Florida ends automatic due payments for teacher’s unions
May 9, 2023 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Teachers and other government employees will have to write monthly checks if they want to stay in their union after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday banning automatic dues deductions from public employees' paychecks,
Vermont school parents back gender-neutral terms for kids
May 3, 2023 GMTParents and community members who attended a school board meeting in Vermont's largest district mostly supported a decision to use the gender-inclusive terms “person who produces sperm” and “person who produces eggs” in a 5th grade health class rather than the words male or female.
School board wants workers comp for teacher shot by boy, 6
April 27, 2023 GMTNORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The Virginia school district where a 6-year-old shot his teacher argues that her injuries fall under the state's workers compensation act and cannot be addressed through her $40 million lawsuit, according to court documents filed Wednesday.
Mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher indicted by grand jury
April 10, 2023 GMTNEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A grand jury in Virginia has indicted the mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher on charges of child neglect and failing to secure her handgun in the family's home, a prosecutor said Monday.
Teacher shot by 6-year-old student files $40 million lawsuit
April 3, 2023 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia teacher who was shot and seriously wounded by her 6-year-old student filed a lawsuit Monday seeking $40 million in damages from school officials, accusing them of gross negligence and of ignoring multiple warnings the day of the shooting that the boy was armed and in a “violent mood.”
Alabama school district’s Superintendent Tim Tidmore retires
March 31, 2023 GMTPRATTVILLE, Ala. (AP) — The superintendent of a central Alabama school district announced his retirement Friday from a post he's held since 2021.
Autauga County Superintendent Tim Tidmore will stay on as a deputy superintendent to help Daniel Boyd, who was appointed to serve as interim superintendent until a permanent replacement is found.
District sued over axing of student paper after LGBTQ issue
March 31, 2023 GMTLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former high school journalist and the Nebraska High School Press Association sued Friday over a school district's shutdown of the school newspaper after it published an LGBTQ-focused edition.
College ends partnership with school over the David issue
March 30, 2023 GMTHILLSDALE, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan college has ended its partnership with a Florida charter school whose principal was forced to resign after a parent complained sixth graders were exposed to pornography during a lesson on Renaissance art that included Michelangelo’s David sculpture.
Principal resigns after complaints on ‘David’ statue nudity
March 24, 2023 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida charter school principal has been forced to resign after a parent complained sixth graders were exposed to pornography during a lesson on Renaissance art that included Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture.
Missouri school to stay closed after contamination scare
March 23, 2023 GMTA Missouri grade school that was shut down last year amid concerns of possible radioactive contamination will not reopen, the school district said Thursday.
Body found near Denver high school shooting suspect’s car
March 23, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — A body was found Wednesday night in the Colorado woods near the abandoned car that belonged to a 17-year-old student accused of shooting two administrators at his Denver high school earlier in the day, a sheriff said.
House OKs bill allowing parental input on school materials
March 16, 2023 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky House has given final passage to a bill that's designed to give parents a pathway to challenge school instructional materials they consider unfit for children.
The bill — part of a push to boost parental input over school polices — would require Kentucky school districts to create a process to challenge instructional materials that parents deem “harmful” to children.
State Senate OKs bill to overhaul Ohio education oversight
March 1, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A Republican-proposed overhaul of how Ohio oversees K-12 education and decision-making on academic standards, model curricula and school district ratings cleared the state Senate on Wednesday with a vote along party lines.
SW Louisiana schools chief to retire in July
February 14, 2023 GMTOBERLIN, La. (AP) — A Southwest Louisiana schools chief is calling it quits after 37 years of service, the last four as superintendent.
Allen Parish Schools Superintendent Kent Reed announced his retirement Monday at a School Board meeting.
New Hampshire students protest urinal ban in gender debate
February 12, 2023 GMTDozens of students walked out of their New Hampshire school after the district banned urinals in a compromise to a proposal that would have blocked children from using facilities based on their gender identity.
