WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will forbid members of the military from attending Columbia, Yale, Brown and other universities starting next school year amid a campaign to cut ties with institutions that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called “factories of anti-American resentment.”

Hegseth announced the policy in a video posted to social media on Friday, three weeks after he said the military was cutting ties with Harvard University. Without citing evidence, Hegseth said the universities have become “breeding grounds of toxic indoctrination” that undermine military values.

“For decades, the Ivy League and similar institutions have gorged themselves on a trust fund of American taxpayer dollars, only to become factories of anti-American resentment and military disdain,” he said. “They’ve replaced the study of victory and pragmatic realism with the promotion of wokeness and weakness.”

Hegseth said the ban applies to Columbia, Princeton, Brown, Yale, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and “many others” without elaborating. He called for “complete and immediate cancellation of all Department of War attendance,” though it was not clear how broadly it would be applied.

A message seeking further details was not immediately answered by the Pentagon.

As of Friday, Columbia, Brown, MIT and Harvard were still listed as eligible institutions in a Pentagon database for its Tuition Assistance program, which covers the full cost of tuition for active-duty personnel. Harvard had 39 participants in 2023, according to the most recent data, while Columbia had nine and MIT had two.

The earlier action against Harvard aims to block members of the military from attending graduate-level professional military education, fellowships and certificate programs, according to a statement released at the time. There are still questions about whether it applies to programs such as Harvard’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.

Harvard has offered a series of professional development programs and a small number of degree programs tailored to the Pentagon. Last year, it created a new master’s degree in public administration for active-duty military members and veterans. Hegseth earned a master’s degree from Harvard but symbolically returned his diploma in a 2022 Fox News segment.

The military offers its officers a variety of opportunities to get graduate-level education, both at war colleges run by the military as well as civilian institutions like Harvard.

Campuses across the Ivy League have been a favorite target of President Donald Trump, who accuses them of becoming overrun by “woke” ideology. His administration has cut billions of dollars in research funding and attempted a number of other sanctions against the universities, often as part of investigations into allegations that officials tolerated antisemitism on campus.

Hegseth’s announcement is a rebuke to universities that had appeared to have reached a truce with the administration in recent months. Columbia and Brown were among the earliest universities to sign deals with the White House, agreeing to a range of demands in order to have their federal funding restored.

Harvard is fighting back against such demands, alleging in lawsuits that the government is illegally retaliating against the university for rebuffing its ideological views. Last summer, Trump said he was days away from reaching a deal with Harvard, but negotiations appear to have fallen apart. Earlier this month, Trump said Harvard must pay $1 billion to the government as part of any deal, twice what he had previously demanded.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Interested in starting a business, learning about artificial intelligence or exploring a new hobby? There’s a class for that.

Millions of U.S. adults enroll in credit and non-credit college courses to earn professional certificates, learn new skills or to pursue academic degrees. Some older students are seeking career advancement, higher pay and job security, while others want to explore their personal interests or try new things.

“They might have kids, they might be working full-time, they might be older non-traditional students,” said Eric Deschamps, the director of continuing education at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. But returning to school “opens doors to education for students that might not have those doors open to them otherwise.”

Older students, many of whom bring years of work and life experience to their studies, often are juggling courses with full-time jobs, caregiving and other family responsibilities. It is a challenging balancing act but can also sharpen priorities and provide a sense of fulfillment.

Here’s what experts have to say about returning to school, what to consider beforehand and how to balance coursework with work and personal commitments.

Why more people want to continue learning

UCLA Extension, the continuing education division of the University of California, Los Angeles, offers more than 90 certificate and specialization programs, from interior design, early childhood education and accounting to photography, paralegal studies and music production. Individual courses cover a wide range of topics, including retirement planning, writing novels, the business of athletes and artists, and the ancient Japanese art of ikebana, or flower arranging.

