When Sarah Leonardi filed to run for Florida’s Broward County School Board in 2019, she had no idea what she was getting into.

Leonardi won and took office in late 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. It was tumultuous. Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to withhold school funding after the board defied his masking ban. Angry over mask mandates, some parents sent vitriolic emails and made veiled threats.

But as COVID rates began to ebb, new flashpoints emerged. In the fall of 2021, Leonardi chaperoned an elementary school field trip to a local bar and grill that happened to be gay-owned. Some conservative media ran with the story. New threats poured in.

“Some of them were like ‘You can’t outrun my Glock 9mm gun’ [and] ‘Take a dirt nap,’ ” Leonardi recalled in an interview with NPR. “One was like, ‘Sell that b**** as a sex slave to ISIS,’ which was oddly specific.”

Leonardi says she still receives threats when conservative media occasionally republishes the school field trip story.

“I’ll get an email or a phone call about it, just telling me what a horrific person I am,” she says.

Harassment and threats up 170% 

Leonardi’s experience captures how threats against local school officials across the U.S. have shifted and grown, according to researchers at Princeton University. They conducted what they say is the largest and most comprehensive study of its kind in the country. Princeton’s Bridging Divides Initiative interviewed Leonardi along with 38 other school board officials. They also surveyed more than 820 school board officials with a group called CivicPulse. Using open-source material, investigators documented threats and harassment against school officials from November 2022 through April 2023, and the same period two years later. They found such incidents rose by 170%.

Bridging Divides says some of the local cases corresponded with national attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as well as on LGBTQ+ policies. Roudabeh Kishi, the project’s chief research officer, says the targets held a variety of political views.

“This isn’t really like a partisan issue,” she says. “We’re seeing really similar reports of experiences (on) all sides of the political spectrum.”

In addition to Leonardi, NPR interviewed six other current or former school board officials who said they had been targets of harassment or threats. They said the anger and distrust that developed during the pandemic helped fuel and shape future disputes over cultural issues.

“The pandemic started this conversation about what are individual freedoms,” says Alexandria Ayala, a former school board member in Florida’s Palm Beach County. “What can a government tell me to do or not do?”

A second “Civil War” in Gettysburg

Al Moyer, who’s now in his ninth year on the Gettysburg Area School Board in Pennsylvania, says battles over masking frayed relationships in the district. Then, in 2023, some people in the community became uncomfortable with a tennis coach who was transitioning to female and had used the girls locker room.

Moyer said one resident called a Republican board member who opposed renewing the coach’s contract a “Nazi” to her face. He says his wife lost friends over the controversy.

“Those two situations really caused a kind of second Civil War battle in Gettysburg,” Moyer says. “It was pretty ugly.”

School board members have to navigate fights over genuine issues, but increasingly they have to grapple with fake ones as well. Russell Devorsky, who recently retired after 14 years on a school board in suburban Waco, Texas, says false stories on social media sow confusion and fuel harassment. “I am consistently and constantly harangued with individuals saying, ‘Well, kids are dressing up like cats, and they have litter boxes in bathrooms,’ ” says Devorsky. “Even though there’s never been a school district that had that situation, people believe it.”

“Like pushing a wet rope up a hill”

Even ordinary issues — such as the construction of a new band hall — can be targets of misinformation, Devorksy says. He says there were false claims on social media that the hall wouldn’t be ready on time and that students wouldn’t have instruments. Trying to set people straight who consider comments on Facebook community pages authoritative is exhausting, Devorsky says. “It’s kind of like pushing a wet rope up a hill,” he says.

The Princeton researchers worry that harassment could drive some school board members to leave public service — which they are monitoring — or avoid engaging on controversial topics. But Sarah Leonardi, the one who took the students to the gay-owned restaurant, says she isn’t quitting because she feels like she’s still making a difference.

“Ultimately, I decided to move forward and run again,” Leonardi says. “That is just a sacrifice — or a vulnerability — I’m willing to accept for now.”

