News In Brief

Michigan officials have pulled a social studies question from the state's 8th grade test following complaints from Arab and Jewish groups. The multiple-choice question asked students to identify the religions contributing to turmoil in the Middle East. The answer, according to the testmakers: "Islam and Judaism." Critics argued that the region's conflicts are political and economic, not religious.

A state appeals court has ruled that a Denver parents' group cannot sue over an allegedly "abysmal pattern of poor performance" in the city's public schools. The suit, brought against the district by the Denver Parents Association on behalf of 3,400 parents in the city, charged that the school system fails to provide textbooks and maintain classroom discipline, "dumbs down" performance standards, and misuses credit waivers to improve graduation rates.

The Jefferson County, Colorado, school board has voted to allow citizens to raise money to remodel the library and cafeteria at Columbine High School. The two rooms were the primary locations of the shootings last April that left 15 people dead. The $3.1 million project will replace the library with an atrium that leads to the cafeteria and build a new library elsewhere in the building. Some students and parents say they want the library to remain intact and argue that the money would be better spent on...