PVUSD, GUSD’s board demonstrated respect for all viewpoints, emphasizing the importance of community concerns alongside the practicalities of Ethnic Studies implementation. They expressed openness to revisiting the curriculum once AB 101 funding is secured and a more detailed outline addressing community hesitations is developed.
Even though local districts are not required to do so, GUSD leveraged the state’s model curriculum, which <a href="https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/documents/esmcchapter3.pdf">explicitly encourages</a> educators adopt a CRT lens as follows: “Teachers and administrators… should familiarize themselves with current scholarly research around ethnic studies instruction, such as critically and culturally or community relevant and responsive pedagogies, critical race theory, and intersectionality, which are key theoretical frameworks and pedagogies that can be used in ethnic studies research and instruction.”
This stance from the state model curriculum highlights the ongoing tension between ideological and non-ideological approaches to the subject. During public commentary, one speaker <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/9YkxqZ-rG2M?si=8ZeNIDT9H45sRzv1">recommended</a> the Independent Institute’s <a href="https://www.independent.org/research/ethnic-studies-curriculum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Comparative Cultures Ethnic Studies Curriculum</a> as a viable alternative. Unlike the state framework, this curriculum examines the diverse tapestry of American history, portraying both its challenges and triumphs to emphasize unity over division.
Although the Comparative curriculum was unavailable at the outset of GUSD’s Ethnic Studies journey, it remains an option worth considering for the district moving forward. As a panelist at its launch last year, I can attest to its efficacy as a balanced, non-partisan resource that aims to foster inclusivity without isolating specific groups. While it may be too late for PVUSD to revise its course, GUSD still can chart a different path — one that prioritizes connection and collective growth over ideological division.
The contrasting approaches taken by PVUSD and GUSD illustrate the complexities of implementing California’s Ethnic Studies mandate. While PVUSD’s path has fueled divisiveness and polarized community relations, GUSD’s measured approach reflects a willingness to adapt and address concerns thoughtfully. As school districts across the state grapple with fulfilling AB 101, GUSD’s restraint and respect for diverse perspectives offer a model for navigating this challenging — but vital — initiative.
* * *
Walter Myers III is a Senior Fellow at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute and an adjunct faculty member at Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Library And Books

Ethnic Studies: A Tale Of Two California School Districts

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Ethnic Studies

A girls&#8217; high school softball team in Minnesota won its first-ever state championship on Friday thanks to the lights-out pitching of a boy who identifies as a girl.
The Champlin Park Rebels took down the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars 6-0 in the 4A title game, riding the arm of Marissa Rothenberger, a boy, who pitched the entire game, giving up just two hits to Bloomington Jefferson. In the Rebels&#8217; three-game tournament title run, Rothenberger pitched all 21 innings for the team, allowing just two runs.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨 BREAKING: “Marissa” Rothenberger, a biological male, just single-handedly led Champlin Park to a 6-0 shutout to win the Minnesota Girls’ State Championship.
Every single Democrat in Minnesota voted to make this insanity possible.
Sickening. <a href="https://t.co/ohdgQ42onJ">pic.twitter.com/ohdgQ42onJ</a>
&mdash; Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrageDustin/status/1931016120728682885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Champlin Park advanced to the state championship in a comeback win against White Bear Lake on Wednesday, with Rothenberger, a junior, hitting two huge doubles that sparked a rally for the Rebels, Outkick <a href="https://www.outkick.com/sports/trans-pitcher-champlin-park-white-bear-lake-minnesota-softball-semifinals">reported</a>. According to the outlet, two fathers of girls on White Bear Lake &#8220;expressed deep frustration with the system that allowed their daughters to compete against a male athlete.&#8221;
One dad specifically called out Democrats for allowing boys to compete against girls in Minnesota. &#8220;You&#8217;re looking at a whole team of future Republicans,&#8221; he said.
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) allows athletes to compete “consistent with their gender identity or expression in an environment free from discrimination with an equal opportunity for participation in athletics and fine arts,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.startribune.com/why-did-us-rep-tom-emmer-single-out-a-teenage-transgender-athlete-on-social-media/601365117">The Minnesota Star Tribune</a>. In February, the Trump administration opened an investigation into the MSHSL over its transgender policy after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect women&#8217;s sports. Trump has gone after some states, such as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-vows-large-scale-fines-on-california-after-boy-wins-girls-track-events">California</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sics-his-doj-on-maine-over-men-in-womens-sports">Maine</a>, threatening to cut off federal funding if they continue to allow boys to compete against girls.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
The MSHSL did not respond when The Daily Wire asked if it would change its policy after Champlin Park&#8217;s state championship.
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has been blasted by conservatives and women&#8217;s sports advocates for allowing boys to play against girls in his state. Walz has made the transgender issue a big part of his platform, turning the state into a “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/07/tim-walz-minnesota-trans-refuge-bill/">trans refuge</a>” and supporting life-altering gender procedures on children.
Along with leading his team to the state championship, Rothenberger also received &#8220;All-Tournament Team&#8221; honors, according to Outkick reporter Amber Harding Snyder. Rothenberger was pictured towering over the girls selected for the &#8220;All-Tournament Team.&#8221;
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Rothenberger gets All-Tournament Team honors. <a href="https://t.co/5RQmpueqKf">pic.twitter.com/5RQmpueqKf</a>
&mdash; Amber Harding Snyder (@TheAmberHarding) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAmberHarding/status/1931016608199172588?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Rothenberger was born “Charlie Dean,” but after turning 9 years old, his mother applied to the Hennepin County District Court to change the name and sex on her child’s birth certificate, a request that was approved, according to documents obtained by <a href="https://reduxx.info/we-need-sex-screening-womens-sports-watchdog-calls-for-mandatory-sex-screening-after-male-student-uses-fake-birth-certificate-to-join-girls-softball-teams/">Reduxx</a>. Rothenberger reportedly kept his gender transition hidden from his teammates, but one of his former teammates, who spoke to Reduxx on the condition of anonymity, said that eventually girls and parents started to figure it out. Rothenberger has reportedly shared locker rooms, bathrooms, and rooms with teammates while traveling for games.

