Private, Public & Charter School's K-12

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School safety

A 14-year-old student has been arrested after bringing a gun on Wednesday to Apalachee High School, the same Georgia high school where a shooting in September killed two teachers and two students and wounded others. The student was taken to a juvenile detention facility and charged with two counts of possessing a weapon on school grounds, theft and being a minor in possession of a gun. Wednesday's arrest comes as students, teachers and parents across the US have urged local officials to enhance security on school campuses. More than 80 school shootings took place in 2024, surpassing 2023 for the most school shootings in a single year since CNN began tracking such incidents in 2008.

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More schools ban cellphones

Data: KFF; Map: Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios A growing number of states are banning cellphones in schools — almost always with bipartisan support, Axios' April Rubin reports. ☑️ Where it stands: Eight states have banned or restricted cellphones in schools. Education departments in another 10 states have issued policy recommendations or begun pilot programs to curb phone usage. And at least 11 states, as of December, were considering legislation to ban or restrict cellphone use in schools, per health nonprofit KFF. ? What they're saying: "It doesn't matter if you live in a big city or a rural town, urban or suburban, all children are struggling and need that seven-hour break from the pressures of phones and social media during the school day," Kim Whitman, co-founder of the Phone Free Schools Movement, told AP. ☎️ The other side: Those who oppose the bans, especially parents of K-12 students, argue that parents should be able to reach their children when needed. Many parents see cellphones as critical for safety and connectedness, especially in the face of emergencies like school shootings. Go deeper.

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How Segregated Are Your Local Private Schools? We Made a Tool to Help You Find Out.

In South Carolina, where I live, rural towns often remain largely divided by race, especially those with larger Black communities. You’ll often hear people describe railroad tracks that run through these towns and how white people live on one side of the tracks, Black people on the other. That’s true. But I’ve often seen a different dividing line, a more impenetrable one. This one runs between schools: private and public ones.

https://www.propublica.org/article/segregation-academies-demographic-data-private-schools?

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School safety

Law enforcement officials are working to uncover a motive for a shooting at Nashville's Antioch High School on Wednesday that left two students dead. District officials are also examining AI gun detection software, which is used in all Metro Nashville Public Schools, that failed to detect the shooter's gun. The technology, called Omnilert, didn't spot the weapon because the shooter wasn't close enough to cameras to get an accurate read and activate the alarm, the school district said, adding it will enhance security measures. Omnilert CEO Dave Fraser said the safety of its schools is the company's top priority and expressed dismay that the "weapon was not visible" for the technology to respond.

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? Schools stare down ICE

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

School leaders across the U.S. are working to reassure parents about potential immigration enforcement on campuses after the Trump administration reversed a long-standing policy discouraging enforcement in "sensitive" areas. Why it matters: The mere possibility of immigration enforcement on campus could cause widespread fear, leading some students to skip school. It could also threaten school funding, which is often tied to attendance, Axios local reporters Alayna Alvarez, Erin Alberty, Mike D'Onofrio and Kate Murphy write. Zoom in: Some school districts are taking steps to protect students and families, outlining policies that limit cooperation with immigration authorities. Denver Public Schools, a district with roughly 89,000 students, said on Jan. 14 that principals should deny entry to any government official who arrives without prior appointments or legitimate school business. The Salt Lake City School District reiterated that it doesn't track students' immigration status and will not report students to immigration authorities. The Philadelphia School District said school staff are instructed not to provide ICE officers with any information about students, families or employees, nor will they be allowed in schools without approval from district lawyers. Some districts say they'll comply with ICE. "Florida schools will cooperate with all law enforcement working to enforce the nation's laws on illegal immigration," Florida's education department spokesperson Sydney Booker told Axios Tampa Bay. Keep reading ...

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Oklahoma Board of Education votes to approve proposal requiring parents to prove citizenship when enrolling students

The Oklahoma State Board of Education voted Tuesday to approve a proposal requiring parents to report their immigration or citizenship status when enrolling their children in school.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/28/us/oklahoma-school-students-immigration-proof/index.html?

Oklahoma proposal requires parents to provide immigration status when enrolling students

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Parents enrolling children in Oklahoma public schools will be required to provide proof of their child’s U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status under a proposed rule approved Tuesday by the State Board of Education.

https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-schools-illegal-immigration-ryan-walters-13fa267d1fdc2c41a90a1a54ac364ff0?

