When it takes hundreds of protests just to tell the world that bombing children is wrong, that is when you know that humanity has failed.
#CeasefireNOW
"His entire head exploded, and his brain was out."
A Palestinian child recounted the moment Israel bombed an area in his neighborhood in the Nuseirat camp in Palestine's Gaza
Today, we made history. I’m excited to be a part of this team to make our schools the best they can be. Thank you, Boise for making this dream a reality.
#EverythingsPossibleBSD
Sometimes we need to feel all the feels and say what we’re really thinking. Out of respect for my colleagues, below is my statement addressing my last tweet. I remain steadfast in my love for Idaho’s trans community and in my rage at our leaders over passage of this hateful bill.
Last night, the Boise School Board adopted a budget that included a 3.25% raise for teachers, more mental health professionals across the district, free menstrual products in all schools, and universal free breakfast—all while LOWERING property taxes. Now THAT is good governance!
Democracy works when we all engage. Casey learned about the Boise school board election in her 7th grade English class and decided to circulate a list of ways the Board can better our schools and community. This is democracy in action. Thank you, Casey!
#InternationalDemocracyDay
Browsing Idaho code (as one does) and looky here: Idaho Code § 74-203: “A governing body shall not hold a meeting at any place where discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, age, or national origin is practiced.” Skaug and Ehardt’s rules may be illegal.
This law is unconstitutional. When government begins to intrude on the inalienable rights of the people, it forfeits any form of legitimacy. It is not just our right but our duty to stand up to tyranny. We will never EVER stop fighting for our trans and non-binary youth. 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
Today is my 18th Birthday. My friends and I went to the District Services Center over lunch, and I registered to vote and got to fill in the bubble next to my name. Voting is something I have been looking forward to since I was little and this election was extra special.
My teachers have always had my back. They deserve someone who has theirs. On this Labor Day, I honor the critical work of the BEA and unions across the country.
Today is my first day as a senior at Boise High. I'm excited, but I am thinking of the uphill battles our schools are facing.
We're in the midst of a mental health crisis. Our teachers are emptying their own pockets for essential supplies. Our priorities need to change.
The night before my last day of Junior year, I should be studying for finals or celebrating with friends. Instead, I’m organizing my peers to wear orange & demand our elected leaders stand up to the gun lobby.
@CongMikeSimpson
@MikeCrapo
@SenatorRisch
your inaction is complicity.
I was proud to partake in the mass civil disobedience at the Fed today alongside hundreds of fearless activists from across the country.
Playing by the rules hasn’t worked. Biden must end fossil fuel finance and declare a climate emergency now!
New: Boise climate activists
@_Shiva_R
and
@ellaweberwells
were arrested in New York City on Monday as part of a wave of international protests demanding leaders slash emissions and leave fossil fuels in the ground.
Today I officially filed my candidacy for the Boise School District Board of Trustees. I’m humbled by the outpour of support this campaign has already received, and I’m ecstatic about the opportunity to bring new perspectives to the school board.
In 10th grade, during one of my first visits to the Idaho legislature, Pricilla Giddings called ISP on my friend and me for handing out masks. Sue Chew found us and took us to get cookies and meet the Dem caucus. I’ll always remember her compassion. May she rest in peace.
Our fight isn’t over. Please consider supporting
@acluidaho
as they pursue legal action against the state for this unconstitutional provision and
@AddTheWords
as they continue to do life-saving work protecting our trans and non-binary community members.
.
@_Shiva_R
is straddling two worlds — one in which he’s a high school senior balancing college applications and classes, and one in which he’s an elected official serving on the school board that makes decisions that affect his own high school. ⤵️
The more they try to silence us the louder we will be. Proud to join student organizers at Harvard tonight in solidarity with our siblings in Gaza.
#FreePalestine
🇵🇸
I’m 16 years old and a public schools student. I’m the son of an immigrant and a practicer of two religions. I love running and fishing on public lands. I am a
@BABEVOTEorg
voting rights advocate and I will cast my first ever vote against Janice McGeachin in 2022.
#IAmIdaho
I’m honored and proud to share that I am a 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholar. I’m incredibly grateful to the teachers, coaches, and counselors I’ve had over the last 13 years in the Boise School District who made this possible.
