Maddie Hanna
Philly Inquirer
New Jersey, United States
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Past articles by Maddie:
More than 800 Central Bucks alumni sign letter condemning alleged anti-LGBTQ bias: ‘We are horrified’
“A few board members should not be imposing their political views on thousands of students and teachers by telling them what they can and can’t read or talk about in class," the letter reads. → Read More
What you need to know about education funding proposed in Gov. Shapiro’s budget
While the proposal unveiled by the Democratic governor Tuesday would increase money for public schools, it’s less than what education advocates had sought. → Read More
Pa. Democrats propose $3 billion school funding surge as ‘down payment’ in wake of court ruling
Sen. Vincent Hughes, joined by lawyers for the plaintiffs who won the school funding case, announced the plan days before Gov. Josh Shapiro gives his first budget address. → Read More
The Radnor school board denied another proposed charter at Valley Forge Military Academy
It wasn't clear that the Pennsylvania Military Charter School had an agreement to use Valley Forge's facilities, according to Radnor. → Read More
A perfect school funding system is hard to find. As Pa. searches for a fix, here’s what other states do.
Pennsylvania joins other states where school funding has been ruled unconstitutional. Other states' approaches show what's working and what's not. → Read More
More than 60 books have been challenged or are under review in Central Bucks, district employees say
Central Bucks passed a policy prohibiting “sexualized content” that library experts deemed one of the most restrictive policies in Pennsylvania. → Read More
How will Pa. fix its school funding? New Jersey’s ‘Abbott’ rulings offer lessons
To see how complicated the path forward might be, look no farther than the state where battles over school funding rulings have lasted decades. → Read More
The Pennridge school district is considering Hillsdale’s controversial ‘1776 Curriculum.’ What is it?
Interest in Hillsdale's curriculum is growing locally and across the country. Here’s some background on why it’s been criticized, and its influence on schools. → Read More
Pa.’s school funding decision doesn’t mean starting from scratch. Here’s what could change.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs say the answer isn’t simply redistributing existing money. Instead, they said, the pie needs to be bigger. → Read More
Landmark Pa. school funding case decided: The state’s system is unconstitutional
In a 786-page decision, Judge Renee Cohn Jubilerer said that over the course of the more than three-month trial that ended a year ago, the petitioners had demonstrated “manifest deficiencies.” → Read More
A Philly charter illegally expelled a girl after an argument with fellow students, lawyers say
The Mathematics, Civics and Sciences charter appears to think "the rules for public schools don't apply to them," a lawyer for the girl said. → Read More
What is Parents Defending Education, the group accusing Lower Merion of discrimination?
Parents Defending Education has been filing complaints across the country, saying it's “fighting indoctrination in the classroom.” Here’s some background on the organization. → Read More
Conservative parent group accuses Lower Merion of discrimination because of its ‘affinity groups’
Parents Defending Education filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education alleging the district's affinity groups and cultural competency lessons are racist. → Read More
This Philly-area elementary school saw test scores plummet. Now it’s putting all its resources toward catching up.
“It’s difficult to articulate and quantify the misses that occurred,” the principal said, and “what that means in a child’s development, over the course of those really impressionable years." → Read More
Central Bucks enlists law firm focused on religious liberty for library book policy
In 2021, the Independence Law Center helped craft a policy for the Hempfield School District barring transgender students from playing on sports teams in line with their gender identity. → Read More
Pa. auditor general accused Philly-area school districts of a ‘shell game’ to raise taxes
School officials pushed back, saying that districts were acting responsibly in setting funds aside to cover mounting expenses beyond their control. → Read More
Central Bucks school board to vote on policy banning staff ‘advocacy,’ including Pride flags
While the district says it's trying to create a neutral environment, critics say it's continuing to target LGBTQ students. → Read More
The North Penn School District is launching a health center to save money and attract teachers. Others may follow.
As school systems look for ways to stem rising costs — and compete for a waning supply of new teachers — observers predict more will consider the on-site centers. → Read More
Progressives are organizing to monitor Pa. school boards in pushback to book bans, ‘harmful’ actions
The group wants to fight back against censorship of what teachers can say and policies that discriminate against LGBTQ students. → Read More
For a second a time, a charter school is being proposed at Valley Forge Military Academy. Will this one succeed?
Unlike the last proposal, which was put forward by the military academy, the latest application is being advanced by backers with no formal ties to the Main Line private school. → Read More