News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Ann Marie Banfield 
After speaking at a recent hearing on bullying legislation in New Hampshire, I left with a troubling question: Is there a growing apathy toward the suffering of bullied children in our schools? For years, Representative Glenn Cordelli—until recently the Chairman of the House Education Policy Committee—has worked to strengthen laws that protect students. I have … Read more
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has become the latest craze in public education. Promoted as a way to help students manage emotions and build empathy, SEL is now a packaged product sold by education vendors—complete with online platforms that collect data on every child who participates in Tier 1 of the Multi Tiered System of … Read more
The Growing Cost of Legal Battles in New Hampshire Schools As school boards and budget committees across New Hampshire begin preparing next year’s budgets, local taxpayers are taking a closer look at how their property taxes are being spent. One area drawing quiet but growing concern is the rising cost of legal expenses in public … Read more
The Portsmouth School District seems to hold some students in higher esteem than others. The latest controversy centers on Anthony Ferola, a 17-year-old senior at Portsmouth High School, who has been told to refrain from praying publicly during basketball games. According to Seacoast Online, Ferola prayed before games for his teammates’ health and to express … Read more
There are many reasons behind the escalating costs in special education. It’s easy to blame the federal government for failing to fund its promised share under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), but that’s only part of the story. There are serious, fixable issues at the local level that are driving costs through the … Read more
I called Mr. Walker on Friday to ask him what he meant by this statement. Would students be punished if they wore a Trump shirt?
Many of us who research public education know that teacher morale is at an all-time low. Most teachers understand what a strong curriculum looks like, how to teach content effectively, and how to manage a classroom. But today’s classroom looks very different. Curriculum has been watered down, teachers are told to “facilitate” rather than teach, … Read more
Many districts in New Hampshire have not elevated math education in our public schools.
Several parents in Pelham have reached out to me about a newly elected school board member who ran on a platform of improving public schools. Pelham students have been struggling academically for years, and teacher retention continues to be an ongoing issue. I know this personally—former teachers have contacted me directly to describe the poor … Read more
Back in the 1990s, schools used a mental health screening tool called TeenScreen. Most people didn’t realize these screenings often produced false positives—flagging children for mental health problems when none existed. Today, with the rise of the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS-B) in public schools, the focus on children’s mental health has only grown. But … Read more
This week the Executive Council unanimously approved Governor Ayotte’s nomination to Commissioner of Education in New Hampshire. Caitlin Davis may not be a name that most people are familiar with. Unlike Frank Edelblut who will be vacating the office, Davis has a different vision for her role as Commissioner. Edelblut ran for Governor in New … Read more
Sadly, Governor Ayotte vetoed some important Bills including HB446. HB446 would have required parental consent when their child is given the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey in school. New Hampshire already has a law that requires parental consent when their children take a non-academic survey in school. There is ONE exception, and that is the … Read more
Public schools are fully engaged in mental health treatment in New Hampshire’s schools. But does any of this actually help children? We now task school counselors and teachers with assessing and treating a child’s mental health while they attend school. There have been numerous problems with this initiative in our schools. We’ve found that some … Read more
I connected the dots on The Learning Initiative here: Snake Oil Coming from New Hampshire’s Learning Initiative. As you can see, this organization is focused on pushing failed fads on our public schools. If Competency-Based Education was so successful, why are private and parochial schools so reluctant to adopt it? Perhaps because they recognize that … Read more
Residents in Rochester are growing concerned that the Rochester School Board hired former Superintendent Tom Ambrose. Ambrose just resigned from the Sanborn school district after parents and residents demanded his resignation. Ambrose resigned after a student abuse scandal that involved a special education teacher. The former teacher was accused of abusing kindergarten through 2nd grade … Read more
This is the conclusion from Lucy Foulkes, who at one time, believed bringing mental health therapies and services into the schools would help students. She is now explaining why mental health services in the schools, are not working: The reality is more sobering. Researchers have now run many studies testing the impact of universal school … Read more
After years of bullying reported by parents in Seabrook, the problem will not go away until Seabrook residents fork over more money in taxes. That’s the message coming from some of the school board members and administrators. When parents have spoken before the school board about their children who’ve been bullied in school, some board … Read more
On May 6, 2025, Jenny O’Higgins, and her colleague at the Department of Health and Human Services, testified at a public hearing on HB446. Their testimony can be accessed here at 2:35:00. As you will hear at the beginning of their testimony, Ms. O’Higgins stated that she was there on behalf of DHHS to oppose HB446. You can … Read more
Dear Mayor Ruais, Superintendent Gillis, and Members of the Board of School Committee, My name is Ann Marie Banfield, and I am a parental rights advocate in New Hampshire focused on excellence in education. Today I am writing to you regarding the Power and Privilege DEI assignment given to students at McLaughlin Middle School. After reviewing the questions on … Read more
There is a big shake up now that President Trump decided that pushing Marxism through the public schools and colleges, is no longer acceptable when they use public funds. The call to end DEI in colleges and schools across the country has some people upset. (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Equity means taking resources or materials … Read more