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A new report from the Government Accountability Office reveals that a student's race, gender, and disability status heavily influence their likelihood of being arrested. The report analyzed data from the 2015-16 and 2017-18 school years and found that students of color, particularly Black students, and students with disabilities face disproportionate disciplinary measures. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian/Alaska Native students are arrested at two to three times the rate of their white peers. The report also highlights the intersectionality of these factors, with Black girls without disabilities having higher arrest rates than white girls with disabilities. The presence of police in schools is associated with higher arrest rates, despite discouragement from education and justice departments. The report recommends collecting arrest and referral data by race and improving data collection practices. The U.S. Department of Education generally agrees with the recommendations. The findings emphasize the need to address the root causes of these disparities and reform police involvement in schools.

 

Education Week News

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that prohibits mandating teachers to notify families about student gender identity changes. The new law protects teachers from retaliation and prohibits K-12 "forced disclosure" rules. It also requires the California Department of Education to offer resources to parents and students on managing conversations about gender and identity privately. The bill comes in response to school board decisions in some parts of California to notify parents about name or pronoun changes and gender-related requests by students. Attempts at gender notification policies in other states have triggered lawsuits and concerns about student privacy rights. California is the first state to outlaw such policies at the local level. Assemblymember Chris Ward, the bill's author, emphasized that teachers are not meant to be "the gender police" and that the law does not intrude on the parent-child relationship. This is not the first time Governor Newsom has intervened in local school affairs, as he previously signed a law that fines school districts for banning textbooks portraying LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized groups.

 

Los Angeles Times

U.S. News

The appeal of the 1980 Supreme Court decision on the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms in Kentucky is being revisited due to a similar law in Louisiana. The Kentucky Supreme Court had upheld the law, but the challengers sought a review from the U.S. Supreme Court. The court decided to rule on the case without full merits briefing or oral arguments, issuing a summary reversal. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion, stating that the posting of the Ten Commandments in school classrooms is religious in nature and violates the Establishment Clause. The new Louisiana law, requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in schools, is facing legal challenges based on the Stone v. Graham precedent. Critics argue that the law is unconstitutional and promotes religious bias. Supporters, however, believe that recent Supreme Court decisions have shown more deference to religious expression in the public sphere. Nevertheless, legal experts predict that the Louisiana law will likely be held unconstitutional based on the similarities to the Kentucky case.

 

Education Week News

Parents of students with disabilities in Montana can now access taxpayer dollars for educational services even if their child is not enrolled in the local public school district. A Montana judge denied a preliminary injunction against House Bill 393, which allows parents to transfer funds for students with disabilities who receive instruction outside the public school system. The Montana Quality Education Coalition and Disability Rights Montana filed a lawsuit against the state, claiming that the law violates the state Constitution's right to "quality education for all students." The judge ruled that harm caused by the law remains speculative and not enough to warrant an injunction. Critics argue that the law could drain funding from school districts and threaten public education. The program currently has few participants, which influenced the court's decision to deny the injunction. The lawsuit will continue to proceed.

 

Billings Gazette

Education Week takes a deep dive into the Republican Party's 2024 platform, which was released on July 8th. The platform's education section sets out nine K-12 positions that it says will “cultivate great K-12 schools, ensure safe learning environments free from political meddling, and restore Parental Rights.”  The Republican platform states that the party would: end teacher tenure, adopt merit pay, and allow “various publicly supported educational models”; implement universal school choice in every state; support career education for students; allow the immediate suspension of "violent students"; elevate "parents' rights"; target "CRT and gender indoctrination"; promote a "love of country" in schools; expand the role of religion in K-12; and close the U.S. Department of Education. The platform is expected to be formally adopted at the party's national convention, which begins on July 15.

 

Education Week

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved the allocation of $2bn to address learning loss caused by COVID lockdowns. The recent settlement in the case Cayla J. v. California led to this allocation, which aims to help children most impacted by lost learning and mental health issues. The funds will be used for tutoring and other efforts to assist students in recovering from learning loss. The lawsuit highlighted the detrimental effects of school shutdowns on low-income and minority students. The settlement requires existing funds to be used for hiring tutors and implementing programs to support students facing adverse education outcomes. Critics argue that California's policymakers created the problem by keeping schools closed for too long and that empowering families to choose their children's learning environments would be a better use of the funds. The allocation is seen as a stark admission of failure and has sparked criticism of the state's education policies.

 

Fox News

More than a third of school leaders are concerned about the traffic patterns around their buildings posing a threat to students' safety during their daily commutes, according to a recent survey. The survey revealed that many schools lack safety measures such as crossing guards, bike lanes, and traffic-calming measures. The ability to get to school safely is crucial for children's ability to learn, especially as more parents have been driving their children to school. Schools can take steps to improve safety, such as designating remote drop-off locations and increasing pedestrian safety measures. Encouraging walking and biking can reduce traffic congestion and create a culture that prioritizes active transportation. Schools should also consider dismissing students who walk or bike first to incentivize families to take advantage of safe walking routes. Taking action to ensure students' safety on the way to school is essential for their well-being and academic success.

 

Education Week News

Independent investigators from the Los Angeles Unified School District are examining claims that the district's $6m AI chatbot, Ed, compromised student data security. Created by AllHere, the tool was intended to enhance learning but instead may have endangered student privacy. Former AllHere software director Chris Whiteley, who has become a whistleblower, alleges that Ed mishandled personally identifiable information by processing it inappropriately and exposing it to potential hacks. These allegations surfaced after the collapse of AllHere, which also led to a scramble over the ownership and future of Ed's technology. The situation highlights broader concerns about the security and privacy risks of integrating advanced technology within educational settings. 

 

The 74

Top officials in New York City and the state are gathering input on how to address cellphones in schools, considering a possible ban. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has initiated a statewide listening tour to inform a policy proposal for the state's schools on smartphone use. The Education Department is still conducting research, signaling a pause in the announcement of a citywide school cellphone policy. Concerns over cellphone-related distractions in classrooms have been raised by teachers and surveys. Some educators and parents argue that schools should teach responsible phone use instead of banning devices. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio lifted the school system's cellphone ban in 2015, resulting in a patchwork of policies across schools. Some schools use Yondr pouches to collect phones, with the company expecting significant growth in pouch use. The ongoing discussions aim to find a balance between addressing distractions and promoting responsible phone use in schools.

 

Chalkbeat

A $62m proposal has been presented by the Billings Public Schools High School Solutions Committee to revamp Daylis Stadium and its surrounding area. The project aims to transform the 95-year-old venue into a modern and versatile facility, with improvements to parking, seating, and spaces used by student-athletes. Funding sources for the project are currently uncertain, with potential options including a fundraising campaign, INTERCAP loan, donations, grants, and increased ticket prices. The proposal includes plans for a new parking garage, a 10-lane track, improved turf, increased capacity, and upgraded grandstands and press boxes. The committee plans to further discuss the matter during a public meeting. The proposal aims to address the deteriorating conditions of Daylis Stadium and provide a multi-purpose facility for various sports and events.

 

Missoulian

Starting this academic year, six school districts in Alabama, including Jefferson and Baldwin Counties, will provide free breakfast and lunch to all their students for the first time since the pandemic. This change affects over 87,000 students and is part of a larger trend across the state driven by the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, which allows districts with a significant percentage of low-income families to offer free meals to all students. The initiative aims to enhance student focus, performance, and overall well-being by removing the stigma associated with free meals and ensuring all students have access to nutritious food. State lawmakers have also allocated $10m towards a summer meal benefits program to further support food security among students.

 

Al.com