The concept that President Donald Trump has steered a six-month college 12 months has gone viral throughout social media. The tales, which both current the six-month determine as a brand new proposal or as an incorrect assertion of what already exists, have unfold throughout TikTok. Nonetheless, there seems to be no proof backing them up and no such proposal on the desk from the White Home.
False rumor spreads on TikTok
Newsweek not too long ago printed a fact-check article to debunk rumors that Trump proposed that youngsters solely attend college for six months every year. The concept of this suggestion seems to have unfold throughout TikTok, with movies making the claims racking up a whole bunch of 1000’s of views. Two in style movies cited by Newsweek make totally different variations of the declare. One video declares, “Donald Trump simply introduced children solely attend college 6 months Out of the 12 months,” as if Trump was presenting a reality. That video counts the referenced “6 months” as August to January. One other video asserts, “Donald Trump is tryna go a legislation the place children solely should go to highschool for six months.”
Newsweek charges these claims as false. Neither of the movies options video or audio of Trump making the feedback attributed to him, and Newsweek notes there are not any studies of him making these or comparable remarks. Moreover, even when Trump desired to shorten the college 12 months, authority to set the college calendar resides inside particular person states, not the federal authorities. Although it varies by state, youngsters sometimes attend college for round 180 days every college 12 months, that are typically unfold over 9 months when factoring in weekends and holidays.
Trump’s instructional insurance policies increase issues
Although false, the declare could seem plausible given the president’s actions towards training. Most notably, Trump has tried to dismantle the Division of Training. The “huge, lovely invoice” not too long ago handed by Congress and signed into legislation by Trump contains billions of {dollars} of cuts to federal grants for faculties, in addition to a faculty voucher program that may enable college students to choose out of public college in favor of personal or non secular faculties as a substitute. The latter provision follows up on a January govt order on “college selection” that sought to develop vouchers for Ok-12 training, which critics say will hurt public faculties.
The president has additionally focused a number of faculties and universities, together with Brown, Columbia and Harvard, slicing or threatening to chop federal funding and in any other case interfering of their potential to function. Via the Division of Authorities Effectivity, previously run by Elon Musk, the administration additionally accessed scholar information from numerous faculties and universities, prompting a minimum of one lawsuit over privateness issues. Just lately, Trump issued a memo requiring faculties and universities that obtain federal funding at hand over admissions information, with the intent to research whether or not faculties are utilizing race as a think about admissions after the Supreme Courtroom dominated in opposition to affirmative motion.
Regardless of rumors on the contrary, Trump has not shortened the college day. He has, nevertheless, taken a wide range of different steps that will affect college students’ instructional choices and alter the assets out there to them on the Ok-12 and collegiate ranges.
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