#EverythingsPossibleBSD
Proud to be one of the 12 Treasure Valley students who testified today against HB 716 & HCR 39. These bills are dramatic expansions of the role of government, deny consensus science, and set the wrong precedent of partisan politicians determining what is taught in school.
#idleg
I’m stoked to share something my friends and I have been working on for a couple months. The Eve Devitt Fund will provide mutual aid for out-of-state travel to trans youth needing gender-affirming care and scholarships to high school students fighting for human rights in Idaho.
On Tuesday, I’ll be announcing my candidacy to be the first student on the Boise Schools Board of Trustees. Join me at 2pm in front of Boise High for a press conference and Q&A.
I stand strongly against book bans. Free access to information is the cornerstone of a democratic civil society, and I refuse to back down to extremists. On the school board I will continue to advocate for student dignity and teacher freedom.
Just spoke with Rep. Joe Alfieri (R-Coeur d’Alene) about why he supports Ehardt’s rule. I asked him why he believes that testimony from adults is more valuable than students’. He told me “Representatives only represent people who are of voting age.” Wrong.
Rep. Barb Ehardt joins Skaug and bans testimony from minors in the House Local Government Committee.
Here's what students across Idaho have to say about that.
#idpol
#idleg
I rallied all the courage I could muster and interrupted
@EPAMichaelRegan
’s speech at UNC’s Cleantech Summit to ask the Biden Administration to fight for young people and frontline communities.
@POTUS
must declare a climate emergency. Time is running out.
The cruelest part of it all is that Custer County students won’t even be able to explain why their community is up in flames because Idaho’s Republican supermajority has removed any mention of climate change from our state curriculum standards. They are climate criminals.
Idaho students are organizing a school strike for climate education on Friday at the Capitol at noon. Idaho has the weakest K-12 climate change science standards in the country. We deserve better
@GovernorLittle
.
Suddenly, Chairman Skaug values student input it’s just that students in the legislature is a threat to parental rights. Yeah, we’re not buying it either.
#LetStudentsSpeak
It is humbling to have the endorsement of Idaho’s strongest voice for sensible governance, the Honorable Jim Jones. Hon. Jones has been a lifelong advocate for education and the environment. I hope to lead with his integrity and conviction on the Boise school board.
#Shiva4BSD
Today kicks off
#BannedBooksWeek
. I’m honored to be joining these incredible youth activists on Monday to talk about why book bans are such a threat to our democracy and what we can do to fight back.
Y’all we’re gonna fight for our trans and non-binary siblings ‘til the very end. Idaho is no place for hate. If you get in our way, you’re going down with us. We’re armed with love and rage and we’re never giving up. 🏳️⚧️❤️🔥
Here is my full testimony given today against HB71, the hateful bill attacking our transgender youth. It’s time to contact your legislators and urge them to vote no!
#idpol
#idleg
“Students don’t just deserve to be heard. They deserve a say, a share of authority in the structure that governs much of their daily lives. The best way to accomplish that is to put Rajbhandari on the board.”
I’m proud to have earned the endorsement of the Idaho Statesman.
Another reminder that racism is the system not the person. We have sky-high housing costs, an unchecked mental health crisis, and are the 13th-fastest warming city in America, and City Council is poised to reward BPD for its bigotry with raises and brand new cars. Disappointing.
They can censure her. They can strip her of committees. They can ban her from the “people’s house.” But they will never silence her.
One day, trans kids WILL be safe. LGBTQ+ history WILL be taught.
@ZoAndBehold
and what happened today in Montana will never be forgotten. 🏳️⚧️✊🏽
Book bans are also a huge academic disadvantage to students. I’m taking AP English Literature this year at Boise High. If I attended school in Nampa, I wouldn’t read 3 of the 10 books in the College Board curriculum for that class.
If
@JaniceMcGeachin
and her
#EduKKKationTaskForce
actually cared about improving Idaho’s public schools, this wouldn’t have been the first time they heard from a high school student student.
As I prepare to leave the Boise school board next month, I wanna remind y’all to GO VOTE on or before September 3rd. Climate action, student voice, and LGBTQ+ inclusion are very much on the ballot. Election info here:
Payton was someone’s brother, someone’s lover, someone’s friend, someone’s son. Last week, Boise police murdered him while he fled. He was 22 years old.
#JusticeforPaytonWasson
Tonight we grieve our fallen teacher & begin to heal our shattered community. Tomorrow we fight the gun lobby & demand an end to this senseless gun violence. Chapel Hill will rise again.
