Tag: public schools

Two Dallas Lawyers, One Mission

Ana R. Cheatwood
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In the wet, hot summer of 1984, Dallas City Hall Plaza hosted a full-on beach party, Formula One staged a race in Fair Park, and Splash hit movie theaters. But Mark Whitburn, a shy, bespectacled college kid with a philosophical bent, was headed to Camp Soroptimist in Argyle. He had decided to spend his summer as a counselor at one of the first camps in the country to serve children with disabilities. 

One afternoon, while walking up to the main lodge, he noticed a young teenager with severe cerebral palsy in a wheelchair. As he approached, the boy started making noises and flailing his arms. Instead of dismissing the behavior as an involuntary spasm, Whitburn thought he recognized something familiar. As he got closer, the kid’s wide grin confirmed it. 

He was laughing. At Whitburn.

For the first time in what would end up a lifetime of listening, Whitburn stayed with Sean Pevsner to try to understand what he was saying. The one thing he was sure of was that Pevsner was laughing at his own joke. After spending half an hour with him, Whitburn was finally able to decipher the comment that had tickled his new friend: “Four eyes.” 

While an insult about one’s glasses may not be the best way to start a friendship, Whitburn could tell that he was talking to someone with a sharp, witty mind who not only knew how to laugh but would persevere through any obstacle to make his point, even if it was just for a joke. 

Nearly four decades later, Whitburn and Pevsner are best friends. They run a law firm in Arlington together, advocating on behalf of clients with disabilities. Few lawyers have more lived experience than the pair, who have been in this fight since the summer they first

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Schools, law enforcement come together for safety exercise Thursday

Ana R. Cheatwood






Schools, law enforcement come together for safety exercise Thursday

Bluffs Middle School teachers and staff lead students toward their primary evacuation site. Schools have two evacuation sites planned to help ensure the safety of students in any given situation.




Schools across the area tested their emergency preparedness with a joint emergency response simulation on Thursday.

The exercise was carried out in conjunction with local law enforcement and emergency responders in school buildings in Gering and Scottsbluff public schools as well as Educational Service Unit #13.

The simulation was designed and overseen by James Todd, the director of safety and security for Scottsbluff Public Schools.

“We want to test our protocols and see where we stand,” said Todd. “I’m a firm believer that we would rather make our mistakes practicing than we would in real life.”




Schools, law enforcement come together for safety exercise Thursday

Bluffs Middle School students make their way out of the building after lockdown is lifted. School leadership expressed how impressed they were with the quiet and orderly conduct of the students at BMS.




Bluffs Middle School Principal Jana Mason was confident that practice would prepare her students and staff to respond appropriately in any situation.

“We do a lot of drills that prepare us for lots of different scenarios,” said Mason. “So, our staff is very diligent and they are well prepared for if we needed to evacuate, if we had to move our entire student body into a lockdown, or if it were something where we needed to secure our perimeter.”

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The exact nature of the scenario was kept secret until the drill began to best simulate a true emergency and test whether the schools were truly prepared for anything.

This year’s simulation included a critical twist: the removal of the schools’ principals from the response.

Todd said that this curveball was intended

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Tewksbury Police and public schools collaborate to offer high school students a pathway to law enforcement | News

Ana R. Cheatwood

TEWKSBURY — Police Chief Ryan Columbus and Superintendent Bren­da Theriault-Regan are pleased to share that Tewksbury Police Depart­ment and Tewksbury Pub­lic Schools are collaborating to offer students an introduction to the field of criminal justice through elective classes at Tewksbury Memorial High School.

Currently, about 20 juniors and seniors are taking Introduction to Cri­minal Justice, which provides an illuminating, hands-on look at the dai­ly work of law enforcement. Students learn how officers process crime scenes and interview witnesses. They also gain an understanding of both physical fitness requirements and law.

The collaboration is aim­ed at building a sol­id partnership with the Tewksbury Police Depart­ment, thus creating a pathway to law enforcement careers for students in Tewksbury Pub­lic Schools who believe they may be interested in being a police officer, first responder, or in oth­er law-related careers. It also assists law enforcement, which faces a local and nationwide recruiting crunch.

“We know we need to do a better job of connecting kids to real-life ca­reers, so we’re committed to providing applied learning experiences and all kinds of career learning opportunities,” said Superintendent Ther­iault-Regan. “This kind of engaging, hands-on learning can help students realize that this is a career field that they would enjoy pursuing, or it can help them realize if it’s not. At the end of the day, we need to give our students more opportunities to investigate and try out possible career paths.”

The Tewksbury Police Department prioritizes maintaining and building a partnership between po­lice and the community, and this partnership with Tewksbury Public Schools furthers that goal while strengthening schools as well.

“This is about building a partnership with the schools and the community. We need to bridge the gap about what is per­ceived that we do and what we actually do in the community. We are also

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Rep. Glenn’s legislation signed into law

Ana R. Cheatwood

Rep. Annette Glenn’s legislation reaffirming the rights of parents in Michigan schools is now state law.

