How SCOTUS could upend admissions at top Mass. colleges

Also: Healey's sex ed update; arrest made in Newton triple murder [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  June 27, 2023 🌧️ Cloudy, with a high near 79 and a chance of heavy showers. Good Morning Boston, This morning's thunderstorms are [moving out of the region]( but keep an umbrella on you for the rest of the week; there's a likelihood of more storms today, tomorrow and Thursday. (Check your flight if you're headed to Logan; [nearly 150]( have been delayed or canceled.) Before we get to the more figurative clouds hanging over the local higher education scene, let's run through today's news: - Massachusetts education leaders will vote this morning on advancing Gov. Maura Healey's recently proposed updates to the state's sex education curriculum. The [new proposal]( — which is five years in the making — would be the first update to the state's existing health curriculum framework since 1999. It also doesn't need approval from the Legislature, where previously proposed updates [have stalled](. - Why is an update necessary? According to [a report last year by the group SIECUS]( Massachusetts is one of 21 states that does not require sex education, [leaving it up to local school boards]( instead. The report also found the state's guidelines lacking when it comes to education about STDs and health relationships. - What it would do: Healey's office says their proposal provides an "LGBTQ+ inclusive, medically accurate and ... age-appropriate framework" for health and physical education in pre-K-12 public schools. The guidelines are divided into four different grade spans (pre-K–2, 3–5, 6-8 and 9–12). - The guidelines instruct pre-K–2 teachers to include instruction about gender-role stereotypes and their impacts, while grades 3-5 would learn about the differences between biological sex and gender identity. Classes about sexual activity, abstinence, contraception and the dimensions of sexual orientation begin in grades 6-8, with more specific guidelines related to STI testing, condoms and birth control in high school. - What it doesn't do: The draft document emphasizes it does not dictate how teachers teach. "School districts have discretion to determine how the standards will be implemented," it reads. - Zoom out: Massachusetts' proposed update comes as many Republican-led states are [moving to restrict schools from teaching about gender identity or sexual orientation](. As NPR's LifeKit reports, [sex education often leaves out queer people](. - What's next: For now, the draft is just a draft. The vote today will move to open it up for public comment. After potential revisions, there'll be a final vote later this summer or fall. - Newton police [arrested a man last night suspected of the triple murder on Broadway Street on Sunday](. Christopher Ferguson, 41, is due in court today on murder and assault charges. - Newton Police Chief John Carmichael says there is no connection so far between Ferguson and the elderly victims killed in their home. "Newton is a safe city, however this is a reminder that senseless acts of violence take place in cities such as ours," the police chief said, reminding residents to remain vigilant. - Business as usual: Acting governor Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll signed [a one-month spending bill]( Monday to keep the state government funded while the House and Senate [work out their differences]( on the full budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 (aka Saturday). - Fun fact: The annual Massachusetts budget hasn't been signed into law before July 1 since 2010, according to some historical accounting by WBUR's Steve Brown. - Psst: Healey is scheduled to speak to the Irish Senate (the Seanad Éireann) today at 10 a.m. EST to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the country's decriminalization of homosexuality. The address [should be live-streamed here](. (She's also put up [some less-than-subtle Pride Month billboards]( in Texas and Florida.) - Today was supposed to be the special Boston preliminary election to replace [former District 8 City Councilor Kenzie Bok](. Well, turns out it's[not happening](. We're heading straight to the special general election on July 25 since only two candidates qualified for the ballot: [Shannon Durkan]( and [Montez Haywood](. - Another date to save: July 15 is the last day for residents in District 8 (which covers Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Fenway and Mission Hill) to [register to vote]( before the special election. (The seat will be up for grabs again —with [a slightly different map]( — during this fall's regular round of City Council elections.) - Need to escape the humidity this week? Frog Pond on Boston Common opens today, and will stay open through Labor Day. - Is the Common too much of a trek? [Here's a complete map]( of the nearly 80 pools and spray decks in Boston. P.S.