at-risk

The principal of a Massachusetts high school is reviewing a school-sanctioned sexual education course after a parent complained that a flier about the class advocated condom use. According to the Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield High School Principal Tracey Benson received the complaint from parent Bruce Radke, who saw a list of 32 phrases -- described as "Condom Sayings" -- that was passed out to about 15 students, including Radke's daughter Aleisha, a junior at the school.

Officials say Tacoma (Wash.) middle school kids will be the big losers if money to save the after-school SPARX program can't be found. "It has a positive impact on our student body," said Jon Kellett, principal of Jason Lee Middle School. "Any after-school programming can help kids find their niche." Krestin Bahr, director of middle schools for Tacoma Public Schools, added: "It's been an effective model. It's a time for kids to explore who they are."

The accidental deaths of two special needs students from Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Fla. this year are shedding light on the need for comprehensive, mandatory emergency preparedness training for paraeducators. In October, 11-year-old Jennifer Caballero, a middle school student with Down syndrome, was found hiding under the bleachers during gym class by a coach, who two weeks earlier had complained to the assistant principal that the exceptional student education (ESE) aides were inattentive. The coach brought her to the aides, and asked them to keep an eye on her.

The NAACP says it is mobilizing volunteers to lobby at the state and local levels for its biggest push to overhaul public education since the 1954 Supreme Court decision that integrated the nation’s classrooms. The historic civil rights organization unveiled a plan Thursday for salvaging U.S. public education. It advocates having children spend more hours and days in school, extending the number of years devoted to school, improving teacher training and preschool programs, and routing a greater share of school funds to the neediest students.

The state education board has granted tentative approval to a plan to establish a charter school in Baton Rouge that would serve students with dyslexia. The proposed school — called Louisiana Key Academy — would serve students afflicted with the condition, which impairs the ability to read.

The accidental deaths of two special needs students from Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Fla. this year are shedding light on the need for comprehensive, mandatory emergency preparedness training for paraeducators.

A Washington state community is wracked with controversy after a Longview mother posted photos to Facebook of an "isolation booth" for young students at a local elementary school. Ana Bate, who posted the photos, says the images were taken at Longview's Mint Valley Elementary School. They depict a free-standing padded room that has two peepholes, air holes in the ceiling for ventilation and a metal bar that locks the door from the outside. The photos have gone viral and ignited a storm of criticism.

The Kentucky Supreme Court is considering a case that would require school officials to read Miranda rights to students being questioned.

Texas' new education commissioner Michael Williams said Thursday that he is considering a new system for rating school success and he thinks it should take into account how well districts are closing the achievement gap between Anglo and minority students.