DA Staff

Akron Public Schools looks to lock up cellphones at 13 schools this fall after pilot

The agreement would be for three years, at a cost of $180,636 the first year and $141,021 for the following two school years. The first year would use federal stimulus dollars, but the second and third year spending would come from the district's general fund.

What’s ‘prominent’ enough? Many Florida school districts make sex abuse help hard to find

On Brevard Public Schools' website, the information can be easy to miss at first. Parents and students who are particularly tenacious—or eagle-eyed—can find it in 7.5-point font at the bottom of the home page.

Portland school board aims to get all teachers certified in supporting multilingual students

At a meeting Tuesday night, the school board passed a resolution calling for all teachers in the district to attain some level of multilingual learning certification over the next several years.

Student podcasters share the dark realities of middle school in America

Adolescence has always been tough, but the acceleration of modern forces makes it more stressful than ever. In the words of two San Francisco best friends – the middle school winners of this year's NPR Student Podcast Challenge – welcome to Middle School Now.

Fla. superintendent Rocky Hanna settles for ‘lesser’ punishment, says ‘I have done nothing wrong’

Florida's capital city superintendent who has been under investigation for his "politically charged statements" and infusing “personal views” into his administration of the school district has settled with the state’s education agency.

Highland Park ISD buys $1.8 million home for new superintendent to live in rent-free

“I wouldn’t say it’s free,” said school board President Maryjane Bonfield. “He’s got a job, and this is part of how we’re compensating him for the services he provides to the district.”

College Board won’t change AP courses to comply with DeSantis’ anti-education law

The College Board says withholding information about gender dysphoria, gender identity, and sexual orientation from students studying human psychology "would break the fundamental promise of AP."

Kentucky school district considering bringing back remote learning

Bourbon County High School Principal Morgan Adkins has proposed remote learning each Wednesday. The school building would still be open that day for students who want to work there or need one-on-one instruction.

One-fourth of San Francisco teachers lack full credentials, grand jury finds

The grand jury identified a few key factors contributing to San Francisco Unified School District’s dearth of credentialed teachers: low starting salaries, a failure to publicize competitive benefits and a protracted payroll snafu that left staff paychecks and benefits riddled with errors still requiring costly outside help.

Virginia Board of Education approves new online alternative pathway to teacher licensure

The board approved a new alternative pathway to licensure called iTeach. It would allow teachers to get into the classroom on a provisional license and work toward their full license in an online pathway costing around $3,000.

West Virginia seizes control of Upshur County school system; state superintendent quits

A state Board of Education review team has allegedly uncovered dozens of non-compliances with how e Upshur County Schools spent federal pandemic relief money.

Vermont governor allows free school meals to become law without signature

Gov. Phil Scott said in a statement that with the legislation, “the Legislature has added $20-30 million in property tax pressure to pay for school meals for all students, including those from affluent families.

Alleged improper spending within Upshur County school system could affect state’s superintendent’s job

LEA monitoring shows the county's noncompliance with ESSER spending on several fronts, including no-bid contracts, ineligible entertainment purchases, room rentals and employee reimbursements. It all adds up to more than $131,000.

We need to rethink discipline in schools

When we talk about discipline in a general sense, we’re talking about tools that any individual uses to correct student behavior. Now, there are a lot of different ways in which student behavior can be corrected. In general, school discipline has been characterized in one way, shape, or form as exclusionary discipline.

Virginia teacher shot by 6-year-old no longer working for Newport News school

Abby Zwerner was shot in the hand and chest as she sat at a reading table in her classroom in January at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News.