— Here & Now is taking listeners across the country this week for [a new series taking a closer look at impactful climate projects]( both big and small. Check out [episode one of "Reverse Course" here](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Mass. colleges brace for Supreme Court's affirmative action decision]( “The decision that the court will make will have an impact on the entire community — it will change the landscape of higher education,” said Peaches Valdes, dean of admissions at Wellesley College. [Read more.]( [Mass. colleges brace for Supreme Court's affirmative action decision]( “The decision that the court will make will have an impact on the entire community — it will change the landscape of higher education,” said Peaches Valdes, dean of admissions at Wellesley College. [Read more.]( [A year of rebuilding: Students and teachers reflect on a 'return to normal' in Massachusetts schools]( WBUR’s education desk recently caught up with some students and educators across the state to reflect on what they celebrated and struggled with last year. [Read more.]( [A year of rebuilding: Students and teachers reflect on a 'return to normal' in Massachusetts schools]( WBUR’s education desk recently caught up with some students and educators across the state to reflect on what they celebrated and struggled with last year. [Read more.]( [New report finds Boston immigration court makes seeking asylum harder]( A new report from Harvard finds the Biden administration's "Dedicated Docket" immigration court in Boston, which was supposed to speed up the asylum process and make it fairer, makes obtaining asylum harder. [Read more.]( [New report finds Boston immigration court makes seeking asylum harder]( A new report from Harvard finds the Biden administration's "Dedicated Docket" immigration court in Boston, which was supposed to speed up the asylum process and make it fairer, makes obtaining asylum harder. [Read more.]( [This fishing gear can help save whales. What will it take for fishermen to use it?]( On both the East and West coasts, whales are at risk of being entangled and injured by ropes used by fishermen. Fishing grounds are being closed, but new technology could help avoid that. [Read more.]( [This fishing gear can help save whales. What will it take for fishermen to use it?]( On both the East and West coasts, whales are at risk of being entangled and injured by ropes used by fishermen. Fishing grounds are being closed, but new technology could help avoid that. [Read more.]( [Top Mass. House Democrat unveils sweeping gun safety bill]( A top Massachusetts House Democrat unveiled a sweeping gun safety bill on Monday, which includes new tracking and monitoring systems, regulations to crack down on "ghost guns," and licensing changes. [Read more.]( [Top Mass. House Democrat unveils sweeping gun safety bill]( A top Massachusetts House Democrat unveiled a sweeping gun safety bill on Monday, which includes new tracking and monitoring systems, regulations to crack down on "ghost guns," and licensing changes. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Kate Storey’s new book "White House by the Sea" covers a century of Kennedys on the Cape, based on interviews with family members, Hyannis Port townspeople and previously published works. Although much is known about the family, book critic Carol Iaciofano Aucoin says Storey [has found a genuinely fresh historical angle](. - Larry Kramer’s autobiographical play "The Normal Heat," a piercing tale set in 1980s New York during the AIDS epidemic, has begun its multi-week run at Watertown's New Repertory Theatre. Critic Jacquinn Sinclair [writes the story of uncertainty and confusion is one that’s all too familiar]( after the COVID-19 pandemic. - Fred Hewett writes in this commentary that he's been against nuclear power for decades — until now. Here's [why the emergence of the climate crisis changed the equation](.  What We're Reading 📚 This section is supported by [Beacon Hill Books]( a new independent bookstore. - The Cops’ Directing-Traffic Racket Is Delaying Safety Projects ([StreetsBlog Massachusetts]( - The Titan disaster shows the effect of human hubris in the deep sea ([Washington Post]( - What Nine Women in Kansas Wish People Realized About Abortion ([The New York Times](  Tell Me Something Good [Meet Scooter, the winner of this year's World's Ugliest Dog contest]( A Chinese Crested pooch born with backward hind legs — a rescue once destined for death — has been crowned the "World's Ugliest Dog." [Read more.]( [Meet Scooter, the winner of this year's World's Ugliest Dog contest]( A Chinese Crested pooch born with backward hind legs — a rescue once destined for death — has been crowned the "World's Ugliest Dog." [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [hits up the The Roxbury International Film Festival](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: ["I don't blame him."]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.