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Matt Zalaznick

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Matt Zalaznick is the managing editor of District Administration, covering K-12 public school leadership, teaching and learning, student achievement, education technology, and federal education policy. A journalist since 1996, Zalaznick has reported on politics, law enforcement, and breaking news for newspapers and websites across the U.S. Virgin Islands, the San Francisco Bay Area, Colorado, and the New York City suburbs. He holds a B.A. in English from Tufts University.
National news

As students return to classrooms, some newly arrived immigrants have to wait

Matt Zalaznick -
The effort to verify and complete the children's vaccination records, enroll them in school and equip schools with translators and transportation plans, has proved daunting.
National news

Iowa school district asking for parental consent for student nicknames

Matt Zalaznick -
What’s in a name? In the Urbandale Community School District, a student going by a nickname other than what is on their birth certificate will need to be signed off by a parent.
National news

Police departments pull school officers due to Minnesota restraint law

Matt Zalaznick -
School employees and school resource officers can’t physically restrain students in a way that impacts their ability to breathe or voice distress—including holds that put students face down on the ground.
National news

As more teens overdose on fentanyl, schools face a drug crisis unlike any other

Matt Zalaznick -
Three teens thought they were taking prescription pills for pain and relaxation, drugs like Valium or Percocet, that they bought from friends or from social media. But the pills they took were counterfeits.
Leadership

How one state is taking on the ‘forced outing’ of transgender students

Matt Zalaznick -
Chino Valley Unified School District requires schools to notify parents if a child asks to use a name or pronoun that's different from what's on their birth certificate or official records. The state's attorney general, Rob Bonta, is suing the southern California district, saying the mandates violate the privacy and civil rights of LGBTQ+ students.
National news

Why is there a shortage of school bus drivers? Problem worsened by COVID reaches crisis level

Matt Zalaznick -
A USA TODAY analysis of news coverage and local statistics found at least one instance of a major school bus driver shortage in every state this year, from Hawaii to New York.
National news

Millions of kids are missing weeks of school as attendance tanks across the US

Matt Zalaznick -
When in-person school resumed after pandemic closures, Rousmery Negrón and her 11-year-old son both noticed a change: School seemed less welcoming.
National news

Equality vs. equity in education sparks culture wars in NJ politics

Matt Zalaznick -
Policy updates include replacing the word "equality" with "equity" and removing gendered pronouns and nouns. Names of certain mandated curricula have also been changed.
National news

Wisconsin school district can’t restrict bathrooms for transgender student, federal judge says

Matt Zalaznick -
The Mukwonago Area School District must allow a transgender student to use facilities that align with their gender identity despite a restriction approved last month by the school board.
National news

Indiana officials approve new “streamlined” K12 education standards

Matt Zalaznick -
Paramount to the plan is a 25% reduction of statewide standards compared to what is currently in place. Only a third of the standards that will remain have been identified as “essential.”
National news

King James Bible to be removed from Utah district’s libraries in younger grades

Matt Zalaznick -
Copies of the King James Bible are being removed from elementary and junior high facilities in Davis County, Utah, after an unknown person’s complaint that the scriptures feature material inappropriate for younger children.
National news

LGBTQ flag burned at North Hollywood elementary school as some parents oppose Pride event

Matt Zalaznick -
The small flag was displayed in a planter outside of a classroom at Saticoy Elementary School, which plans to hold a Pride Day assembly on Friday.
English Language Learners

Removal of 8 books may have created fear and harassment in Georgia district, feds say

Matt Zalaznick -
Library book challenges in Forsyth County Schools may have created a "hostile environment for students," Department of Education investigators said in the agency's first foray into the recent wave of book bans buffeting K12.
National news

Education bill would overhaul Minnesota school shooting drill policies

Matt Zalaznick -
Active shooter simulations would effectively be barred in Minnesota schools under a provision in a sweeping education bill moving. Instead, school districts would be required to provide students with at least one hour of violence prevention training per year.
National news

After School Satan Clubs gain popularity amid legal victories

Matt Zalaznick -
The clubs, associated with the Satanic Temple and offered only in primary schools, began at the beginning of 2020 and quickly gained attention from parents who wanted an alternative to religious clubs, organizers say.
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