About 33,500 students — nearly half of them older than 35 — were enrolled during the last academic year. UCLA reported a full-time enrollment of about 32,600 degree-seeking undergraduate students during the same period.

“I prefer calling our (adult) learners not only continuous, but the new majority student. These are learners who tend to already be employed, often supporting a family, looking for up-skilling or sometimes a career change,” Traci Fordham, UCLA’s interim associate dean for academic programs and learning innovation, said.

Higher education experts say some adults take classes for professional development as economic concerns, technological advances and other workforce changes create a sense of job insecurity.

“A great example of that is artificial intelligence. These new technologies are coming out pretty quickly and for folks that got a degree, even just 5 or 10 years ago, their knowledge might be a little bit outdated,” Deschamps said.

What to ask yourself before returning to school

Adults interested in becoming students again may want to assess their time and budgets, and weigh the potential benefits and consequences, including the financial impact, the potential for burnout and rewards of education that may take a while materialize, academic advisors say.

Deschamps suggests asking where you want to be in 5 or 10 years and how the training and knowledge received through an additional class or certificate can help get you there. For example, if you want to start a microbrewery, learning to brew your own beer or launching a business will help. If a promotion or career change is the goal, training for a new job, refreshing skills or understanding a different industry may help show you are qualified.

Schools like UCLA and Northern Arizona University are working to make continuing education courses accessible by keeping the cost low in comparison to degree-track classes and offering financial assistance. A variety of learning environments usually are offered — in-person and online classes, accelerated and self-paced instruction — to help adults integrate schoolwork with their home and work lives.

Katie Swavely, assistant director for academic advising and student success at UCLA, started at community college before transferring to UCLA to study anthropology. She said it took her 10 years after graduating to go back for her master’s degree in counseling with a focus on academic advising. Swavely completed that degree in 2020 and credits access to the program through employer-sponsored tuition assistance from her job at the time.

“I felt like in so many ways I didn’t really know who I was or what I wanted to do other than just pay the bills and survive,” said Swavely, who is married and has two children. “It was hard. And I thought about quitting many times. We had to budget to the extreme and find additional ways to make it work.”

She added: “There are questions of how are we going to make it work and do we have the money. As a parent, sacrifices are there all the time. You make those judgment calls every day. But making sure that you’re investing in yourself. There’s always gonna be reasons why it’s not today, not this month, not this year, but it’s also OK to just jump in and go for it and see how it works out.”

As an avid book lover, Swavely now wants to take a book editing course and hopes to continue her education and enroll in that through the university soon.

Overcoming barriers to returning at any age

Some experts say one of the main barriers to returning to school is psychological. There might be concerns that their writing skills are rusty and that they don’t know enough math or technology, bringing up feelings of uncertainty or failure.

“I think this is tied to access. Many of our learners, not all of them, haven’t imagined themselves in any kind of higher education, post-secondary education environment,” Fordham said.

Swavely said it was important for her to build a support network and take advantage of the counseling and advising options that were available to her as a student.

She encourages adults who are furthering their educations to spend time “finding your community.” Having people around who helped build up her confidence at home and during classes got her through graduate school, Swavely said. She also suggests setting boundaries and giving yourself grace when you need need help.

“The biggest piece of advice is for people to realize you’re never too old to learn,” she said.

The award, established in 2014, aims to honor campuses that address “pressing obstacles through innovative and creative approaches, achieving significant institutional change over a relatively short time period.”

The ACE/Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation honors campuses that respond to challenges with innovation, discipline and measurable progress during a progress of significant change. With the award, came a $10,000 prize for both universities during the ACE Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on Thursday. Washington State was the other recipient.

“Each year, this award celebrates institutions that confront real challenges with creativity, discipline and a deep commitment to student success,” said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, in a press release.

The press release from CSUMB noted the school has worked to reverse declining enrollment, increase graduation rates, eliminate equity gaps and to develop new degree programs that “align with industry and regional needs.” That work was recognized by the council, which chose to award CSUMB because the university’s transformation has strengthened operations, reinforced financial stability, elevated student success and clarified institutional direction.

