current events

Detroit Public Schools officials say two men who stole at least 38 computers from the district are now behind bars. A Detroit Public Schools police investigation, in conjunction with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, led to the arrests and guilty pleas from Cornelius Johnson and Lewis Raymond Buyck, alleged gang members who stole multiple computers from the school system.

Superstorm Sandy swept the East Coast in late October, leaving not only residents and businesses without power and struggling to stay afloat, but thousands of schools in the region without power as well. It reminded administrators of the need for comprehensive emergency plans to ensure student, staff, and data security.

Tom Sirard, an Enfield (Conn.) Board of Education member from 2009 to 2011, was re-appointed to that board at Monday night's Town Council meeting. A Republican vacancy exists on the board due to the recent resignation of past vice chairman Chuck Johnson. The town charter calls for a replacement to be designated by the council.

A student was shot and wounded at a rural California high school Thursday and a student suspect was taken into custody, officials said. The shooting occurred about 9 a.m. at Taft Union High School, a community of fewer than 10,000 people amid oil and natural gas production fields about 120 miles northwest of Los Angeles. A shotgun was used in the attack, officials said.

Now that some time has passed since the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., perhaps it is time to reflect on what actions our schools might look forward to in 2013 and beyond.

Starting to feel safe again after the Sandy Hook tragedy.

A $100 million legal claim filed against the state of Connecticut in the wake of the deadly Newtown elementary school shooting has been withdrawn for now, local media reported Tuesday.

Sharon Scott-Hunter, 59, a retired assistant superintendent of the Chester Upland School District who spent 25 years teaching special education elementary students in Philadelphia, died of cancer Tuesday, Dec. 11, at Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse. Mrs. Scott-Hunter was a "consummate educator," said Gregory Thornton, former superintendent of Chester Upland.

Donna Page, the retired principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School, will return to her former post when the school reopens, her husband confirmed Tuesday night.