High school softball

Boy Pitches Complete-Game Shutout To Win Girls’ Softball Championship

Girls

Minnesota

Social Issues

Tim Walz

Transgender

U.S.

Women's sports

A California high school girl track and field athlete didn’t let the fact that a boy had stolen her championship deter her, and waited until the boy stepped off the podium to step up herself, stand up on the podium, and claim her rightful place as the winner.
Reese Hogan, 16, from Crean Lutheran High School, finished second place in the triple jump behind AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley, a boy who claims to be a girl, at the CIF Southern Section Finals on Saturday. Hernandez jumped 41 feet, four inches, more than four feet farther than Hogan’s 37 feet, 2 inches. To make the difference clearer, third-place finisher Sofia Jara’s 36 feet, five inches was only 9 inches behind Hogan, and fourth-place finisher Kezia Gavlak jumped 35 feet, 11 inches, only six inches behind Jara. “Hernandez currently holds the state&#8217;s top marks in long jump (20-1.5) and triple jump (41-4) in girls track and field,” Sports Illustrated <a href="https://www.si.com/high-school/california/transgender-athlete-wins-cif-track-and-field-titles-in-girls-high-school-events-01jvmqrckp7b">noted</a>.
After Hernandez stepped off the podium, Hogan seized the moment, walked onto the first-place spot, smiled, and proudly posed for a picture.
“When the boy got off the podium, she assumed her rightful spot as champion. The crowd erupts with applause. THIS is the way. Congrats to Reese Hogan, the REAL champ!!!” women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines cheered.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
When the boy got off the podium, she assumed her rightful spot as champion. The crowd erupts with applause.
THIS is the way.
Congrats to Reese Hogan, the REAL champ!!! <a href="https://t.co/KiEm2yV2YY">https://t.co/KiEm2yV2YY</a> <a href="https://t.co/hqGdikES29">pic.twitter.com/hqGdikES29</a>
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1924193952590160100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On May 10, at the CIF Southern Section Division 3 Prelims at Yorba Linda High School, Hogan joined other girl athletes who donned t-shirts that said, “Protect Girls Sports.” Officials at the track meet reportedly made the girls change their shirts.
The day before, JSerra Catholic High School, Orange Lutheran High School, and Crean Lutheran High School wrote a letter to the CIF in which they stated:
<blockquote>For young women, CIF&#8217;s Gender Identity Policy means lost opportunities and an unlevel playing field. The consequences of this Policy will be felt this weekend as CIF&#8217;s state semi-final competitions for track and field events take place. Star female athletes, some of whom attend our schools, will soon compete in multiple track and field events against a male athlete who self- identifies as a female. If their respective regular-season performances are any indication, the male student will trounce his female competitors, depriving them of opportunities for advancement in tournaments, state championships, performance records, and potentially even college scholarships. Some of our female athletes have indicated they will not compete in their events to protest the injustice of this situation. This result makes it clear that the CIF Gender Identity Policy deprives women of the equal opportunities required by Title IX. Worse still, in some sports, the CIF Gender Identity Policy jeopardizes the physical safety of female student athletes.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Here is their letter to CIF. <a href="https://t.co/AfDpisJk6x">pic.twitter.com/AfDpisJk6x</a>
— Julie Hamill (@hamill_law) <a href="https://twitter.com/hamill_law/status/1920999049236267298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Athlets on Podium