“This award from the American Council on Education recognizes the bold and collaborative work underway at Cal State Monterey Bay to advance student success and reimagine what a public university can be,” said Cal State Monterey Bay Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew Lawson in the press release.

“I am deeply grateful to our college deans, chairs, faculty and staff for their leadership, partnership and unwavering commitment to innovation,” said Lawson. “Together, we are transforming our institution in ways that expand opportunity for our students and strengthen our region.”

“Washington State University’s research-informed, human-centered approach has strengthened student resilience and retention across a complex, multi-campus system, while Cal State Monterey Bay’s decisive leadership and equity-driven reforms delivered meaningful gains in completion and social mobility,” said Mitchell. “These institutions demonstrate how intentional strategy and sustained focus can translate into lasting impact for students.”

CSUMB plans to use the award money for “transformational projects to continue the university’s momentous change,” according to a press release from the University.

“Our momentum has been guided by strategic planning and bold initiatives that expand social mobility for our students, but real progress has been powered by our people,” said Cal State Monterey Bay President Vanya Quiñones in the press release. “The strength of us – students, faculty, staff and partners working together with a shared purpose – is what has made the difference.

“Lasting change cannot be imposed from the top down. It is built within every division, every department, and every individual who believes in our mission and chooses to move it forward.”

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A coalition of Wisconsin school districts, teachers’ unions, advocacy groups, parents, students and others announced a lawsuit Tuesday against the state Legislature, alleging that it’s failing to adequately fund public schools.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Eau Claire County Circuit Court, argues that schools are in crisis, with high-needs students facing the greatest risk. It asks the court to adopt a new finance system that meets the needs of districts unless the Legislature and governor enact one first “in a timely fashion.”

School funding lawsuits have been brought for decades in states across the country with varying degrees of success.

Fights over how and whether to reshape Wisconsin’s complex school finance system have usually taken place in the Statehouse. Now it will move to the courthouse, where this challenge will almost certainly end up before the liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court.

In 2000, the last time the state’s school funding formula was challenged, the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the system as constitutional. But attorneys argue that so much has changed since then that a new challenge was warranted.

The lawsuit comes as Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the Republican-controlled Legislature have been negotiating tapping the state’s $2.5 billion surplus to cut taxes and potentially increase funding for schools.

As recently as 2003, the state paid two-thirds of the cost of each student’s education. But now districts are paying about half the costs.

Evers, a former state schools superintendent, angered Republicans in 2023 when he used the governor’s extensive veto powers to ensure that districts can increase per-pupil spending annually for the next 400 years. However, without increased funding from the state, districts are forced to raise property taxes.

And when schools can’t raise enough under the allowable spending limits to meet expenses, they have been increasingly asking voters to increase property taxes to fund their local district.

In 2024, a record-high 241 referendums were put before voters for approval to fund schools, with 169 approved, according to the Wisconsin Policy Institute.

Anger over the most recent property tax bills, mailed in December, has motivated lawmakers and Evers to try and enact a property tax cut this year. They have yet to reach a deal.

The lawsuit also blames a drop in Wisconsin student testing scores over the past two decades with inadequate funding. Wisconsin has long been the state with the widest achievement gap between white and non-white students.

Leah Hover-Preiss, a teacher in the Adams-Friendship School District and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said that she has seen the impact of inadequate funding in the classroom through increased class sizes, reduced support for teachers, fewer opportunities for students and a lack of mental health services.

“In order to best support students and families, our schools need strong and stable funding from the state,” she said.

The lawsuit alleges that the state is violating the Wisconsin Constitution’s requirement that all children be provided with an equal opportunity for a sound, basic and uniform education.

