Weekly News Round-Up for September 7th

posted by: Melissa | September 07, 2018, 06:22 PM

Each week, KANAAE brings its members a round-up of what’s happening in education. From big, eye-catching headlines to the stories most papers overlook, we find the news our members really want to see. This week, teacher strikes, gun purchases, sleeping in, and more!

West Coast Teacher Strikes: The biggest story of the week continues to be the teachers’ strikes in Washington State. Some of the districts who were originally striking have penned deals and returned to the classrooms, while others, like Seattle Public Schools, were able to finalize their contracts before the first day of school and avoid a strike altogether. However in many districts, teachers are protesting, causing students to miss school. In total, 6,000 teachers are on the picket line, making this the largest number of teacher strikes since 1983. Like what we saw last spring, the teacher protests seem to be spreading beyond Washington State. Just this week, Los Angeles teachers also voted to authorize a strike.

DeVos to Allow Firearms Purchases: Recently, the public learned that some school funds could allow schools to purchase guns for arming teachers. Many people responded by speaking out and asking the Education Department to block the purchases. Last Friday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos clarified her position. She said that schools and districts have always had the flexibility to decide how they would use funds and that she didn’t have the authority to remove that flexibility. The flexibility she speaks of is part of the Every Students Succeeds Act, which was designed to return more autonomy to the states.

California Students to Sleep In: California lawmakers passed a bill that would ban middle and high schools in the state from starting before 8:30 a.m. Recent research has suggested that teenagers have a slightly different circadian rhythm than adults or young children. Because of that, later start times in schools can help teenage students achieve. Currently, 80 percent of California middle and high schools start before 8:30 a.m. The bill gives schools three years to comply. It was opposed by the California Teachers Association and California School Boards Association.

Happening Elsewhere:

Detroit is latest big school district to turn off tap water

Study: Teachers’ professional pay gap at a record high

Hogan hires school ‘accountability’ investigator

Test scores are down in NC public schools. What needs to change?

Texas expects thousands more special education students. But where are the teachers?

Ohio school resource officer used Taser to wake sleeping student: police

A man put up an electric fence near a school bus stop to keep kids off his lawn

Cole Middle School student brought weapon to school a week after shooting, police say

Boy, 15, dies after being shot outside Providence school

What’s going on where you are?

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