School where boy shot teacher reopens with added security
January 30, 2023 GMTNEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The Virginia elementary school where a 6-year-old boy shot his teacher reopened Monday with stepped-up security and a new administrator, as nervous parents and students expressed optimism about a return to the classroom.
Board voting on superintendent departure after teacher shot
January 24, 2023 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia school board is scheduled to vote this week on the departure of its superintendent after a 6-year-old student shot and wounded his first-grade teacher.
On Tuesday, the Newport News School Board posted an agenda for a special meeting on Wednesday, saying it will vote on a separation agreement and severance package for Superintendent George Parker III.
Schools face pressure to take harder line on discipline
January 21, 2023 GMTAs kids' behavior reaches crisis points after the stress and isolation of pandemic shutdowns, many schools are facing pressure from critics to rethink their approaches to discipline — including policies intended to reduce suspensions and expulsions.
Anger grows in Virginia city where first-grader shot teacher
January 19, 2023 GMTNEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — When a 6-year-old shot and wounded his first-grade teacher in this shipbuilding city near Virginia’s coast, the community reacted with collective shock.
Oregon school board drops ban on gay pride and other symbols
January 18, 2023 GMTSALEM, Ore. (AP) — A school district in Oregon has quietly rescinded its ban on educators displaying symbols of the Black Lives Matter movement or gay pride, following a court settlement with a teachers' union.
College to give closed campus to Georgia school district
January 18, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's university system is donating a closed campus in southwest Georgia to a local school board to use as a middle or high school.
The Board of Regents voted Wednesday to convey the former Blakely campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College to the 1,700-student Early County school district.
Metal detectors to be used in city where boy shot teacher
January 12, 2023 GMTNEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — Metal detectors will be installed in every school in the Virginia city where a 6-year-old boy shot and wounded his teacher last week, school officials said Thursday.
WVa education board lifts emergency for county system
January 11, 2023 GMTCHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The West Virginia Board of Education on Wednesday lifted an emergency declaration for Lincoln County's school system that was implemented two years ago amid a review of problems in finance and transportation.
Schools ask judge to nix bullying lawsuit over racist remark
December 15, 2022 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia school board asked a judge Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a former assistant principal who says she was harassed and humiliated after she raised concerns about a mandatory anti-racism teacher training program.
Ohio Senate OKs shift in oversight of education to governor
December 7, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The latest proposal to give Ohio’s governor more power overseeing K-12 education cleared the Republican-led state Senate on Wednesday despite objections that lawmakers are rushing legislation to significantly change decision-making about academic standards, model curricula and school district ratings, among other things.
ACLU sues Missouri school district over book removal policy
December 7, 2022 GMTINDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — The ACLU of Missouri is suing a suburban Kansas City school district over its policy of automatically removing any challenged library material before it is reviewed.
The ACLU argues in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday that the Independence School District's current policy violates students' First Amendment rights because it “restricts their access to ideas and information for an improper purpose and without any prior notice.”
Superintendent fired after investigation into assaults
December 7, 2022 GMTA northern Virginia school board has fired its superintendent after a special grand jury accused him of lying to the board about the sexual assault of a student.
The Loudoun County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to fire Scott Ziegler after holding a closed session.
Minnesota board accepts anti-drug aid for minority students
December 6, 2022 GMTFARIBAULT, Minn. (AP) — A southern Minnesota school district voted Monday to accept a $1.1 million state grant meant to help curb drug use among students of color, after a pair of board members had delayed accepting the money last month by arguing it could discriminate against white students.
Safety policy not enforced before Michigan school shooting
November 28, 2022 GMTOXFORD, Mich. (AP) — Policies and procedures that could have prevented a mass shooting that left four students dead at a Michigan high school last year were approved earlier but never implemented, two former school board officials said Monday.
Supreme Court turns away school’s appeal of sex-assault case
November 21, 2022 GMTFALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from a Virginia school board that says it shouldn't be held liable for the alleged sexual assault of a student by a classmate on a band trip.