After Boy Beats Her In Triple Jump, High School Track Athlete Takes ‘Her Rightful Spot As Champion’

High school sports

Politics

transgender athlete

Transgender Athletes

Women Sports

Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth

Family Of Karmelo Anthony Hosted The Most Disgusting Press Conference I’ve Ever Seen

Austin Metcalf

Karmelo Anthony

Lawyer

Matt Walsh

Murder

Race

Texas

Karmelo Anthony, who&#8217;s been charged with murdering Austin Metcalf, 17, had his bond drastically reduced and was granted house arrest, per a judge&#8217;s ruling on Monday.
Earlier this month, Metcalf <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/high-school-football-star-stabbed-to-death-at-track-meet-dies-in-twin-brothers-arms?row=0&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Hank+Berrien&amp;title=High+School+Football+Star+Stabbed+To+Death+At+Track+Meet%2C+Dies+In+Twin+Brother%E2%80%99s+Arms&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was stabbed to death</a> at a high school track meet in Texas after reportedly telling Anthony, 17, that he was sitting in the wrong seat. Anthony has been charged with murder and, <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/04/us-news/austin-metcalfs-twin-says-we-were-one-person-in-heartbreaking-new-interview/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to an arrest warrant, told police of the fatal stabbing, “I did it.”
Initially, Anthony&#8217;s bond was set at $1 million, but a Collin County judge agreed to lower the bond to $250,000. The teen will be required to wear an ankle monitor and stay inside his parents&#8217; home if the family can post bond, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/karmelo-anthony-frisco-stabbing-austin-metcalf-bond-reduced-house-arrest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a>.
Anthony has been in the Collin County jail since April 2, the day of the fatal stabbing.
During the hearing, prosecutors asked Anthony&#8217;s father about an alleged separate &#8220;assault&#8221; involving the accused, which dates only a couple of months back, on February 4. Notably, the judge lowered the bond, citing Anthony&#8217;s lack of criminal history.
The prosecution also asked why the suspect&#8217;s family is not using the money donated to an online fundraiser for their child, which is nearing half a million dollars. The fundraiser says it was established by &#8220;The Anthony Family.&#8221; Defense attorneys argued that the fundraiser &#8220;is not a bond fund&#8221; but intended to help Anthony&#8217;s family while his father &#8221; is currently on leave from work,&#8221; according to CBS News.
&#8220;The narrative being spread is false, unjust, and harmful,&#8221; the fundraiser reads. &#8220;As a family of faith, we are deeply grateful for all of your support during this trying period. Your prayers and assistance mean more to us now more than ever.&#8221;
Alternatively, a fundraiser for the victim&#8217;s family is hovering at just over $340,000.
&#8220;I am Jeff Metcalf. My son, Austin Metcalf, was tragically stabbed today at a school track meet. They were not able to save him,&#8221; the fundraiser says. &#8220;He was a bright young man with a great future ahead of him. He was a leader of men. His smile would light up the room. His passion for football was unbelievable. Voted team MVP this past season and carried a 4.0 GPA. He was looking forward to taking his game to the next level. His commitment, dedication, leadership, and sheer grit made him rise to the level of success that he desired.&#8221;
&#8220;His twin brother, Hunter, played beside him,&#8221; it continues. &#8220;We will all remember him for the way he impacted others&#8217; lives. I love you forever, son. It&#8217;s not goodbye, it&#8217;s see you later. God will take care of us till we meet again. RIP. Love, Dad.&#8221;
Metcalf died in his twin brother&#8217;s arms, the victim&#8217;s father revealed.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/racial-agitators-say-suspect-in-stabbing-murder-of-teen-was-justified?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Racial+Agitators+Say+Suspect+In+Stabbing+Murder+Of+Teen+Was+Justified" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Racial Agitators Say Suspect In Stabbing Murder Of Teen Was Justified</a>