It also argues that the constitutional rights of students with high needs is not being met and cannot be met unless the Legislature changes the public school finance system and increases funding for them. The lawsuit further contends that the current special education reimbursement rate is unconstitutionally deficient.

“When schools are underfunded, students lose opportunities and communities suffer,” said Jeff Mandell, president and general counsel at Law Forward that brought the lawsuit in partnership with the statewide teachers’ union. “Supporting public education isn’t just good policy – it’s a legal and moral obligation.”

The Wisconsin PTA is taking lead on the lawsuit and is joined by 18 others individuals and entities, including school districts in Beloit, Green Bay, Eau Claire, Adams-Friendship and Necedah. Other parties include teachers unions in Beloit, Eau Claire, Necedah and Green Bay and eight teachers, parents, students and community members.

The Legislature and its budget-writing committee are named as defendants. Republican legislative leaders did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department is handing over more of its programs and grants to other federal agencies, announcing a pair of new agreements Monday that move the Trump administration closer to its goal of shutting down the department.

Under one interagency agreement, the Health and Human Services Department will take over grant programs that send millions of dollars to schools for safety and community engagement efforts. Another calls for the State Department to take over a portal that tracks foreign gifts to universities.

“As we continue to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states, our new partnerships with the State Department and HHS represent a practical step toward greater efficiency, stronger coordination, and meaningful improvement,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

Republican President Donald Trump and McMahon have acknowledged only Congress has authority to close the Education Department fully, but both have suggested its core functions could be parceled out to different federal agencies.

The agreement with HHS moves a small subset of grants to the health agency without touching the Education Department’s special education work. McMahon has long suggested that special education programs should be moved to HHS too, and as recently as December she told advocates that she still intends to move those programs out of the department.

Yet the issue has proved to be politically volatile for McMahon, who has been grilled over her plans for special education even by some in her party. The latest agreements make no mention of the department’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which manages billions of dollars in grants and oversees state compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Last year, the department signed seven similar agreements, transferring a sweeping slate of work to the Department of Labor and the Interior Department, in addition to the State Department and HHS. Those agreements covered billions in federal funding streams that went to programs like Title I, which supports low-income students.

The union representing department workers said the latest agreements would shift work to agencies with no educational expertise.

“This isn’t efficiency — Secretary McMahon is creating confusion for schools and colleges, eroding public trust, and harming students and families,” AFGE Local 252 President Rachel Gittleman said in a statement.

“This is an insult to the tens of millions of students who rely on the Department to safeguard access to quality education and to the taxpayers who depend on federal oversight to prevent waste.”

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state said the agreements would hurt students and families.

“These illegal agreements aren’t just creating pointless new bureaucracy that burdens our already-overworked teachers and schools; they are actively jeopardizing resources and support that students and families count on and are entitled to under the law,” Murray said.

Under the new agreements, the State Department will take an increased role in data collection, reporting and enforcement of Section 117, which requires colleges and universities to disclose gifts of $250,000 or more each year.

The agreement with HHS will send six programs to the Administration for Children and Families, which will take over grant competitions and technical assistance for these grants.

But the future of those programs is already uncertain. In its 2026 budget request, the Trump administration said it wanted to zero out the budget of five of the six programs it is transferring to HHS. And in December, some recipients of the Promise Neighborhoods and Full-Service Community Schools grants, which pay for academic and afterschool enrichment opportunities for students, were notified that their funding would not continue in 2026, bringing much of their work to a sudden halt.

Associated Press writer Collin Binkley contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a measure establishing public funding for charter schools is unconstitutional, affirming that state funds “are for common schools and for nothing else.”

The 2022 measure was enacted by the state’s Republican-dominated legislature over Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto. It was struck down the next year by a lower court.

The state’s high court ruled the “Constitution as it stands is clear that it does not permit funneling public education funds outside the common public school system,” Justice Michelle M. Keller wrote in a unanimous opinion.

In 2024, Kentucky voters rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed state lawmakers to allocate public tax dollars to support students attending private or charter schools.

