ReportWire

Tag: APP Education

  • Pinellas school board unanimously approves new cell phone policy

    Pinellas school board unanimously approves new cell phone policy

    LARGO, Fla. — Pinellas County School Board members unanimously approved a cell phone policy that creates a standard set of guidelines for all students in the school district. The policy is set to take effect in August.

    Until now, it was up to the discretion of each individual principal to determine school cell phone rules.

    What You Need To Know

    • Pinellas County School Board members approved a district-wide cell phone policy

    • To date, it’s up to the discretion of each individual principal

    • The policy is set to take effect in August

    The new policy states that elementary school students must keep phones and other similar devices in the ‘off’ position and stored away during the school day. Phones can be used once the day concludes to coordinate transportation.

    Middle school students have the same guidelines as the elementary schools, but may additionally use phones before school.

    Meantime, high school students can leave their phones on silent but may only use them before and after school, during lunch, and when transitioning between classes. Phones cannot be used in ways that violate academic integrity, in restrooms, locker rooms, or swimming areas. Photos or video recordings cannot be taken while at school without prior consent.

    All rules for cell phones for each age group also apply to smartwatches, the policy states. They must be turned to silent mode during the day and removed during district and state assessments.

    Earlier this year, the school district surveyed more than 8,000 students, parents, and teachers and gathered information on what they felt the best way to enforce the new policy would be. Area Superintendent Dywayne Hinds told school board members during an April meeting that after the policy gets approved, the district will create a plan for how it will be rolled out to teachers and students and create guidelines for students who violate policy.

    “When we did the survey, we did include questions on the survey that gave us some information about what are reasonable consequences of the specific policies related to cell phones,” Hinds said. “So these are things we’ll also be sharing with our administrators when it comes to best practices as they roll this out in their schools.”

    Angie Angers

    Source link

  • One million students will soon get access to food assistance

    One million students will soon get access to food assistance

    WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — For the first time, more than one million North Carolina students will be eligible for extra food assistance this summer. The state is taking part in a new USDA program known as SUN Bucks to help prevent child hunger while school is out until the fall.

    What You Need To Know

    • A new USDA program, SUN Bucks, helps prevent child hunger while school is out

    • SUN Bucks is a one-time $120 benefit that will be issued Friday, June 14

    • For eligible students, SUN Bucks will loaded onto current EBT cards and all others will get a SUN Bucks card in the mail
    • Any store that accepts EBT cards will take these SUN Bucks benefits as well

    Nearly 60% of public school students across the state qualify for free and reduced-price meals at school. This SUN Bucks program is meant to help those students, as well as others who may be eligible.

    “900,000 students in North Carolina depend upon meals at school during the school year for their primary source of nutrition,” Dr. Lynn Harvey, the NC DPI School Nutrition Services Director, said.

    Harvey adds that a well-balanced meal is something some kids only experience while they’re at school.

    “In fact, for many students, it’s the best, most nutritious meal they’re going to have. And for others, it may be the only meals they have,” Harvey said.

    Harvey says the impact food can have on growing bodies and minds has been proven time and time again.

    “Children can’t learn when they’re hungry. They’re limited in their capacity to pay attention in the classroom fully. When we make sure they’re well nourished, when they’re well-fed, they can concentrate, they can focus on the task at hand. They can achieve their best,” Harvey said.

    While these meals are consistent during the school year, there’s a gap the state is hoping to fill.

    “So what happens when school’s out for the summer months? Those meals are not there,” Harvey said.

    This year, for the first time, more than one million North Carolina students will be eligible for extra food assistance over the summer, a one-time $120 benefit known as SUN Bucks.

    “The SUN Bucks program will provide cash assistance to children and, of course, to their households that will enable them to purchase groceries throughout the summer months,” Harvey said.

    Those who already receive no-cost or reduced-cost meals at school, take part in Food and Nutrition Services, receive Medicaid with income below 185% of the federal poverty level or are in foster care, automatically qualify for the program.

    The program is just one way to make sure students aren’t forgotten about and are ready to learn when they come back to school in the fall.

    “We hope to close that summer gap so that children won’t be hungry during the summer months, as many have been in years past,” Harvey said.

    SUN Bucks benefits will be distributed starting Friday, June 14.

    Families and kids who currently receive food and nutrition services like food stamps will see their SUN Bucks loaded onto their current EBT cards. All others will get a SUN Bucks card in the mail. Any store that accepts EBT cards will take these SUN Bucks benefits as well.

    North Carolina is one of only three states in the Food and Nutrition Services Southeast Region to take advantage of this new USDA program.

    Kyleigh Panetta

    Source link

  • More female students taking automotive, racing classes in Chapel Hill

    More female students taking automotive, racing classes in Chapel Hill

    CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Things rev-up on Friday nights at the Wake County Speedway, and, among the professionals, high school students are learning the ins-and-outs of racing. 