#HeelStrong
Boise Schools just got $2.7 million from the EPA to purchase 8 new electric school buses. This means cleaner air for our community, healthier commutes for our students, and huge savings for our taxpayers. That’s the Inflation Reduction Act in action!
I WON’T BE SILENT ANY LONGER. LIBERALS ARE HIDING LITTER BOXES WITH FREE TAMPONS IN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS THAT ARE TURNING KIDS GAY. THEY’VE REPLACED SANTA WITH A COMMUNIST WHO IS MADE OUT OF PORN. THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH. WE MUST
#BANPREMATURECHRISTMASDECORATING
.
This after the Campus Y Executive Committee denounced the brutal crackdown on pro-Palestine speech yesterday. As the BOG seeks to eliminate DEI programs across the UNC system, the Y is a safe space for many marginalized students at Carolina. Lee Roberts will never be a Tar Heel.
The Campus Y announced that it was closing indefinitely through an Instagram post late Wednesday night.
The group, dating back to the early 1960s, said that services like Meantime Coffee Co. and the Mutual Aid Pantry have been affected by the UNC administration’s decision.
Just met
@RepKatiePorter
to talk about climate education & mental health. She shared some hope for everyone back home: “Idaho doesn’t have coal or oil. It could really be a leader for the clean energy transition. I think you guys are gonna get there.”
Keep fighting, y’all. 👊🏽🌎
As the often lone voice of dissent on the Boise school board, I strongly disagree with this endorsement. The type of dissent Hasler brings would not push the board forward, but rather hold it back from doing what is right for Boise’s students and our community. 🧵
Today I introduced a bill to ban all messenger ribonucleic acid technology (mRNA) in the State of Idaho, and we passed the Freedom in Education Savings Account out of the Senate Education Committee to fund students and not systems, putting families in control over their ed $.
I’m incredibly disappointed by
@CollegeBoard
’s decision to bow down to far-right bullies and white wash Black History, especially on a day like today. I used to be proud to take AP classes; now I’m ashamed of how much money I’ve inadvertently paid to this spineless organization.
The College Board stripped down some of its AP curriculum for African American Studies after Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida threatened to ban it in his state.
Today is the day! It’s time to GO VOTE in the Boise school board election. 🗳
Vote at any high school, junior high, and most elementary schools from 8 AM-8 PM. A full list of polling places can be found at
#Shiva4BSD
We deserve to feel safe in school. We deserve common sense gun regulations to prevent this senseless violence. We demand an end to the gun lobby. We demand our elected leaders act now.
On this Easter and Trans Day of Visibility, here’s your reminder that Jesus Christ was a human rights activist who gave His life so that all of God’s children could be free.
#HeIsRisen
🏳️⚧️
When I ran for the board, I promised that I’d work to create a permanent student position. If that failed, I’d serve out my term virtually from college. My colleagues turned down my proposals for a non-voting student trustee twice, so now I’m making good on my promise to voters.
Shiva Rajbhandari made national news when he was elected to the Boise School Board. After deciding to attend college in North Carolina, he faced challenges when it came to what to do with his position.
There is a WILD line at UW Madison’s early voting location for the Supreme Court election on 4/4. This kind of thing is UNPRECEDENTED for an April election.
Gen Z gets it done.
I don’t care about your military strategy. War crimes are unjustifiable. It’s shameful to see our leaders applauding human rights criminals in Israel. It’s shameful to see American tax dollars subsidizing civilian slaughter in Gaza.
There are zero schools closed for extreme heat in Columbus, and that’s because teachers went on strike last year to win A/C in every classroom across 110 buildings. I’m sure the op-ed applauding teachers unions for keeping kids in school is right around the corner.
I am so grateful for Boise leaders, like Councilman
@JimmyHallybike
, who has been a powerful advocate for Treasure Valley youth.
Thank you, Jimmy, for your ongoing support and endorsement of my Boise School Board campaign!
These numbers are alarming, but conducting this survey of all junior high and high school students was a huge step forward for
@BSDEducation
. We’re gonna fix this, but we need our whole community’s support. Please read and share this article:
My guest opinion in the Statesman today: If Idaho politicians won’t take responsibility, then local elected officials must. School boards should step up to the plate on climate education.
