A proposed Portland Public Schools policy on animals has triggered backlash after Abdullahi Ahmed, the district’s assistant superintendent for student, family, and community partnerships, argued that rules involving dogs should account for Islamic ritual purity. The policy committee met on October 14 to discuss the district’s proposed Animals in Schools policy. As currently drafted, the rules would require school administration to approve animals, require certification for service animals, and require domestic animals to be restrained. The proposal was reportedly prompted by a teacher’s plan to foster puppies in her classroom. Apparently, in modern school administration, even a puppy now needs a policy summit. Ahmed, who is Somali born and Muslim, said the district should consider religious concerns involving dogs. “In Islamic tradition, there is always love for animals and living things and compassion for animals,” Ahmed said. “With that being said, there are some ritual purity that Islamic traditions state and Muslims exercise, so, for example, dog saliva is considered impure.” He also said he did not want the district “to have a dog as a class pet” and that students and staff “should not be required to interact” with animals at school. A summary of the proposal said dogs…

Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary has become a political relay race, with candidates dropping out, jumping back in and leaving voters to sort through a trail of unanswered questions. The reported turmoil arrives just before the November 3 midterm elections, making the party’s internal disorder especially difficult to ignore. According to the report, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced on July 8 that he was suspending his campaign. That left Wisconsin Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez in the primary, at least temporarily. Two weeks later, on July 17, Rodriguez dropped out after her campaign discovered what it called “serious mismanagement and inaccuracies” in its campaign finance reports. Her campaign manager, Kara Spencer, was fired. Then came the political equivalent of a revolving door. Crowley returned to the race less than 24 hours after Rodriguez’s departure. The Democratic primary was suddenly a contest between Crowley and Francesca Hong, a candidate described in the source report as a socialist. The primary election was less than a month away, leaving plenty of time for confusion and not much time for anyone to pretend the process looked orderly. On election night, Crowley narrowly defeated Hong, a 37-year-old state assemblywoman. The reported margin was roughly 3,000 votes,…