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US children fall further behind in reading, make little improvement in math on national exam America’s children have continued to lose ground on reading skills in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and have made little improvement in math, according to the latest results of an exam known as the nation’s report card. The National Assessment of Educational Progress is considered one of the best gauges of the academic progress of the U.S. school system. Read more.

Why this matters: The findings are yet another setback for U.S. schools and reflect the myriad challenges that have upended education, from pandemic school closures to a youth mental health crisis and high rates of chronic absenteeism.   Especially alarming to officials was the divide between higher- and lower-performing students, which has grown wider than ever. Students with the highest scores outperformed their peers from two years ago, making up some ground lost during the pandemic. But the lowest performers are scoring even lower, falling further behind.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US education agency investigating Denver schools over all-gender bathroom   Free speech organizations denounce Education Department’s calling book bans a ‘hoax’   Kentucky students challenging whether the state is meeting its constitutional duty on education   ? Reading scores hit all-time low   Data: 2024 NAEP Reading Assessment; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios U.S. students' reading comprehension scores are at a record low, Axios' April Rubin writes from the Nation's Report Card. Students across age groups demonstrated continued declines in reading comprehension, and the gaps between high- and low-achieving students have widened. ? What they're saying: "Not only did most students not recover from pandemic-related learning loss, but those students who were the most behind and needed the most support have fallen even further behind," the Department of Education said in a statement. Go deeper ... Read the report card.

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This Charter School Superintendent Makes $870,000. He Leads a District With 1,000 Students.

On paper, Salvador Cavazos earns less than $300,000 to run Valere Public Schools, a small Texas charter network. But taxpayers likely aren’t aware that in reality, his total pay makes him one of the country’s highest-earning superintendents.

https://www.propublica.org/article/valere-public-schools-superintendent-salary-texas?

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Texas Lawmakers Want a Charter School Network to Stop Paying Its Superintendent Nearly $900K. The School Board Says No.

Texas lawmakers and an advocacy group representing charter schools harshly criticized a tiny charter school network that has paid its superintendent up to $870,000 annually, making him one of the highest-paid public school leaders in the country.

https://www.propublica.org/article/salvador-cavazos-valere-pay-pushback?

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How Texas Conservatives Use At-Large School Board Elections to Influence What Students Learn

In 2019, the Keller Independent School District in North Texas looked a lot like its counterpart just 30 miles to the east in the Dallas suburb of Richardson. Each served about 35,000 children and had experienced sharp increases in the racial diversity of students in recent decades. Each was run by a school board that was almost entirely white.

https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-school-boards-richardson-keller-at-large-voting?

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‘It was so freeing’

A pilot program at a Virginia high school requires students to put their phones inside magnetic locking pouches every morning. Things got off to a rocky start, but some students are starting to see the benefits — and teachers applaud having fewer distractions in the classroom.

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K-12 schools must sign certification against DEI to receive federal money, administration says

As a condition for receiving federal money, the Trump administration is ordering K-12 schools to certify that they are following federal civil rights laws and eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Read More.

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Idaho Gave Families $50M to Spend on Private Education. Then It Ended a $30M Program Used by Public School Families.

Just weeks after creating a $50 million tax credit to help families pay for private school tuition and homeschooling, Idaho has shut down a program that helped tens of thousands of public school students pay for laptops, school supplies, tutoring and other educational expenses.

https://www.propublica.org/article/idaho-vouchers-public-school-funding-cuts?

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Oklahoma will teach high school students debunked 2020 election-fraud theories as fact

The new academic standards promote U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies' groundless 2020 election conspiracy theories.

Claim:

Oklahoma instituted updated academic standards in 2025 requiring schools to teach high school students that widespread fraud impacted the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

Rating: True

In late April and early May 2025, a rumor spread online that Oklahoma would soon require schools to teach students that widespread voter fraud occurred during the 2020 presidential election, echoing baseless conspiracy theories promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump to explain why he lost that election to former President Joe Biden.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/oklahoma-2020-election-fraud-theories/?

ps:What's the matter with these people?????

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? D.C.'s public schools will ban cellphones beginning next year. Almost half of all U.S. states have either banned phones or are considering it. Go deeper.

? 1 for the road: Bans go bipartisan

Data: Axios research and KFF. Map: Axios Visuals D.C.'s public schools will enforce a cell phone ban starting next school year, the district said yesterday. Why it matters: D.C. joins nearly half the country in the bipartisan push to limit students' cellphone use in the classroom, Axios' April Rubin writes. ?️ Phone bans have gained momentum across Democratic and Republican state legislatures in recent years. Arizona, Arkansas and New York's governors signed bills into law this year to implement bans. The policies seek to help students focus during class as they struggle to recover from pandemic learning loss. Screen time is also partly at fault for a youth mental health crisis, research has found.