It was another setback for supporters of charter schools, who have attempted for years to gain a foothold in the state. They argue the schools offer another choice for parents looking for the best educational fit for their children. But opponents say such schools would divert needed funds from existing public schools and could pick and choose which students to accept.

Charter schools have been legal in Kentucky since 2017, but none have opened because of the lack of a method to fund them.

Keller, in her opinion, wrote the court was not passing judgment on the efficacy of charter schools.

“We make no predictions about the potential success of charter schools or their ability to improve the education of the Commonwealth’s children, and we leave public policy evaluations to the Commonwealth’s designated policymakers — the General Assembly,” she wrote.

But Keller argued, Kentucky has for more than a century treated education as “a constitutional mandate, challenged again and again…”

“The mandate implicates state education funds are for common schools and for nothing else,” the justice wrote.

The Trump administration said Thursday its campaign to end diversity programs in higher education has led dozens of universities to cut ties with an organization known as The PhD Project, which helps racial minorities earn doctorate degrees.

The PhD Project was a little-known nonprofit group until it caught the attention of conservative strategists last year and became the focus of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. The Republican administration says school diversity programs often exclude white and Asian American students.

The investigation, opened in March 2025, has resulted in 31 universities agreeing to end partnerships with the group, the department’s Office for Civil Rights said Thursday. Negotiations are continuing with 14 additional schools, it said.

The department said in its statement that The PhD Project “unlawfully limits eligibility based on the race of participants” and that institutions partnering with it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in education programs and activities that receive federal money.

“This is the Trump effect in action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the nation,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said.

Many of the schools promptly cut ties with The PhD Project after the investigation was opened, in order to avoid entanglements with the administration. It had undertaken the inquiries after warning schools they could lose federal money over “race-based preferences.”

The PhD Project is one of many nonprofits that helps underrepresented groups gain access to higher education.

“The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms and this remains our goal today,” the organization said in a statement Thursday. The website says it has “helped more than 1,500 members earn their doctoral degree.”

The group of 31 colleges listed by the department included major public research universities such as Arizona State, Ohio State and the University of Michigan, along with prestigious private schools like Yale, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MIT, like many of the schools cited in the investigation, had paid The PhD Project “a nominal fee” to participate in the group’s university fairs or conferences, allowing MIT to send representatives to answer questions about attending their school, spokesperson Kimberly Allen said.

MIT informed the government in April 2025 it had ended its participation in such conferences and was notified months later that the Office for Civil Rights had found it in violation of Title VI. The school signed a “resolution agreement” with the department about a week ago to resolve the matter “but explicitly did not admit any liability, wrongdoing or violation of any law or regulation,” Allen said.

The University of North Dakota said it, too, promptly ended its membership with The PhD Project two weeks after the investigation was announced last year.

“The University became a member of the PhD Project to have access to the PhD Project’s member directory and applicant database, to be able to recruit a larger pool of qualified applicants for faculty positions,” spokesperson David Dodds said in a statement.

The University of Utah said it had a table at annual conferences hosted by the nonprofit in the 2024-25 school year and two previous years. It cut ties with the project in October after settling with the department, university spokesperson Rebecca Walsh said.

Out of 170 PhD students admitted to Utah’s business school over the past 14 years, just two were involved through the PhD Project, Walsh said.

The Education Department said that all of the 31 universities have also agreed to review partnerships with other organizations “to identify any that violate Title VI by restricting participation based on race.”

The administration has targeted a wide range of practices that it has labeled as diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

In November 2020, Measure V was approved by local voters to fund $230 million for facility improvements across all three MPC campus locations in Monterey, Seaside and Marina – the largest facilities investment in the 75-year history of the Monterey Peninsula Community College District.

The expansion of the MPC Campus in Marina will be transformative for the city and its environs.

