Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that President Biden “does not have the power to forgive student loan debt, putting her at odds with some members of her own Democratic caucus as the pressure builds on the president to cancel $50,000 in student loan debt per borrower,” CBS News reports.

Said Pelosi: “People think that the president of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not. He can postpone, he can delay, but he does not have that power.”

The Texas Senate passed a bill that would remove a requirement for public school teachers to teach that the Ku Klux Klan is “morally wrong,” NBC News reports.

Politico: “When Arizona lawmakers turned their eyes toward their own ‘critical race theory’ ban this past spring, few seemed to remember how the previous attempt to prohibit race-related studies in schools had turned out here.”

“In 2010, Gov. Jan Brewer signed a law banning Tucson’s Mexican American studies program. But today, 15 years after the curriculum first caught the attention of Republican lawmakers and a decade after they outlawed it, the courses — or at least a version of them — live on, thanks to a court-appointed monitor… Today, the program is larger than it’s ever been.”

David Leonhardt: “Covid-19 is undermining the idea of universal schooling… Recent polls suggest that as many as one quarter of parents plan to keep their children home. The families who choose to do so will span every demographic group, but they are likely to be disproportionately lower-income, Black and Latino.”

“The problem with remote school is that children learn vastly less than they do in person.”

Politico: “Administration voices join a growing chorus of top congressional Democrats and advocacy groups pushing the White House to continue pandemic benefits for more than 40 million student loan borrowers. The White House has not yet made a final decision.”

“But Education Department officials have suggested to the White House that the administration extend loan relief one final time, through the end of January.”

Wall Street Journal: “For many districts accustomed to tight budgets, the influx of a historic level of federal funding has created a high-stakes opportunity to develop new learning opportunities and, many leaders hope, forge long-term change with short-term funding.”

“The Education Department has required administrators to ask parents, teachers, students, organizations and community members for input before many must submit spending plans in August. Common requests include more time for learning—either through a longer school year or school day, or after-school tutoring. Some communities are pushing for increased mental-health resources, such as added counselors … Others want smaller class sizes or new enrichment activities.”

The Virginia Republican Party demanded an ethics investigation into the University of Virginia election forecaster Larry Sabato over his tweets that they say display “bitter partisanship” in favor of Democrats, the Washington Times reports.

Responded Sabato on Twitter: “Thanks to the Republicans for the hearty laugh you’ve given me. There goes my reserved seat at your next insurrection. Oh well.”

“Many people who spout QAnon’s false claims have hatched a new plan: run for school board or local office, spread the gospel of Q, but don’t call it QAnon,” NBC News reports.

“The movement comes as many local meetings have emerged in recent months as cultural flashpoints in a broader battle over the perceived encroachment of race-conscious education — sometimes separately lumped together under the label critical race theory. In California and Pennsylvania, people who previously espoused QAnon have run for school board positions, sometimes melding conspiracy theories with anti-CRT sentiment.”

“President Biden’s $200 billion proposal to expand publicly funded prekindergarten through a program that requires buy-in and funds from states is facing questions from Republicans over how it will be implemented,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“While many Republican leaders support public prekindergarten, some have expressed skepticism about what role the federal government should play in funding it and what strings will come with the money.”

Said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX): “It sounds to me like they want to hijack the state and local governments entirely and operate everything out of Washington, D.C.”

“Nearly four out of every 10 Texas public school students failed state math exams after the last two years of school were disrupted by the pandemic,” the Dallas Morning News reports.

“New testing data show more students failed both reading and math tests in 2021 than in 2019, the last year state exams were administered.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed legislation requiring state colleges and universities to annually survey their students, faculty and staff about their beliefs to ensure “viewpoint diversity and intellectual freedom,” Axios reports.

New York Times: “Congress is not expected to move this month to override a crush of state laws that, as soon as July 1, will challenge the NCAA rules that have kept college athletes from making money off their fame.”

“The absence of an accord, or even a clear timeline for one, by the start of July would be a blow to the NCAA and its most influential and wealthy conferences, which have spent many months and millions of dollars seeking intervention from Washington.”

Associated Press: “Laws setting guiderails for classroom instruction on race passed this year in Republican-controlled states have left some teachers worried about how they will be enforced. Particularly in districts with large numbers of people of color, educators say they worry everyday discussions about students’ experiences could land teachers in hot water.”

“Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday blasted what he sees as censorship of speech and ideas on college campuses, calling it one of his biggest concerns,” The Hill reports.

Said Pompeo: “I get asked all the time what keeps you up at night… None of that scares me as much as what’s happening in our universities and on our campuses today.”