3rd investigation finds no contamination at Missouri school
November 16, 2022 GMTFLORISSANT, Mo. (AP) — Another round of testing found no harmful radioactive contamination at a Missouri elementary school, leaving school board members to wonder if there really is any risk at the now-shuttered school.
Board fires schools chief after Parkland massacre report
November 16, 2022 GMTFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The superintendent of Florida's second-largest school district was fired after a late-night motion from a board member appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis following a grand jury report into the Parkland school massacre.
‘Too hyperbolic’? School board parental rights push falters
November 14, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative groups that sought to get hundreds of “parents’ rights” activists elected to local school boards largely fell short in last week's midterm elections, notching notable wins in some Republican strongholds but failing to gain a groundswell of support among moderate voters.
Kansas board recommends ending Native American mascots
November 10, 2022 GMTThe Kansas State Board of Education on Thursday recommended that the state's public school districts eliminate Native American mascots and branding to reduce their harmful impacts on students.
The board approved a motion making a “strong recommendation” that Kansas public K-12 nontribal schools retire Native American-themed mascots and branding as soon as possible but within the next three to five years at the latest.
Corps finds no radioactive contamination at Missouri school
November 9, 2022 GMTFLORISSANT, Mo. (AP) — Testing by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found no radioactive contamination at a Missouri school that was shut down last month amid fears that nuclear material from a contaminated creek nearby had made its way into the school, Corps officials said Wednesday.
Teacher asks court to restore suit on trans student pronouns
November 4, 2022 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Lawyers for a high school French teacher who was fired after he refused to use a transgender student's pronouns argued before the Supreme Court of Virginia Friday that the school violated his constitutional right to speak freely and exercise his religion.
WVa board authorizes takeover of Logan County schools
October 27, 2022 GMTCHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s Board of Education voted Thursday to take control of the Logan County public school system, citing multiple problems including allegations of improper use of funds and intimidation by executive staff.
Judge tosses challenge to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill
October 21, 2022 GMTORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the second time in about a month, a lawsuit challenging Florida's so-called “don't say gay" legislation restricting teaching on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools has been dismissed by a federal judge.
School board member resigns after Capitol riot arrest
October 20, 2022 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — A school board member from a small city in Washington state has resigned after he and his stepson were charged in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Richard Slaughter, 40, of Orting, Washington, northwest of Mount Rainier, and his 20-year-old stepson, Caden Paul Gottfried, turned themselves in last week to face charges of assaulting and interfering with police during the insurrection.
Missouri school to close after radioactive waste report
October 19, 2022 GMTFLORISSANT, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri school board decided Tuesday to shut down a grade school that sits near a contaminated creek after a study funded by law firms involved in a class-action lawsuit found high levels of radioactive material inside the school.
How Michael Flynn goes local to spread Christian nationalism
October 18, 2022 GMTVENICE, Fla. (AP) — It was less than three weeks before the Sarasota County, Florida, school board election when the former White House national security adviser weighed in on the local political race.
Louisiana school district’s teachers to get bonus, raise
October 14, 2022 GMTLAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Educators in a southwest Louisiana school system are getting a lump sum bonus check and a raise after its school board unanimously approved both this week.
It's the second consecutive year that teachers in the Lafayette Parish School System will receive a pay raise, with this year’s amount being $500.
Board to sue over contamination that closed Vermont school
October 14, 2022 GMTBURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The school board in Vermont's largest city plans to sue the manufacturer of chemicals that forced the closure of Burlington High School, officials said.
Victims of the 2018 Parkland, Florida, high school massacre
October 13, 2022 GMTA jury has recommended a sentence of life without parole for the attacker in the 2018 shooting massacre that left 17 people dead at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Here are the victims:
Wash. school board member, stepson charged in Capitol riot
October 13, 2022 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — A school board member from a small city in Washington state and his stepson have been charged with assaulting and interfering with police during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Conservative PACs inject millions into local school races
October 11, 2022 GMTAs Republicans and Democrats fight for control of Congress this fall, a growing number of conservative political action groups are targeting their efforts closer to home: at local school boards.