Screenshot 2025-04-05 at 9.43.51 AM

Teen Charged With Murdering Austin Metcalf Granted House Arrest

Courts

A 17-year-old Texas boy was stabbed to death on Wednesday at a high school track meet after the victim reportedly told the alleged 17-year-old assailant that he was sitting in the wrong seat. The boy died in his twin brother’s arms.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Austin Metcalf was stabbed to death by a classmate at a school in Texas today, allegedly after a fight over a spot.
You didn’t hear about this story cuz it doesn’t fit the narrative. <a href="https://t.co/vMA3ZJJrja">pic.twitter.com/vMA3ZJJrja</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1907613153321504901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/student-stabbed-frisco-track-meet/3806667/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According</a> to Jeff Metcalf, his son Austin — whose identical twin Hunter was nearby and saw the confrontation —  had a 4.0 GPA and was MVP of Frisco ISD’s Memorial High School football team. He did not know the alleged assailant when the incident occurred at Kuykendall Stadium at roughly 10 a.m.
“They were twins, identical twins, and his brother was holding on to him, trying to make it stop bleeding, and he died in his brother&#8217;s arms,” Jeff Metcalf said. “I rushed up there and I saw him on the gurney and I could tell &#8212; they said he wasn&#8217;t breathing. I could see all the blood, and I saw where the wound was, and I was very concerned, so I had to find his brother, and we rushed to the hospital. And we prayed, and it&#8217;s God&#8217;s plan. I don&#8217;t understand it, but they weren&#8217;t able to save him. This is murder.”
“I tried to whip around as fast as I could,” Hunter Metcalf <a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/frisco-texas-isd-track-meet-suspended-emergency-incident-schoo-district-kuykendall-stadium/287-6380955c-e03d-4aeb-837f-a0fc31a46c40" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “I looked at my brother and I’m not going to talk about the rest. I tried to help him.”
“He was on the right track,” Jeff Metcalf said of Austin. “He was loved by many. He was a leader.”
“I&#8217;m not trying to judge, but what kind of parents did this child have?” Jeff Metcalf asked. “What was he taught? He brought a knife to a track meet and he murdered my son by stabbing him in the heart. The guy was in the wrong place and they asked him to move and he bowed up. This is murder. You know what, I already forgive this person. Already. God takes care of things. God is going to take care of me. God is going to take care of my family.”
The twins and their father consistently went hunting together.
Karmelo Anthony, 17, a senior at Centennial High School, was<a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/03/us-news/texas-teen-austin-metcalf-fatally-stabbed-by-karmelo-anthony-at-high-school-track-meet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> charged</a> by Frisco police with Metcalf&#8217;s murder.
“The Frisco Police Department grieves with all those affected by this devastating loss and extends its deepest condolences to the victim’s family, students, and staff who are experiencing unimaginable pain,” the Frisco Police Department stated. “The department is collaborating with the Frisco Independent School District and will continue to provide any support they need during this incredibly difficult time.”
A GoFundMe <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-austin-metcalf-help-his-family-heal?attribution_id=sl:1c02cf72-aa71-45d7-a166-bd8032e61358&amp;lang=en_US&amp;utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&amp;utm_content=amp13_c&amp;utm_medium=customer&amp;utm_source=copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">page</a> has been established to help Metcalf’s family.

Starting line on red running track

High School Football Star Stabbed To Death At Track Meet, Dies In Twin Brother’s Arms