“First of all, the working class of Marina, Cal State Monterey Bay students, who are young, or have no car, or lack the time to drive, especially with traffic delays, back and forth to MPC’s main campus, will see this as a game changer,” said Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado. “They can complete their AA degree requirements of general classwork easier and take classes specific to nursing, hospitality, and public safety.”

MPC has committed nearly $100 million in Measure V funding to expand and improve the Monterey Peninsula College Campus in Marina located at 289 Twelfth Street. Formerly the Marina Education Center, the project represents one of the most significant components of MPC’s capital improvements, reinforcing a major public investment in education, workforce development and regional opportunity.

“This $100 million includes ground-up construction of state-of-the-art science and chemistry facilities for nursing and other health professions, kitchens for hospitality students, and classrooms for public safety classes,” said Delgado.

The California Community Colleges Board of Governors recently voted to give the MPC College District’s Fort Ord Center an “Educational Center” designation. This represents a major milestone that strengthens MPC’s long-term ability to better serve students throughout its district, particularly those interested in hospitality, nursing, allied health and public safety, to meet workforce needs throughout the region.

The “educational center” status is the formal designation for a state-approved off-site operation that is either owned or leased by a California community college district and administered by a parent college. An educational center offers instructional programs leading, but not limited to, certificates or degrees conferred by the parent college.

“The location of MPC’s Marina Campus is also comfortably walkable to stores for eating and groceries, exercise gyms and easily walkable and bikable from Marina High School for dual enrolled students, the Veterans Transition Center residents for progressing their education, and many residents of Marina,” Delgado noted.

In May 2025, MPC College District selected the Flint+JKAE design team to lead planning and design of the Marina campus expansion. The team worked closely with faculty, staff, students, administrators and community stakeholders to refine program priorities and ensure alignment with workforce and regional needs.

That collaborative effort resulted in two design concepts for the Marina expansion, which are now under review, “The Hub” – a single-building concept, and “The Central Green” – a two-building concept.

Feedback from employees, students and community members will guide the selection of a final design direction as the project advances into detailed design and implementation.

“The city of Marina understands that the better education is for our residents, the less time and money it will cost them to do what they need to live in Marina,” explained Delgado. “Also, the social gain for families and youth to stay connected with their friends and community into their college years is great for mental health and family stability.”

The MPCCD Governing Board has also approved engaging M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates, Inc. to support development of a 2026 Integrated Facilities Plan that will further align facilities with institutional priorities.

The Monterey Peninsula Community College District also plans to develop a first responder training center on the college’s property at the former Fort Ord. The Monterey Peninsula College Public Safety Training Center is located at 2642 Colonel Durham Street in Seaside, and is an accredited California State Fire Training Regional Training Center.

Additionally, repairs and improvements to the college’s infrastructure will include its main campus located at 980 Fremont Street in Monterey.

As with previous bond measures, funds will remain locally controlled with accountability protections in place, including an independent citizens’ oversight committee and annual audits.

The Monterey Peninsula Community College District says that thanks to the support of the community, it will be able to finance critical campus facility and technology projects that will benefit tens of thousands of local students over the years, ensuring that MPC remains a vital resource and regional economic engine.

The mission behind the program, Salinas IGNITE, is in the name: inspire, grow, nurture, internship for teen empowerment.

IGNITE is a joint effort between the City of Salinas, the Boys and Girls Club and UC Santa Cruz’s Gear Up Program, an initiative to raise high school graduation rates and post-grad success for low-income students.

Raul Ebio, the Partnership Engagement Manager for the program, said IGNITE comes as a response to a relative lack of internship opportunities for high school-aged kids in the area.

“As far as we know this is probably the only program that really specifically focuses on high school students,” Ebio said.

“We hear about a lot of internship programs maybe for a little older (students), you know, right after high school, but there’s not a lot in the high school level,” Ebio said. “We’re trying to fill that gap.”

IGNITE is currently in the recruitment phase for employer partnerships – private businesses, nonprofits and government organizations – willing to offer intern positions.