Their aim is to gain control of more school systems and push back against what they see as a liberal tide in public education classrooms, libraries, sports fields, even building plans.
Uvalde school chief plans to resign after community outrage
October 11, 2022 GMTUVALDE, Texas (AP) — Uvalde's school district superintendent announced Monday he plans to resign by the end of the academic year, following months of community outrage over the handling of the United States’ deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade.
Scrutinized charter school operator drops Tennessee appeals
September 29, 2022 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A contentious charter school operator linked to a conservative Michigan college has dropped its appeals in Tennessee seeking to open three schools there, despite local school boards rejecting their initial request.
Tennessee appeal hearings start on rejected charter schools
September 15, 2022 GMTMURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee panel has kicked off hearings over whether to let charter schools linked to Hillsdale College open despite rejections from local school boards, a process unfolding in the wake of controversial comments about teachers by Hillsdale's president.
Tennessee staff fret as contentious charter school denied
September 13, 2022 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When local school officials voted down a Tennessee charter school linked to Hillsdale College this summer, staffers at the state commission that would soon have to decide whether to let the controversial school open anyway reacted with shock at how things unfolded.
Florida school board votes down recognizing LGBTQ+ month
September 8, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — The Miami-Dade School Board overwhelming decided against recognizing October as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer History month which included a measure to teach 12th graders about two Supreme Court cases affecting the LGBTQ community.
DeSantis puts his imprint on school board races in Florida
September 5, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — In her 24 years as a school board member in Florida, Marta Perez proposed a Bible study class for students, opposed a measure to boost anti-racism curricula after the killing of George Floyd and spoke out against adopting a textbook that included pictures of contraceptive methods that she considered inappropriate for her 13-year-old granddaughter.
School board candidates leave race after laughing at student
September 5, 2022 GMTFAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Two candidates for the Fairfax County School Board have dropped out of the race after they were captured on video laughing at a student with autism who sang the national anthem at a meeting.
Court okays grand jury probe in school sex assaults
September 2, 2022 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — An attempt by the Loudoun County School Board to shut down a grand jury investigating the school system's handling of two sexual assaults was rejected Friday by the Supreme Court of Virginia.
School board has final say on transgender bathroom requests
August 31, 2022 GMTASHLAND, Va. (AP) — A county school board in Virginia has voted to require transgender students seeking to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity to present written requests to school officials — and possibly their disciplinary or criminal records.
DeSantis appointees replace elected school board members
August 30, 2022 GMTFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Four school board members appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in one of Florida’s most Democratic counties were sworn into office on Tuesday. They replace the elected Broward County board members DeSantis suspended after a grand jury investigating the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School found widespread wrongdoing.
DeSantis axes school board members where massacre happened
August 26, 2022 GMTFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis removed four members of the Broward County school board Friday, one week after a grand jury empaneled to investigate a 2018 school massacre accused them and district administrators of “deceit, malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty and incompetence” in their handling of a campus safety program.
‘Conceptual agreement’ reached in Columbus teachers strike
August 25, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The school board and union representing teachers and other employees in Ohio’s largest school district early Thursday reached a “conceptual agreement,” tentatively ending a strike which began Monday.
Minnesota school district lifts gag order on new proposal
August 24, 2022 GMTBECKER, Minn. (AP) — A central Minnesota school district has shuttered a policy meant to prohibit staff from talking publicly about issues that might reflect negatively on the district, including a recent proposal to dictate what is taught in schools.
Teachers in Ohio’s largest school district go on strike
August 22, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Teachers in Ohio's largest school district on Monday will be walking picket lines after voting to go on strike, two days before classes are scheduled to resume.
More than 94% of the Columbus Education Association members voted to reject the school board’s final offer late Sunday, the Ohio Education Association said.