DA Staff

With plunging enrollment, a ‘seismic hit’ to public schools

The pandemic has supercharged the decline in the nation’s public school system in ways that experts say will not easily be reversed.

Suspended students sue school district for blocking protest, ignoring complaints of racism

The lawsuit alleges the Floyd County School District enabled "overt bigotry and animosity by some white students and teachers against African American students." Attorney says students were suspended after a silent protest during class breaks.

Philly brings process to fix aging schools to the public. Is it enough?

As The School District of Philadelphia aims to tell the public how it is managing its aging infrastructure, parents and community leaders remain concerned about possible school closures, lack of enrollment data, and transparency when it comes to maintenance and safety.

Threats to Black students at Niagara Falls schools ‘not credible,’ extra police assigned

These threats come just two days after the racist attack at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, in which, the accused shooter targeted Black shoppers.

Despite White House guidance, aging school facilities still threaten kids’ health

Even before the pandemic, many schools were battling crumbling infrastructure, with a June 2020 government report finding that over 40% of schools–an estimated 36,000 nationally–had deficient ventilation systems.

No mask mandates in Iowa schools, for now, court rules; exceptions could be made in future

Appeals court ruling leaves the door open for schools to continue to require masks in certain circumstances as an accommodation for students with disabilities in order to comply with federal law

New Biden administration rules for charter schools spur bipartisan backlash

Critics of the proposal say the rules are overly restrictive and would stymie the growth of charter schools, whose 3.6 million students are largely Black and Hispanic.

New Hampshire education chief assailed for ‘bigotry.’ He sees family ‘value system.’

Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut wrote in an opinion piece that family "values systems" are being disrupted by some educators who, he said, show "bias" when they teach about "a sensitive topic like sexuality and gender."

Buffalo shooting suspect had threatened his high school last year, police say

The 18-year-old gunman accused of killing 10 at a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., had undergone a mental health evaluation by New York state police after making a school shooting threat last year, authorities said.

Kansas school can’t block Christian teacher from outing transgender students to parents, judge rules

Middle school teacher Pamela Ricard has two transgender students in her class. While she uses their preferred names in class and avoids pronouns, she has emailed parents using a student's legal name and biological pronouns. 

NYC will screen public school students for dyslexia for first time

City is launching pilot programs for students with dyslexia at two public schools, and increased literacy screenings at scores of others.

Boston launches “Green New Deal,” pledging $2 billion to revamp city’s school facilities

Mayor Michelle Wu pledged Thursday to spend $2 billion to overhaul Boston’s deteriorating school facilities, under an ambitious effort that would begin with 14 new school buildings or major renovations.

Las Vegas struggles with rising violence in schools

After several days of classroom lockdowns when violent brawls broke out inside Desert Oasis High School in Las Vegas, Cherish Morgan began organizing parents and students to advocate for change.

Idaho school district votes to remove 22 books ‘forever’ from school libraries

Nampa School Board's list of banned books includes "The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, and “Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini.

New Indiana law creates adjunct teaching permits for K-12 schools

Adjunct teachers must have at least four years of experience in the subject they want to teach. They must also be mentored by another teacher.