House Bill 5703 will require all public schools to prominently post a section of state law in administration offices, school board meeting rooms and other locations. The language reaffirming parental rights – which has been part of state law for several decades – will also be included in manuals and training materials provided to Michigan Department of Education and State Board of Education employees.

“This will serve as a visible and valuable reminder that parents have a fundamental right to direct the education of their children,” said Glenn, R-Midland, in a news release from her office. “It isn’t debatable, and it shouldn’t be political. The law is clear, and it has been in statute in Michigan for many years.”

Glenn’s legislation includes a requirement that the following language from Michigan’s Revised School Code be displayed in public schools: “It is the natural, fundamental right of parents and legal guardians to determine and direct the care, teaching, and education of their children. The public schools of this state serve the needs of the pupils by cooperating with the pupil’s parents and legal guardians to develop the pupil’s intellectual capabilities and vocational skills in a safe and positive environment.”

Glenn introduced the legislation in February and it originally passed the House with bipartisan support in March. According to the release, Glenn renewed her call to finalize approval of the legislation after a recent controversy over Michigan Department of Education training videos suggesting educators should hide information about students’ gender identity from their parents.

The Senate approved a final version of Glenn’s bill by a 28-5 vote, while the House approved it 84-20. Gov. Whitmer signed the legislation this week.

Glenn’s legislation is modeled after federal and

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New Virginia law mandates public schools alert parents to sexually explicit instructional material

Ana R. Cheatwood

A new Virginia law will mandate that every family in the state will be alerted if their children could be exposed to sexually explicit content in public schools.

Officials with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) said the regulations, which school boards have until January to adopt, are at reinforcing parents in their right to decide what their children are exposed to and at protecting their innocence, according to local Richmond outlet WTKR. They also noted that the law is not intended to censor books or instructional material based on the sexual orientation of characters in such books.

The policy mandates that public schools in Virginia, which has been a hotbed of conflict between parents and school boards, must give parents prior notice if they intend to use any material with sexually explicit content, which it defines as “any description, picture, photograph , drawing, motion picture film, digital image or similar visual representation depicting sexual bestiality, a lewd exhibition of nudity, sexual excitement, sexual conduct or sadomasochistic abuse, coprophilia, urophilia, or fetishism.”

Parents will be allowed to review the potentially objectionable material and be given the opportunity for their child to be given an alternative in a process that schools will be required to create before the start of each school year.

JUDGE DISMISSES VIRGINIA OBSCENITY LAWSUIT SEEKING TO RESTRICT DISTRIBUTION OF BOOKS TO MINORS

Glenn Youngkin, governor of Virginia, speaks prior to signing executive actions in the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, US, on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022.

Glenn Youngkin, governor of Virginia, speaks prior to signing executive actions in the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, US, on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022.
(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Schools will also be mandated to list the materials on their websites and give parents at least 30 days’ notice before such material is slated to be taught.

The policies apply to “Any content used by one or more students for an educational

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Texas Republican reframes “In God We Trust” law after pushback, protests

Ana R. Cheatwood

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When news broke two weeks ago that Texas had a new law on the books requiring public schools to display donated “In God We Trust” signs, protesters quickly schemed about how to subvert the law’s intent.

In Florida, longtime church and state separation advocate Chaz Stevens immediately began work on a plan. He wanted his protest to follow the letter of the law, but flip it in a way that might spark opposition from the law’s supporters, like having the nation’s motto written in Arabic. Stevens is well aware he’s relying on Islamophobia to provoke conservatives but he’s also hoping teachers can use his signs to discuss faiths other than the nation’s dominant religion in public schools.

“What better place for a teachable moment?” he said.

But in the wake of Stevens’ protest, a Texas lawmaker and conservative school district are now running interference on the subversive backlash from Stevens and other protesters.

A year ago, Senate Bill 797, authored by state Mon. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, went into effect, mandating schools to display signs bearing the national motto in a “conspicuous place” if donated or purchased for the purpose of display. The law initially made in donations of “In God We Trust” posters to public schools from the Christian cellphone company Patriot Mobile.

When others learned of the donated signs, activists created displays of the motto both in Arabic and in rainbow lettering signifying support of the LGBTQ community. News of their plans quickly hit social media and Hughes, a lawyer, stepped in, firing off a letter to the Texas Education Agency. In it, he argued that any donated “In God We Trust” sign must be in English

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Ducey governor touts school voucher plan and slams opponents

Ana R. Cheatwood

The bill gives parents the ability to take state money that would go to public schools and instead use it for private school tuition or other educational costs.

ARIZONA, USA — Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and backers of universal school vouchers took a victory lap Tuesday over legislation the Republican-controlled Legislature enacted in June giving the state the nation’s most expansive voucher system, and he also used the time to attack backers of public schools who are trying to block the measure at the ballot.

Ducey touted the signature bill he signed in July that gives all Arizona parents the ability to take state money that would go to their local public school and instead use it for private school tuition or other education costs.