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Court blocks Louisiana law requiring schools to post Ten Commandments in classrooms

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A panel of three federal appellate judges has ruled that a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in each of the state’s public school classrooms is unconstitutional.

https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-ten-commandments-schools-federal-court-80d31b705fccbbbe3eeeb3cda5f64ec3?

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Ten Commandments

A panel of three federal appellate judges ruled on Friday that a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in public school classrooms is unconstitutional. “This is a resounding victory for the separation of church and state and public education,” said Heather L. Weaver, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. “…The Fifth Circuit has held Louisiana accountable to a core constitutional promise: Public schools are not Sunday schools, and they must welcome all students, regardless of faith.” Over the weekend, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a similar bill requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public school classrooms. He also signed legislation that allows school districts to provide students and staff with a daily voluntary period of prayer or time to read religious texts during school hours.

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Kids and phones

Children younger than 13 should not have smartphones, new research concluded. Their phone use was associated with suicidal thoughts, worse emotional regulation, lower self-worth and detachment from reality — especially among girls.

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? Kindergarten vaccine rates fall

Data: CDC. Map: Axios Visuals Vaccination rates among American kindergartners decreased during the 2024-2025 school year, Axios' Josephine Walker writes from new CDC data. Why it matters: The drop comes as U.S. measles cases reach a 33-year high, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenges long-standing vaccine norms. ? By the numbers: Exemptions from getting one or more vaccines grew in 36 states and D.C. 17 states reported exemption numbers exceeding 5%. Idaho and Utah had the highest percentages of kindergartners exempted from one or more vaccines, at 15.4% and 10.3%, respectively.

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Texas can’t put the Ten Commandments in certain school districts’ classrooms, judge says

Texas cannot require public schools in Houston, Austin and other select districts to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, a judge said Wednesday in a temporary ruling against the state’s new requirement.

https://apnews.com/article/ten-commandments-bill-texas-school-classrooms-e272529440c0500e9102c590e68420a6?

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?Parents go all out on dorm rooms

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Once upon a time, kids headed for college got some extra-long sheets, a few crates and a hug goodbye from their parents. Now, they're getting thousands of dollars in dorm furnishings and interior design help, Axios' Emily Peck writes. Why it matters: Parents and "dorm-fluencers" are throwing themselves into glamorizing these temporary living spaces. ? Expectations for an Instagram-ready dorm room are sky-high, putting those who can't afford such luxuries in a tight spot. Critics say that all the design help from parents robs young adults of the opportunity to stake out their independence. ?By the numbers: The National Retail Federation estimated college students will spend $12.8 billion on dorm or apartment furnishings this year — more than on food ($9.4 billion). Some parents get super into it. "I'll be the first to admit — and I'm sure my husband would agree — that I probably spent too much," 46-year-old Ashley Jernigan told People magazine, laying out her months-long journey to designing her daughter's room at the University of Georgia. A dorm gift registry was part of the process.

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Thousands of Ohio students left without a school bus ride as private school transport expands

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A scramble is underway for some Ohio families over a staple of the back-to-school season: rides on the big, yellow school bus.

https://apnews.com/article/school-bus-ride-ohio-public-private-vouchers-70d90bcbdc1c6a3fbdff4a014d1ce785?

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The rise of AI tools forces schools to reconsider what counts as cheating

The book report is now a thing of the past. Take-home tests and essays are becoming obsolete.

https://apnews.com/article/ai-cheating-school-chatgpt-4f89a552e9093ce2180471b4d4736675?

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Districts around the US are mulling school closures as student enrollment falls

Thomasina Clarke has watched school after school close in her once thriving St. Louis neighborhood, which was hit by a tornado this spring and whose population has plummeted in recent decades.

https://apnews.com/article/school-enrollment-closure-homeschool-choice-a45738b415a4c6785c9e3aa0804c4093?

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?️ Newsom signs chatbot bill to shield kids

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) yesterday signed a batch of bills aimed at protecting kids using chatbots and AI tools online, Axios tech policy reporter Maria Curi writes.

• Why it matters: California has long been at the forefront of regulating tech. And since it's the largest state, policies there can become a de facto national standard.

? Zoom in: The new law requires chatbots to notify minors every three hours to "take a break" and that the chatbot is not human.

• Newsom also signed other tech-related bills focused on age verification, social media warning labels and deepfakes.

Newsom's announcement.