Nearly a week after Kolkata-headquartered Crizac raised Rs. 860 crore (£73.9 million) through its initial public offering (IPO), structured as an offer for sale (OFS) by promoters Pinky Agarwal and Manish Agarwal, the company’s shares surged in domestic stock markets on Wednesday, at nearly a 15% premium above the issue price of Rs. 245. 

The IPO’s success – managed by Equirus Capital Private Limited and Anand Rathi Advisors Limited – along with its strong performance on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange, is expected to fuel Crizac’s expansion into new destinations and services.

“The reason we went for a full OFS, or fully secondary, as we might say in the UK, is because the company’s balance sheet is very strong. We already have sufficient capital to support our expansion plans. Our focus remains on diversifying globally, which has been our strength over the past five years and will continue to be our strength in the future,” Christopher Nagle, CEO of Crizac, told The PIE News. 

While an OFS means that the company, in this case, Crizac, did not raise new capital through the IPO – with proceeds instead going to existing shareholders, namely the Agarwals – its entry into the financial markets allows the company to publicly demonstrate “the scale, size, and operations of the company in a transparent way”, according to Nagle.

Crizac’s decision to go public comes as it looks to expand, beyond student recruitment, into areas such as student loans, housing, and other services. 

The company is also eyeing new geographies and high-growth markets within India.

We also see great potential and can add great value in other destinations like Ireland, the USA, and Australia
_{^{Vikash Agarwal, Crizac}}

“We have a strong plan to expand across cities in India. Even though we are already one of the biggest recruiters for India-UK, we believe there’s still significant room for growth,” stated Vikash Agarwal, chairman and managing director, Crizac. 

“We also see great potential and can add great value in other destinations like Ireland, the USA, and Australia,” he added. 

Crizac, which reported a total income of Rs. 849.5 crore (£78m) in FY25, currently works with over 10,000 agents and some 173 international institutions.

Tthrough its stock market listing, the company aims to strengthen confidence among it partners.

“The fact that we are listed doesn’t change how we interact with agents, but we believe it will lead to even greater trust from universities and agent partners alike, thanks to the level of diligence and corporate governance that is now required of us,” stated Nagle.

With a market capitalisation of Rs 5,379.84 crore (nearly £555m), Crizac’s solid financial track record and low debt levels have been key drivers behind its IPO, even as changing policies in major study destinations continue to influence the sector.

As destinations like Australia hike visa fees, the UK increases compliance among institutions and considers imposing levies on international student fees, the US tightens vetting and eyes visa time limits, and Canada raises financial thresholds amid falling study permits, it remains to be seen how students from India, Nigeria, and China will navigate their study abroad choices in the coming years. 

According to government data presented in the Indian Parliament, there was a nearly 15% decline in Indian students going abroad, largely in the major four destinations, while countries like Germany, Russia, France, Ireland, and New Zealand saw increased interest.

However, despite the downturn, Crizac is confident that its move will inspire other Indian education companies to create value on the global stage. 

“Being the first listed company in this space will unlock significant value for the industry. We believe many are already watching our listing closely, and there will be a lot others going public from this sector now,” stated Agarwal. 

The integration of artificial intelligence into our daily lives is no longer a futuristic concept but a present-day reality, fundamentally reshaping industries and institutions. From the bustling floors of global corporations to the hallowed halls of academia, AI is proving to be a transformative, yet complex, force. For business and tech leaders, understanding the dual nature of this technological revolution—its remarkable advantages and its inherent challenges—is paramount. There are both pros and cons on AI in the workplace and in education: this article delves into the multifaceted impact of AI in the workplace and education, exploring the significant opportunities it presents alongside the critical concerns that demand our attention.

AI in the Workplace: A New Era of Productivity and Peril

The modern workplace is in the throes of an AI-driven evolution, promising unprecedented levels of efficiency and innovation. One of the most significant pros of artificial intelligence in a professional setting is its ability to automate repetitive and mundane tasks. This allows human employees to redirect their focus towards more strategic, creative, and complex problem-solving endeavors. For instance, in the realm of human resources, AI-powered tools can screen thousands of resumes in minutes, a task that would take a team of recruiters days to complete. Companies like Oracle are leveraging their AI-powered human resource solutions to streamline candidate sourcing and improve hiring decisions, freeing up HR professionals to concentrate on building relationships and fostering a positive work environment.