RELATED: Ducey approves biggest US school voucher plan, faces challenge

The governor had a ceremonial signing at a central Phoenix Christian school that already gets large benefits from the state’s tax credit donation programs and existing school voucher program.

But he celebrated the new universal voucher expansion, which has been a key goal during his eight years in office. A similar law with enrollment caps that passed in 2017 was rejected by 2/3 of the state’s voters the following year, but Ducey did not stop his voucher expansion plans.

“Over the last eight years, and it is taken all of eight years, we have taken action to ensure that more kids have this opportunity by positioning Arizona as the national leader in school choice,” Ducey told several hundred students, lawmakers and voucher supporters gathered at Phoenix Christian Preparatory School.

“Our kids will no longer be stuck in underperforming schools. We’re unlocking more educational options for them and unlocking their full potential,” he said. “There’s no one-size fits all model to education.”

But he acknowledged

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School start times mandated in California to let teens sleep

Ana R. Cheatwood

Too many teenagers are getting too little sleep. That’s the assessment by a range of experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has declared teen sleep deprivation a public health issue, affecting everything from mental and physical health to academic performance.

In an effort to address this, California has mandated that public middle schools start no earlier than 8 am, and high schools no earlier than 8:30 am California is the first to pass such legislation, but a handful of states are considering it, and many others recommend later starts but don’t require them.

Why We Wrote This

Balancing school schedules and student needs takes cooperation. California is mandating start times as a way to help teens get more sleep. What is involved in that change?

California’s law, SB 328, which passed in 2019, allowed school districts three years for the transition. Going into effect now, the bill wrests control over school schedules from local communities, causing opponents to decide it as an imposition by lawmakers out of touch with the needs of families and individual school districts. But the California School Boards Association, which was originally against the mandate, “moved past the opposition phase once the bill became law,” says CSBA Chief Information Officer Troy Flint via email.

“School boards and staff have worked diligently to find workarounds and accommodations that respect the law as well as the needs of students and families, and we applaud them for that effort,” adds Mr. Flint.

As millions of California students head back to school this month, they’ll get a bit more time before their alarms go off. The most populous state in the country is also the first to mandate start times in public schools – an effort to allow teens much-needed winks. Middle schools can start no earlier

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Court declines to block Tennessee’s private school voucher program

Ana R. Cheatwood

A judicial panel declined Friday to block Tennessee’s private school voucher program from launching this school year, as the state began accepting applications from families in Memphis and Nashville seeking taxpayer money to pay for a private education.

The judges said plaintiffs in two lawsuits against the state, including one from local governments in the two cities, failed to show that a second injunction against the program was warranted.

“Specifically, we are unpersuaded that the harm the plaintiffs believe to be imminent is as irreparable or certain so as to justify blocking the implementation” of the state law at this stage of the litigation, the judges wrote.

In their 13-page decision, the judges also said they weren’t convinced the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their remaining challenges to Tennessee’s 2019 education savings account law.

The ruling, following a nearly four-hour hearing earlier in the day, clears the way for Gov. Bill Lee’s administration to begin giving approximately $8,000 in taxpayer money to each of up to 5,000 families in the program’s first year.

State officials said 2,185 families and 83 private schools completed forms in July to indicate they are interested in participating. But it’s uncertain how many families will qualify.

To be eligible, a family must be zoned to attend Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools or the state-run Achievement School District. The student had to attend public schools last year for the full school year, or be set to enroll this year for the first time. And household income can’t exceed twice the federal income eligibility guidelines for a free school lunch, which is $47,606 for a family of two or $72,150 for a family of four.

Motions asking the court to block the rollout were the latest attempt by Nashville and Shelby County governments, along

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WV judge blocks school voucher law

Ana R. Cheatwood

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A judge in West Virginia’s capital struck down a law on Wednesday that would have funneled state money into a program that incentivized families to pull their children out of K-12 public schools.

Immediately following the ruling, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said his office plans to appeal.

Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Joanna Tabit ruled that the Hope Scholarship voucher program, which would have been one of the most far-reaching school choice programs in the country, violates the state’s constitutional mandate to provide “a thorough and efficient system of free schools. “

Passed by the GOP-controlled state Legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice last year, the law allows families to apply for state funding to support private school tuition, homeschooling fees and a wide range of other expenses.

Set to go into effect during the 2022-23 school year, more than 3,000 students had been approved to receive around $4,300 each during the program’s inaugural cycle.

Families could not receive the money if their children were already homeschooled or attending private school. To qualify, students had to have been enrolled in a West Virginia public school last year or set to begin kindergarten this upcoming school year.

WV GOVERNOR JIM JUSTICE TO APPEAL DENIAL OF FEDERAL FLOOD ASSISTANCE

In January, three parents filed a lawsuit saying the program incentivizes students to withdraw from public schools and drains funds from the public education system. The suit was supported by the West Virginia Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools.

Gov. Jim Justice signed this bill into effect last year, but it was struck down.

Gov. Jim Justice signed this bill into effect last year, but it was struck down.
(Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Dale Lee, president of West Virginia’s largest educator’s union, said Wednesday that parents have the right to choose

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