Crime

Football

Stabbing

Twins

Three years ago, during a high school girls’ volleyball match, the future I had envisioned for myself completely fell apart.
I <a href="https://www.iwfeatures.com/documentary/payton-mcnabb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffered a severe head and neck injury</a> after a trans-identifying male athlete on the opposing girls’ team sent a volleyball flying directly at my face. I was left partially paralyzed on the right side of my body. The full extent of my injuries forced me to confront the reality that the collegiate athletic career I had been pursuing was no longer possible, and that even basic tasks, such as driving and taking exams, would be significantly more difficult.
At first, I felt hopeless. But then I realized I could use my tragedy — the permanent consequences I must now live with as a result of an unfair policy forcing girls like me to compete against biological males—for good.
And that’s exactly what has happened.
It was an immense honor to attend President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress on March 4 as a guest of the president and first lady. All I could think about as I listened to the president share my story is how far I’ve come — and how different things could have been.
I never wanted to be a policy advocate or public figure in the fight against gender ideology. All I wanted was to compete and play softball in college. But as President Trump reminded Americans during his address, gender ideology and the officials who enforce it stole that dream from me. And they have no regrets about doing so.
In fact, as I stood to be recognized by President Trump, not a single Democrat on the left side of the aisle applauded or stood in recognition of the hardship I have experienced. I don’t recall even one Democrat so much as looking in my direction. It was hard not to take this as a personal insult. After all, the policies they support — policies that strip women of their right to sex-based spaces and sports teams — cost me personally.
But the Democrats’ stubborn refusal to recognize the consequences of their policies doesn’t just affect me. Senate Democrats in particular made that quite clear this month when they refused to vote in favor of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, a bill that would bar male athletes from competing against — and potentially injuring — young women.
These Democrats know they are out of step with the American public on this issue—and they just don’t care. For example, when Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, was asked earlier this month why she voted against the bill when <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nyt-poll-finds-majority-democrats-oppose-trans-athletes-womens-sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the vast majority</a> of her state’s residents support it, she <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gops-two-top-dem-senate-targets-justify-blocking-bill-bar-men-from-womens-sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">insisted</a> the legislation wasn’t important because “it only applies to one person.”
To be clear, even a very conservative estimate <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/lgbtq/5046662-ncaa-president-transgender-athletes-college-sports/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">places</a> the total number of trans-identifying male athletes competing in women’s sports at far more than just “one person.” But even if Shaheen were right, I am living proof of what can happen when just “one person” is forced to give up her sex-based right to fair and safe competition. Does my experience not matter to Democrats like Shaheen? Do my rights not count?
The fact is, it doesn’t matter how many trans-identifying athletes there are. The correct number of women who should be forced to compete against them is zero. And if congressional Democrats refuse to take our safety seriously, then state legislatures must pick up the slack for them.
After my injury, I was proud to help pass a bill in my home state of North Carolina, House Bill 574, that bans trans-identifying male athletes from playing in women’s sports at both the K-12 and collegiate levels, and I remain committed to helping other states follow suit. There are still 24 states that refuse to act on this issue. That must change.
Those states should keep in mind that the American public, the Trump administration, and, most importantly, common sense, are all on the same side: the side that values and protects women like me. They can either join the fight or stay seated like the Democrats in Congress this month. For their own sake, I hope they choose the former.
* * *
Payton McNabb is an Independent Women ambassador and former three-sport athlete who was severely injured by a male playing in a women’s volleyball game. McNabb’s story was shared in <a href="https://www.iwfeatures.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IW Features</a>&#8216; documentary, <a href="https://www.iwfeatures.com/documentary/payton-mcnabb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;Kill Shot: How Payton McNabb Turned Tragedy into Triumph.&#8221;</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

MixCollage-24-Mar-2025-09-02-AM-4889

I Was Injured By A Trans Athlete. State Legislatures Need To Do More To Protect Women’s Sports

I Was Injured By A Trans Athlete. State Legislatures Need To Do More To Protect Women's Sports

Brain

Democrats

female sports

North Carolina

Sports

Volleyball

Defying President Donald Trump’s executive order that aims to prohibit men and boys from participating in female sports, an Oregon high school allowed an 11th-grade boy who identifies as a girl to compete in a Portland Interscholastic League track meet, where he thoroughly dominated the girls in the competition.
Last year, Ada (who formerly went by Aayden) Gallagher of Portland’s McDaniel High School won the 200M and 400M races at the 6A-1 Portland Interscholastic League Championship. On Wednesday, he won the 400m race again, timing at 57.62, a full seven seconds faster than Franklin High School&#8217;s Kinnaly Souphanthong, who ran the race in 1:05.72. Gallagher also won the 200m again, with a time of 25.76; his teammate Addyson Skyles timed at 27.31.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Another day, another boy dominating in girl&#39;s sports. 
Aayden &quot;Ada&quot; Gallagher set a season record and beat the fastest girl by over 7 seconds. 
This was in Oregon. Ahem, <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> <a href="https://t.co/8g5ST6EUOs">pic.twitter.com/8g5ST6EUOs</a>
&mdash; Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1902533261500223891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Portland Interscholastic League is governed by the Oregon School Activities Association, which states in its <a href="https://www.osaa.org/docs/handbooks/GenderIdentityParticipationBP.pdf">handbook</a>, “The OSAA endeavors to allow students to participate for the athletic or activity program of their consistently asserted gender identity while providing a fair and safe environment for all students. As with Rule 8.2 regarding Duration of Eligibility / Graduation, rules such as this one promotes harmony and fair competition among member schools by maintaining equality of eligibility and increase the number of students who will have an opportunity to participate in interscholastic activities.”
The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-14523127/Trans-sports-feud-Oregon-ada-gallagher-track.html">noted</a>, “According to an NCSA college recruiting profile, Gallagher &#8211; who is listed as 5ft 10ins at 155lbs &#8211; writes: ‘I&#8217;m able to continue running when thousands of people wish for me to stop and doubt my integrity.’”
After Trump issued his executive order, which <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-14201-keeping-men-out-womens-sports">declared</a>, “It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy,” Oregon House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, stated she would introduce a bill to amend Oregon’s laws regarding boys in girls’ sports. “Women have fought for — and earned — respect and support for themselves in sports and have made incredible gains in doing so. We must defend that progress and stand up for fairness,” she said.
Oregon Senate Minority Leader Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, introduced <a href="https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB618/Introduced">Senate Bill 618</a>, which stated:
<blockquote>
Each school district shall require that every athletic competition or extracurricular sport is expressly designated by the biological sex of the students who participate in the competition or sport as follows: (a) “Males,” “Men” or “Boys”; (b) “Females,” “Women” or “Girls”; or (c) “Coed.” (2) Students of the biologically male sex may not participate in any athletic competition or extracurricular sport that is designated as “Females,” “Women” or “Girls” under sub- section (1) of this section.
</blockquote>
Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pam-bondi-fires-warning-shot-at-maine-over-womens-sports-cannot-ignore-federal-law">warned</a> Maine that it must comply with the president&#8217;s executive order banning men from women&#8217;s sports and spaces. Earlier this week, the Trump administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-gives-maine-10-days-to-comply-with-wh-block-males-from-female-sports">gave</a> Maine educational bodies ten days to adhere to its revised Title IX rules. The move follows a rather dramatic scene at the White House, when President Donald Trump challenged Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) for refusing to follow the law on males in girls’ sports.

