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Los Angeles USD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has been placed on indefinite paid administrative leave, two days after FBI agents raided his home and district office as part of an undisclosed criminal investigation. The FBI has not accused Carvalho of wrongdoing, but sources suggest that he is a target in an investigation connected to AllHere, the now-defunct company behind an AI chatbot launched by the district in 2024 and withdrawn within three months. AllHere’s founder, Joanna Smith-Griffin, has been charged with defrauding investors and has pleaded not guilty. The school board named chief of school operations Andres Chait as acting superintendent, emphasizing the role is temporary and leaving open the possibility of Carvalho’s return. Carvalho, who recently secured a second four-year contract with an annual salary of $440,000, has not commented publicly. The move comes amid uncertainty over the scope and timeline of the federal probe, which also included a search of a Florida property linked to a former associate.

 

CNN Edition

EdSource

Los Angeles Times

Politico

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The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights and StandWithUs have filed a lawsuit against California, alleging that Jewish students have faced "pervasive antisemitism in their California public schools." The suit, representing five families from Los Angeles and the Bay Area, claims that state officials, including State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, failed to address antisemitic harassment effectively. Roz Rothstein, chief executive of StandWithUs, emphasized the need for California K-12 schools to avoid being "co-opted by those seeking to indoctrinate students into antisemitic hate." The lawsuit seeks a court order to monitor schools for antisemitism, eliminate biased curricula, and mandate training for school staff.

 

EdSource

East Bay

Mercury News

California schools rely on a widening ecosystem of ed tech that reaches beyond classrooms into sports, transportation, and health records, while existing privacy laws contain exceptions that still allow student data to be packaged and sold. Assemblymember Dawn Addis is advancing Assembly Bill 1159 to tighten protections, including limits on how AI companies use student data and new safeguards for college students, amid concerns about federal data collection on issues like immigration status and gender identity. Privacy researcher Jen King described invasive app sign-ups and “dark patterns,” saying, “You can check in, but you can never check out.”

 

The 74 (Online)

Teachers in California are facing financial strain, with many living paycheck to paycheck and delaying necessary healthcare. During an EdSource roundtable, panelists discussed the urgent need for better pay and benefits, emphasizing that "cutting teachers is absolutely not the answer," according to Sabrina Bazzo, vice president of the San Diego USD School Board. David Goldberg, president of the California Teachers Association, noted that budgets have been "balanced on their backs for years." As districts grapple with rising costs and declining enrollment, the need for transparency in financial decisions is critical. Michael H. Fine, chief executive of the Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team, warned that layoffs hinder teachers' focus on the classroom, remarking: "You get a pink slip on March 15, the rest of the year’s morale is pretty darn low." The discussion highlighted the importance of prioritizing teacher compensation while addressing the growing financial pressures of special education.

 

EdSource

Tamalpais UHSD has approved $2.2m in staff cuts due to declining enrollment and a budget deficit. The board voted 4-0 to issue preliminary warning notices, or "pink slips," to over 11 teachers and more than 13 classified staff. Trustee Ida Green expressed the difficulty of the decision, asserting: "These are folks, and this is their livelihood." The layoffs, which could be reversed if retirements occur, are necessary to maintain a minimum 17% reserve of annual expenditures in the district's $128.8m budget. Additionally, Kyle Jackson, the intervention coordinator for the Black Student Success Team, resigned under pressure, stating his resignation was "not voluntary." Superintendent Courtney Goode confirmed the district will seek a new coordinator for the upcoming school year.

 

San Luis Obispo Tribune

A new report has called for a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), arguing its research should be more coherent, timely and useful to states and schools. The review, by special adviser Amber Northern, recommends aligning the agency’s four centres around shared national priorities, speeding up grant awards, improving data releases, and producing clearer, practitioner-focused guidance. It also questions the value and cost of some longitudinal studies and highlights overlap between regional research and technical assistance programmes. While the report frames IES as critical national infrastructure, it is unclear whether the department will act on the recommendations, particularly given sharp staff reductions despite a largely intact $793m budget.