     

    What You Need To Know

    Chapel Hill High School students learn about the automotive and racing industries

    Automotive teacher Robert Ballard and his program have received recognition on the local and national levels 

    Ballard has worked to bring more female students into the automotive and racing classes, seeing the female population in his classes growing by about 30% in the last year

     

    Their teacher, Robert Ballard, is receiving recognition for his efforts to diversify his automotive classes at Chapel Hill High School and, ultimately, the automotive world.

    His students don’t just learn in a classroom. They do the real learning, everything from math and physics to being a part of a team, by solving problems in the garage.

    “If I don’t have a problem to figure out every day, I kind of get a little bit bored. So I like to fix things, figure out problems on a daily basis,” Ballard said. 

    Interest in automotive classes was a big problem he saw when he came on board at the school six years ago

    “They were being pushed toward kind of a university four-year kind of pathway, but I wanted to make sure they understood that they had different pathways available to them,” he said.

    Ballard said he grew the program from 35 students to 115, but there was still a problem. So few of the students were female, so he started female “lunch and learns.”

    He said the female population has grown by about 30% during the past year. 

    “They stay on track usually a lot more. So, they usually bring a different element to the skilled trades,” Ballard said.

    Senior Chloe Claypoole comes from East Chapel Hill High School specifically for the automotive program.

    “I was very, very persistent about trying to get into this course. I was very eager to learn,” she said.

    Claypoole is now one of a few dozen female students in the program. 

    “It is a little bit intimidating, but I think that it’s mostly inspiring that more and more women are slowly showing interest in these kinds of things,” Claypoole said.

    As cars change, Ballard says so are the people who work on them.

    “We’re starting to notice that females are actually starting to fit our parameters better on newer vehicles. Whereas males were fitting our parameters more on older vehicles with more of the mechanical side of things,” Ballard said.

    The school’s racing program also takes them out of the classroom and garage and onto the racetrack. 

    “When I found out there was a racing program here, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that is something that I definitely want to be a part of,’” Claypoole said.

    Ballard hopes the students will be driven by the experience.

    “I just want to give back to the students what I’ve been taught. So, a lot of these guys out here have been mentors to me. So, I want to be mentors for my students. So, I want to see them grow. I also want to see them learn all the different aspects of the racing community,” he said.

    Claypoole said she loves being at the racetrack. 

    “This is definitely going to be a longtime hobby and something that excites me forever. I’ve grown up around it. I never stopped loving it. This is definitely something I would consider going into a career for,” she said.

    Now, students like Claypoole are proof it’s not just gentlemen starting their engines and their automotive careers.

    Chloe Claypoole checking tires at the racetrack. (Spectrum News 1)

    “It’s actually exciting to me because I know that I’m trying to make a difference by being a part of the program and inspiring more women to feel more comfortable being a part of the program,” she said.

    Students can continue learning about racing throughout the summer at the speedway.   

    The school just started a pre-apprenticeship program to jump-start students’ careers. Ballard said it can fast-track them by three or four years.

    He said Chapel Hill High is the first school in the state to have that pre-apprenticeship program, and now that it’s up and running, he said it should be easier for other schools to start similar ones.

    Ballard and his classes have received a number of recognitions. He was named the 2023 Teacher of the Year for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. 

    Chapel Hill High just received $10,000 from WIX Filters and Tomorrow’s Technician magazine for the first place “School of the Year.” Ballard said that’s for the whole nation among both colleges and high schools. He also won Tomorrow’s Technician’s 2023 “Instructor of the Year.” 

    Ballard said the school’s program has a number of sponsors and that they could not do what they do without the community partnerships.

    Justin Quesinberry

    Source link

  • Polk County Public Schools bus driver celebrates 50 years

    Polk County Public Schools bus driver celebrates 50 years

    LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — The wheels on Shirley Walling’s Polk County bus have gone round and round for 50 years, and counting.  

    And when she started with Polk County Public Schools in 1974, Walling admits that she didn’t think this would be her lifelong career. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Shirley Walling is celebrating her 50th year driving a school bus for Polk County Public Schools

    • Polk County Public Schools is looking to hire 100 school bus drivers for the 2024-2025 school year

    • There will be at least two hiring events during the summer


    At the time, she said it was a job that allowed her to work the same hours her own boys were in school.

    “I wanted something that I could be home when they were home, off summers,” Walling said.

    Things have changed a lot since Walling first started — she says her first bus was a stick shift and didn’t have any of the gadgets she has now that make the job easier.

    But she says at least one thing that’s stayed the same.

    “My children, my school bus children, they can be challenging,” Walling said. “They’re like everyone else, but I just love children.”

    With school districts across the country facing bus driver shortages, Walling understands that it’s not a job for everyone, but said it provides a solid income and good benefits.

    “I am a three-time cancer survivor, and during this time … I have never missed a paycheck because of our benefits,” she said.

    Polk County Public Schools is looking to hire 100 school bus drivers for the 2024-2025 school year. If a person is looking to make a positive impact on students and have a rewarding career for many years to come, Walling encouraged them to apply.

