The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled 4-3 last week in favor of taxpayer-funded scholarships for low-income students to attend private schools.

“Most Americans have school choice, but it is only available if you have money,” said Renée Flaherty, an Institute for Justice attorney who advocated in favor of the grants, known as opportunity scholarships.

The ruling allows for 2,400 low-income students from kindergarten through 12th grade to receive up to $4,200 toward a private school education.

With school starting up next month in many places, some students are headed into learning environments that are hostile to religious ideas and expression. Christian parents should rethink how they engage their children’s public schools, says Eric Buehrer, a former public school teacher and the president of Gateways to Better Education. His organization helps families navigate public schools while keeping their faith and values intact. I talked with Buehrer about practical ideas for Christian families in public schools.

Seattle public school Chief Sealth International, along with a few other public schools in the area, began providing and administering free IUDs to students last month. Because the device doesn’t cost them anything, students don’t have to use their parents’ medical insurance and do not need parental permission to get one. The service is provided by Neighborhood Health, which runs medical and dental clinics around Seattle, according to a glowing article by Grist. 

Concerned parents and teachers have launched a petition drive to qualify a ballot measure that would repeal California’s controversial “co-ed bathroom” law, which requires schools to make accommodations for K-12 transgendered students.  

Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill in August, making the state the first in the nation to allow students to choose bathrooms, showers, locker rooms, and sports teams based on their “perceived” gender identity rather than their biological gender. 

Reformers trying to shake up the status quo in failing public schools are in an optimistic mood. Founders of charter schools-deregulated public schools operated by community groups instead of government officials-last week celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the first charter school in Minnesota, with nearly 2,400 charters now spread across 34 states. With the Supreme Court expected to approve Cleveland's school-voucher program, reformers also hope to take the threat of court challenges out of local policy equations.