 

Education Week News

Recent reports indicate a significant rise in mental health issues among students due to intensified immigration enforcement activities across the U.S. School counselors, such as Sue Arvidson from St. Paul School District in Minnesota, have observed students expressing anxiety and fear about their safety and the potential absence of their families. Arvidson said: "We cannot always promise that our schools are safe places." The impact is felt not only by immigrant students but also by their peers, as the pervasive fear disrupts daily routines and emotional well-being. Janet Rodriguez, a school-based therapist in Bowling Green, Kentucky, noted that many students are already traumatized upon entering school. Experts emphasize the need for counselors to understand the unique challenges faced by immigrant families and to provide appropriate support, while also taking care of their own well-being.

 

Education Week News

A University of Toledo-led study by Dr. Brandon Wood reports that most school superintendents and principals oppose arming teachers to prevent school shootings. Surveying 500+ administrators across 30 states, the research found over two-thirds of superintendents and more than half of principals strongly oppose allowing teachers to carry firearms. Still, many said that if such policies proceed, strict safeguards are essential, including psychological evaluations, background checks, drug testing, and secure storage in locked boxes. Support was higher among gun owners, rural administrators, and Republicans, underscoring the need to include leader views in policy debates.

 

Phys.org

The Redwood City School District Board of Trustees has approved a measure for a June 2 election to implement a parcel tax aimed at generating $12.2m annually. This tax would charge 17.5 cents per building square foot, equating to $175 for a 1,000-square-foot property, and would be in effect for eight years, with exemptions for seniors. Board President David Weekly emphasized the importance of this funding, remarking: "This is really critical for delivering education because ultimately it's the human beings that are in the classroom that deliver an education to your students." The revenue from this tax would support teacher salaries and student services, unlike bond measures which are restricted to facility upgrades. If approved, this tax would supplement the existing Measure U, which currently generates $1.9m annually.

 

San Mateo Daily Journal

San Jose USD's proposed school closures have raised significant concerns, particularly regarding their impact on minority students and English language learners. The plan could close or consolidate up to nine elementary schools, primarily affecting those with higher enrollments of Hispanic, Black, and English learner students, while sparing schools with larger white populations. Education advocates argue that the district's criteria for closures, which focus on enrollment size and facility conditions, may perpetuate historical inequities.

 

Mercury News

Researchers at Carleton University are urging the Ontario government to introduce mandatory early numeracy screening, arguing that identifying math struggles in kindergarten and the early grades is critical to preventing long-term academic setbacks. They say math is “relentlessly hierarchical,” with early gaps in number skills compounding over time and limiting students’ ability to succeed in algebra and pursue careers in fields such as finance and technology. Research shows that children with low numerical competency at age 4½ are less likely to take advanced high school math or enrol in postsecondary education, and early weaknesses are linked to math anxiety and poorer performance by Grade 7. Despite Ontario investing more than C$70m ($51.28m) over three years in math supports, half of Grade 6 students and 42% of Grade 9 students in English-language schools failed to meet the provincial standard in 2024-25. Advocates point to Alberta’s model of twice-yearly screening in Grades 1 to 3, where one division improved Grade 9 pass rates from 23% in Grade 1 to 78.8%. Supporters argue that screening must be paired with targeted interventions and sustained investment, but say early identification could help Ontario avoid what some describe as a continuing math crisis.

 

The Globe and Mail

The US Department of Education has hung a banner of late conservative activist Charlie Kirk outside its headquarters as part of commemorations marking the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was murdered last year on the campus of Utah Valley University, with the suspect facing multiple charges including aggravated murder. The banner appears alongside those honoring education advocates Catharine Beecher and Booker T. Washington, under a slogan highlighting the role of states in telling the stories of American education heroes. The department said the display recognizes leaders whose contributions have shaped education, as part of broader anniversary celebrations.

 

The Hill