Authorities in Carroll County, Md., are investigating the death of a 17-year-old East Baltimore youth who collapsed Tuesday evening while being restrained by staff at a privately run residential program for juvenile offenders. Isaiah Simmons III was pronounced dead at Carroll Hospital Center after paramedics found him in cardiac arrest at the Bowling Brook Preparatory School near Westminster. (Baltimore Sun)
The Bush administration is proposing an array of changes to the No Child Left Behind law that would give local school officials new powers to override both teachers’ contracts and state limits on charter schools in the case of persistently failing schools. (New York Times)
The Washington, D.C., school board is proposing an emergency "blitz" to make facility improvements at more than 100 of the system's 140 schools. (Washington Post)
New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein has laid out the first specifics of his plan to change the school financing system so that schools of similar sizes and demographics get roughly the same amount of city money per student. (New York Times)
A much publicized deal to sign Manuel J. Rivera as Boston school superintendent has collapsed without notice. Rivera, now school superintendent in Rochester, N.Y., will head New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's new commission on public higher education. (Boston Globe)
The University of California at Los Angeles says that 50,694 students have applied for the fall freshman class, up 7.1 percent from last year. That means the campus, as it has for nearly a decade, has attracted more applications than any other university nationwide. (Los Angeles Times)
Forensic experts still are trying to determine what caused the death of Darius Gordon, a senior at Taft High School in Chicago. A member of the school's basketball team, Gordon, 18, collapsed after a game Tuesday night. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Sewage leaking into classrooms and laboratories last week at Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City, Md., forced officials to move students taking midterm exams and prompted a cleanup and worries about health and safety of students and staff. Students have returned to most of the affected spaces after Howard County health officials said problems had been corrected. (Washington Post)
TODAY'S QUOTE:
“We believe this situation to be appalling. In the past five to seven years, there have been instances of raw sewage spurting out of the sink in the media center and the water fountains in the social studies hallway.”
--Teachers at Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City, Md., in a letter to the school board complaining about conditions in the school. Read the Washington Post article.
Officials in the Yorkville (Ill.) school district want to recoup years of tax revenue they say was sent mistakenly to neighboring school districts. Kendall County officials are investigating whether money meant for Yorkville instead went to the Oswego, Plano and Newark school districts. (Chicago Sun-Times)
With more than 150 school bus accidents recorded in less than three years, Jefferson Parish (La.) public school officials plan to hire two safety coordinators to help curtail wrecks and protect passengers. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
DuPage (Ill.) High School District 88 will seek voter approval in April to undertake the most significant series of upgrades to its two campuses in more than 30 years. The $104.7 million bond proposal would pay for overhauls of Willowbrook High School in Villa Park and Addison Trail High School in Addison. (Chicago Tribune)
Southern Methodist University's president talked Wednesday with about 125 professors about the George W. Bush presidential library and the many concerns it brings. It was the first back-and-forth meeting between President Gerald Turner and faculty members since SMU learned in December that it's likely to land the Bush library. Related: Bush library donors could remain anonymous. (Dallas Morning News)
A San Diego federal judge has ruled in favor of Poway (Calif.) school officials who pulled a student from class for wearing a T-shirt he says paraphrased the Bible teaching that “homosexuality is shameful.” (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Some tax watchdog groups and parents contend that student population projections were exaggerated to persuade voters in Carpentersville, Ill.,-based District 300 to back last year's $185 million bond sale. (Chicago Tribune)
The Leander (Texas) district's plans to open a elementary school inside a former chemical company building have alarmed some parents, and district officials say further testing of the site could push back the expected fall opening. (Austin American-Statesman)
After a scolding from residents on fiscal accountability, board members in Evanston (Ill.) Township High School District 202 decided to reconsider charging students an activities fee. (Chicago Tribune)
The three high schools in Dearborn, Mich., are inching toward joining the synthetic turf revolution sweeping athletic fields throughout the Detroit area. Next step: Figuring out how to foot the $6 million bill for the fields and other improvements. (Detroit News)
A federal jury has found that the St. Charles Parish (La.) School Board violated the civil rights of former school system employee Kevin Friloux when the board voted to eliminate his job two years ago. Friloux, who was assistant director of the school district's tax office, contended that his firing was retaliation because he had run for public office. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
A group of parents argues that the Southfield (Mich.) school district should keep Kennedy Elementary School open, but district officials say the economics of dwindling enrollment cannot be ignored. (Detroit News)
The announcement of looming school closings has sent waves of worry through many of the nearly 500,000 Catholics in southern New Jersey. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Note: Some web sites require registration (at no charge) to gain access to articles
MORE: Recent AS&U News Headlines:
Wednesday, Jan. 24
Tuesday, Jan. 23
Monday, Jan. 22
Friday, Jan. 19
(Links to some older stories may no longer be active)
Return to American School & University Home Page
Want a weekly update on the latest news in school facilities and operations? Click HERE to sign up for a free subscription to Schoolhouse Beat, American School & University's e-mail newsletter.