Beyond automation, AI is a powerful engine for enhanced decision-making. By analyzing vast datasets, machine learning algorithms can identify patterns and trends that are imperceptible to the human eye, providing data-driven insights that inform strategic business choices. In the financial sector, AI algorithms are instrumental in fraud detection, analyzing transaction patterns in real-time to flag anomalies and prevent fraudulent activities before they cause significant damage. Similarly, in manufacturing, companies like Siemens are utilizing AI-powered “Industrial Copilots” to monitor machinery, predict maintenance needs, and prevent costly downtime, thereby optimizing production lines and ensuring operational continuity.

However, the widespread adoption of AI in the workplace is not without its cons. The most pressing concern for many is the specter of job displacement. As AI systems become more sophisticated, there is a legitimate fear that roles currently performed by humans, particularly those involving routine and predictable tasks, will become obsolete. While some argue that AI will create new jobs, there is a transitional period that could see significant disruption and require a massive effort in upskilling and reskilling the workforce.

Furthermore, the ethical implications of AI cannot be overstated. The potential for bias in AI algorithms is a significant challenge. If an AI system is trained on biased data, it will perpetuate and even amplify those biases in its decision-making processes. Additionally, the increasing use of AI raises serious privacy concerns — some people have go on to create distasteful clothes remover AI tools. The vast amounts of data that AI systems collect and process, from employee performance metrics to customer behavior, create a treasure trove of sensitive information that must be protected from misuse and security breaches.

AI in Education: Personalizing Learning While Preserving the Human Touch

The educational landscape is also being profoundly reshaped by artificial intelligence, with the promise of creating more personalized, engaging, and accessible learning experiences. One of the most celebrated benefits of AI in education is its capacity to facilitate personalized learning at scale. AI-powered adaptive learning platforms can tailor educational content to the individual needs and learning pace of each student. For example, platforms like Carnegie Learning’s “Mika” software use AI to provide personalized tutoring in mathematics, offering real-time feedback and adapting the curriculum to address a student’s specific areas of difficulty. This individualized approach has the potential to revolutionize how we teach and learn, moving away from a one-size-fits-all model to a more student-centric methodology.

AI is also a valuable tool for automating the administrative burdens that often consume a significant portion of educators’ time. Grading multiple-choice tests, managing schedules, and tracking attendance are all tasks that can be efficiently handled by AI systems. This frees up teachers to focus on what they do best: inspiring, mentoring, and interacting directly with their students. Language-learning apps like Duolingo are a prime example of AI in action, using machine learning to personalize lessons and provide instant feedback, making language education more accessible and engaging for millions of users worldwide.

Despite these advancements, the integration of AI in education raises a number of critical concerns and cons. A primary worry is the potential for a diminished human connection in the learning process. While AI can provide personalized content, it cannot replicate the empathy, encouragement, and nuanced understanding that a human teacher provides. Over-reliance on technology could lead to a sense of isolation for students and hinder the development of crucial social and emotional skills.

Data privacy is another significant hurdle. Educational AI platforms collect vast amounts of student data, from academic performance to learning behaviors. Ensuring the security and ethical use of this sensitive information is paramount. There is a tangible risk of this data being misused or falling victim to cyberattacks, which could have serious consequences for students and educational institutions.

In conclusion, artificial intelligence has both pros and cons, both the workplace and the field of education. The potential for increased productivity, data-driven insights, and personalized experiences is immense. However, we must proceed with a clear-eyed understanding of the challenges. Addressing concerns around job displacement, data privacy, and the importance of human interaction will be crucial in harnessing the full potential of AI for the betterment of our professional and educational futures. The path forward lies not in a blind embrace of technology, but in a thoughtful and ethical integration that prioritizes both progress and humanity.