Oregon State Welcome Sign Interstate 5 Northbound Transportation

‘Ahem, AG Pam Bondi’: Oregon 11th-Grade Boy Crushes Girls In Track Meet For 2nd Year In a Row

Oregon

Two high school girls in Louisiana were charged with lying to police after they attempted to frame a male teacher they claimed was sending inappropriate messages to a student.
The two girls, who have not been named because they are minors, were charged with one count each of false swearing for the purpose of violating public health or safety (a felony), cyberstalking, and online impersonation, according to <a href="https://www.lpso.net/2025/01/06/two-high-school-girls-charged-for-trying-to-frame-teacher-for-inappropriate-messages/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a press release</a> from Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff Craig Webre.
“Our juvenile detectives are diligent and take claims of inappropriate behavior very seriously,” Webre said in the press release. “They are, however, equally serious about false claims. Someone’s life can be instantly ruined by a false allegation, and I am proud that our investigators were able to get to the bottom of this. Technology has made it very easy for people to try to manipulate the truth, but technology also makes it easy for investigators to ultimately find the truth.”
On December 18, the sheriff said, someone reported to the police that a male teacher at Central Lafourche High School had been sending inappropriate messages to a 16-year-old girl who was a student. Upon investigation, detectives found that the 16-year-old and her 15-year-old friend had conspired to frame the teacher.
At first, the two girls said they had received inappropriate messages from the teacher through an online instant messaging platform. Over the next two weeks, detectives investigated the claims, interviewing everyone involved and searching their phones and accounts on the platform.
Detectives soon learned that the two teen girls had created fake accounts impersonating the teacher and used those accounts to send bogus messages. They then sent screenshots of those messages to their friends to frame the teacher.
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Detectives were able to prove that the male teacher had not sent any of the messages or photos the girls claimed he sent, and one of the girls eventually confessed to the crime. The sheriff’s office declared the teacher to be the “crime victim” and stated that he “has been cleared of all allegations,” something rare when it comes to false accusations.
Both girls were charged on January 6 with falsely reporting a crime to police, cyberstalking, and impersonating the teacher online. They were released into the custody of their parents but were placed on electronic monitoring, the sheriff’s office said.
“We are shocked and appalled to learn of the actions of two of our students,” Lafourche Parish Schools Superintendent Jarod Martin said in the press release. “The allegations against one of our teachers were false and malicious, and we appreciate the efficiency of investigators in uncovering the source of these messages. Such attacks on a teacher’s credibility and reputation are concerning and can inhibit their ability to effectively educate our children. We are committed to investigating all allegations of misconduct in order to provide a safe environment conducive to learning and working for all of our students and staff.”

False Accusation

Two High School Girls Charged After Falsely Claiming Teacher Sent Inappropriate Messages

false accusations

Louisiana

Teenagers

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