IF I HEAR ONE MORE PERSON ASK ME ABOUT THE “EFFECTS OF MY RHETORIC” ON AN ELECTION EIGHT MONTHS FROM NOW WHEN THERE IS A LITERAL GENOCIDE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN FRONT OF OUR FACES AND OUR LEADERS ARE ACTIVELY FUNDING IT, I JUST MIGHT LOSE IT.
Boise High's beloved janitor, Doug Ford, has just been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Doug has always had our backs and now we must have his. If you can chip in a few bucks to help his family while he recovers, it would mean the world to me!
Enough! When I worked with
@mfolidaho
to require licensing for minors, I learned that preventing kids from accessing a firearm drastically reduces suicide rates. Republican politicians are trying to pit mental health solutions against gun reform, but the two are hand-in-hand.
Before the 4 Lower Snake River dams, millions of salmon would swim 900 miles from the Pacific Ocean to Redfish Lake to return home. This summer, I’m running 900 miles to raise $9000 for youth organizing to breach those dams and
#StopSalmonExtinction
.
I hope Alfieri gets the chance to read the op-ed Idaho student leaders (including the student body presidents of Coeur d’Alene, Lake City, and Lakeland high schools) just published in the Idaho Press. Anti-student legislators: we’re coming for your jobs.
#LetStudentsSpeak
I’m proud to be the only candidate in Race
#4
who supports Prop 1. My friends and I collected signatures for the Quality Education Act. This citizens’ initiative will help make critical investments in staff and classroom resources in Boise schools and across the state.
While the GOP is still deciding if global warming is hoax, Idahoans are seeing its effects first hand.
In June, my friend Jane and I went to all 44 counties to talk to regular Idahoans about climate change. Here’s the sneak peak of what we heard.
RAHHHHHHH 🙌🏽🇺🇸 THIS IS HUGE!
Thank you
@sunrisemvmt
and all the youth organizers across the country who sent emails, marched, canvassed, and got arrested demanding real executive action on the climate crisis. We made this possible and we are just getting started 🦅😈
@CongMikeSimpson
Thanks man. I mean the government is about to shut down and thousands of Idahoans might have to go without rent money or food stamps, but let’s argue more about the definition of milk.
When
@the_truth_hurst
says “IFF has invested in projects to show how the government school system fails and indoctrinates students,” he really means they’ve used out-of-state money to discredit educators and fearmonger Idahoans with the end-goal of abolishing public education.
Students from Treasure Valley high schools held a 'school strike for climate education' last week. They criticized Gov. Little, the legislature, & the ID Freedom Foundation & discussed Idaho's place as 'last for climate science education.'
#idleg
#idpol
More tone policing after a Montana legislator stood up against a bill banning lifesaving gender-affirming care for trans & non-binary youth. We should be clenching our fists as Republican politicians wage war on human rights and democracy. Instead, we’re clutching our pearls.
Today—when the Speaker continued to not recognize me as a duly elected official—my constituents & community protested on behalf of their democratic right to be heard.
I raised my mic and stood in solidarity with them. I am devoted to those who rise in defense of democracy.
myself and 9 other Boise High students are incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to take UF 100 Climate Change at
@BoiseState
this fall. Thank you
@JaneFonda
and
@BoiseJen
for making this possible!
To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement. Zionism goes against every principle Frank and Bethine stood for. This event is a disgrace to their namesake. I hope
@IdahoDems
will rescind this invitation before it’s too late.
#FreePalestine
We're thrilled to announce Senator John Fetterman as our keynote for the 30th annual Frank and Bethine Gala taking place Saturday, March 9 at the Boise Centre. Don't wait, get your tickets now:
These families’ immense display of courage should be a call to action for all cis-gender folks who call themselves allies. Fascism feeds on complicity. We must stand in solidarity with our trans and non-binary neighbors across the state. ✊🏽🧵
The families of two transgender teens have sued Idaho officials in federal court to keep them from enforcing the state’s ban on gender care for youth — a law set to take effect in January.
It doesn’t matter that he was armed. The man was running away. They shot him in the back of the head. Boise police murdered Payton Wasson.
Demand justice this Friday at 6pm at Boise City Hall.
There’s no coincidence that both of the scholars from Idaho are a product of public schools. Public school teachers, counselors, social workers, librarians, janitors, chefs, and admin: y’all make the world go round. No amount of gratitude will ever be enough. 💙