Ebio said the aim is to get a mixed bag of employment types to give students the chance to try different sectors.

“We want our kids to say, ‘do I want to work in the private industry and do X, Y and Z, or do I enjoy working in a nonprofit?’ We want kids to have as many options as possible,” Ebio said.

While there is no hard deadline for employer applicants, Ebio encouraged those interested to apply as soon as possible – preferably by the end of February – so that students will be able to apply for internships in March and April.

Employer partners are asked to participate in IGNITE trainings and to provide $1,500 in compensation for each student that successfully completes the internship.

To find more information and to apply, visit https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/CASALINAS-405df3d?wgt_ref=CASALINAS_WIDGET_1

Chris Hamilton is a California Local News fellow covering Salinas and the Salinas Valley for The Herald.

MALAKOFF, Texas (AP) — Some school districts in the U.S. dropped plans for class pictures after widespread social media posts linked a billionaire with ties to Jeffrey Epstein to the photography giant Lifetouch, which on Friday called the claims “completely false.”

The disruption to school picture plans in Texas and elsewhere began after online posts linked Lifetouch, which photographs millions of students each year, to the investment fund manager Apollo Global Management. Apollo’s former CEO is billionaire investor Leon Black, who met regularly with Epstein and was advised by Epstein on financial matters.

Black led the company in 2019, when funds managed by Apollo bought Lifetouch’s parent company, Shutterfly. The $2.7 billion deal closed in September 2019 — a month after Epstein’s death by suicide behind bars as he awaited trial over allegations from federal prosecutors that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of girls.

Both Lifetouch and Apollo noted that timeline in statements Friday, two days after Lifetouch CEO Ken Murphy said in an Instagram post that neither Black nor any of Apollo’s directors or investors ever had any access to Lifetouch photos.

“No Lifetouch executives have ever had any relationship or contact with Epstein and we have never shared student images with any third party, including Apollo,” Lifetouch said in its statement Friday. “Apollo and its funds also have no role in Lifetouch’s daily operations and have no access to student images.”

The canceled school pictures are another ripple effect over the release of millions of files from the Epstein investigation, including documents showing Epstein’s regular contacts with CEOs, journalists, scientists and prominent politicians long after a 2008 conviction on sex crimes charges.

In the small Texas town of Malakoff, the local school district canceled a student picture day after several parents told the district they weren’t comfortable with Lifetouch photographing their children, spokesperson Katherine Smith said in a statement e-mailed Friday. Several other schools and districts in Texas also canceled or changed plans, as well as a charter school in Arizona, according to Facebook announcements posted by the schools.

“We decided our students and families would be best served by keeping all of our pictures in-house for the rest of this year, and we are looking at all of our options for the 2026-2027 school year,” Smith said.

Parents concerned about Lifetouch included MaKallie Gann, whose children attend schools in Howe, about 60 miles north of Dallas. She said she was worried about how much information Lifetouch collects on students.

“Whenever you order the pictures, it has their name. It has the age, of course. It has their grade, their teacher, the school that they’re in,” she said.

No evidence of Epstein or anyone in his orbit seeing Lifetouch photos has emerged from news organizations’ review of thousands of documents released this month by the U.S. Department of Justice, though there are at least 1.7 million records.

The review shows Black’s name appeared 8,200 times, though that figure likely includes some duplicate records. Black stepped down as Apollo’s CEO in March 2021, saying he wanted to focus on his family, health, and “many other interests.”

That was two months after a committee of the company’s board issued a report concluding that Epstein had advised Black personally on estate planning, tax issues, charitable giving and running his “family office,” but provided no services to Apollo or invested in no Apollo funds.

The report also said the review — which Black requested — found “no evidence” that he was involved with Epstein’s alleged criminal activities “in any way” or “at any time.” ___

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. Also contributing was Associated Press writer Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota.