DA Staff

As teacher shortages loom, one district grows future educators in high school

Something remarkable is happening at Nora Forester Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, in teacher Patrice Bravo's STEM lab — a wonderland of technicolor gears, tools and laboratory doo-dads, all overseen by STEM's playful patron saint: Albert Einstein, poking out his tongue from a poster on the back wall.

Buffalo school bus driver fired after threatening to shoot students

A school bus driver in Buffalo has lost his job after comments he made to students on the bus were caught on camera. A concerned parent shared the video on Facebook.

Texas education board could ban textbooks that discuss gender identity under proposed bill

Conservative lawmakers are trying to expand their war on books they find objectionable with a bill that critics fear would allow the state’s authorities on school curriculum to reject textbooks based on their political and religious beliefs.

Alabama early education secretary resigns as governor decries ‘woke’ resource book

Barbara Cooper, the head of early childhood education in Alabama, has been ousted after Gov. Kay Ivey learned of “woke concepts” in a resource book for pre-K teachers, officials said.

Florida just expanded school vouchers – again. Here’s what it could mean for public education.

Around the country, the political razzle-dazzle around “school choice”–giving families who enroll in the programs vouchers to spend on a range of school options as they see fit–is electrifying conservatives, grabbing public attention and becoming a GOP campaign banner.

Las Vegas teacher gets probation for stealing pandemic education money

Multiple teachers at Legacy Traditional School’s southwest campus were part of a conspiracy to steal nearly $154,000 in COVID-19 relief funding through a website called DonorsChoose in late 2021, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Right-wing extremists defeated by Democrats in school board elections

Republican-backed culture warrior candidates fared poorly in Illinois and Wisconsin, with conservative groups such as Moms for Liberty reporting disappointing performances.

Colorado school bus driver faces 30 child abuse charges after seen braking hard in video

In camera footage from inside the bus, the driver can be heard telling Castle Rock Elementary School students to be in their seats before saying, "You guys want to see how dangerous that is?"

Pittsburgh-area school district sues social media companies over role in youth mental health crisis

A federal lawsuit filed by the Seneca Valley School District claims the increased dependency on social media has led to an rise in the number of students in crisis, acting out, vandalizing school property, and needing mental health services.

School bus struck by gunfire Monday afternoon in New Orleans, police say

Carl Stewart had just dropped eight students off from his school bus in Central City Monday afternoon when he heard gunshots. He yelled for his remaining passengers to get down, just as he saw through his rearview mirror that the vehicle’s back glass window had been shattered by a bullet.

Missouri House backs bullet-resistant doors, windows for every public school building

The legislation would require bullet-resistant doors and windows for all first-floor entryways and bullet-resistant glass "for each exterior window large enough for an intruder to enter." The state Classroom Trust Fund would pay for the installations starting in the 2024-25 school year.

Electric school buses serve as mini power plants during the summer

Beverly Public Schools in Massachusetts is one of the first in the country to deploy electric buses for more than transportation: The district is using the vehicles’ giant batteries as mini power plants to send energy back to the grid.

School districts took on Juul with a novel legal strategy. Now they’re going after social media giants

The suits – now approaching 50 filed on behalf of public school districts across several states since the beginning of the year against ByteDance, Snap, Meta, and Alphabet – argue that these companies’ social media platforms are exploiting children much in the same way that Juul allegedly targeted young students.

3 western Pennsylvania school districts file lawsuit over new education guidelines from state

The Mars Area, Penn Crest and Laurel school districts, as well as two teachers, several board members and parents, filed a lawsuit Monday trying to stop the Shapiro administration from implementing "culturally relevant and sustaining education," also known as CRSE, in every school district in Pennsylvania. 

Colorado high school students return to class amid investigation into possible bacterial meningitis deaths of two teachers

Eaglecrest High School closed Wednesday to allow public health officials to “identify students or staff who may have been in close contact with the infected staff person,” the Cherry Creek School District said in a letter sent to parents Tuesday.