    “Not everybody is cut out for a certain job, but this one was cut out for me,” she said. “And I’ve enjoyed it and I’ve been very blessed over this 50 years, and I hope I have a few more left.”

    Polk County Public Schools is hosting two hiring events for school bus drivers:

    • July 1-3 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Jim Miles Professional Developmental Center, located at 4270 Wallace Road in Lakeland
    • July 4 at the Fourth of July celebration in Davenport from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Lewis Mathews Sports Complex, located at 400 E. Palm St.

    Fallon Silcox

    Source link

  • North Carolina college raising funds to build new monastery

    North Carolina college raising funds to build new monastery

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina college has been raising funds to enrich the campuses higher education experience.

    A new campaign goal will help leaders eventually build a new monastery to further support its Benedictine monks community. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Belmont Abbey College reached its original Made True capital campaign goal two years early
    • The dollars are helping enrich the higher education experience
    • The college has increased its capital campaign goal so they can also build a new monastery for the monastic community

    In February, Belmont Abbey College announced it reached the $100 million Made True capital campaign goal, two years ahead of the college’s original timeline.

    According to a press release, the campaign focuses on strengthening the college’s offerings, which includes academic enhancements, growth of the college’s endowment to reduce student’s reliance on federal aid and programs geared to help students graduate debt-free.

    Belmont Abbey says the success of the capital campaign resulted in the college increasing its goal to $150 million.

    The additional $50 million raised will establish endowed chairs, scholarships for the Honors College and a build a new home for the monastic community. 

    The current monastery is on campus. It’s home to the monks, men with educational backgrounds that are embracing the Benedictine vows of stability and fidelity to the monastic way of life and obedience.

    The monks, often seen on campus, are helping to enrich the student experience, supporting them throughout their educational and spiritual journey.  

    Brother Leo is one monk at Belmont Abbey College, and he said he knows from experience how important the monastery is for students during their higher education years. 

    As a student, Brother Leo connected with Abbot Placid Solari, a Benedictine monk and chancellor of Belmont Abbey. 

    “I met him when I was a child through my parents because I grew up in this area,” Brother Leo said. “He became the person I wanted to go to, if I needed someone to talk to or if I needed life advice.”

    He said the monastery has been around for over 100 years.

    “Most college campuses don’t have monks on campus. Young students are pulled in different directions. It can cause a lot of anxiety. I think the monastery is an oasis of peace, where they can talk to someone, pray with someone who has devoted their life to God,” he said.

    But like any historic building, Brother Leo says the structure needs some upgrades. 

    He says a new monastery will help the monks continue their good works, for decades to come. 

    “I think it symbolically communicates to the community that we’re here to stay,” Brother Leo said. “We’re continuing to live in this community [and] we’re not going anywhere.”

    Belmont Abbey says the existing historic monastery will eventually be refurbished and put to use by the college.

    Belmont Abbey aims to reach the $150 million goal in 2026, which commemorates Belmont Abbey’s 150th anniversary.

     

              Related Stories

     

     

    Jennifer Roberts

    Source link

  • St. Pete College aims to boost number of Black male graduates

    St. Pete College aims to boost number of Black male graduates

    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg College is working to increase the college graduation rate among African American men.

    What You Need To Know

    • According to the Joint Center for Political Economic Studies, between 2019 and 2021, junior colleges nationwide saw a 23% decline in Black male enrollment
    • St. Petersburg College graduated first group of FAAME African American male scholars in May
    • St. Petersburg College will start its next freshman FAAME class in June
    • To find out more about the program, contact coordinator Steve Marshall at marshall.steve@spcollege.edu

    This month, the school graduated its first class of Florida African American Male Experience (FAAME) scholars. With a grant from the Helios Foundation, the students have been able to take classes, learn leadership skills and receive opportunities they never dreamed of.

    “I feel great,” said graduate and FAAME scholar Jo’el Hicks. “This is just a sign of what’s to come. It’s a sign that I’ve held up my word, that all I needed was an opportunity.”

    In recent years, the number of Black men attending college has dropped. According to the Joint Center for Political Economic Studies, between 2019 and 2021, junior colleges nationwide saw a 23% decline in Black male enrollment.

    “I always tell them, failure is not an option,” said FAAME coordinator Steve Marshall.

    Nearly two dozen FAAME scholars graduated from the program in May, and many in the group said they plan to continue their studies at a four-year university.

    “I plan to transfer to FAMU in August, studying computer science,” said FAAME scholar and St. Petersburg College graduate Adolfo Acevedo.

    “The end goal is to be a commercial airline pilot,” said FAAME scholar and St. Petersburg College graduate Lucas Fidelis. “I’m also a psychology major, because if I can’t be a pilot, I want to be a sports psychologist.”

    “I plan on transferring to USF for a Bachelor’s degree in journalism,” said FAAME scholar and St. Petersburg College graduate George Mention.

    Meanwhile, St. Petersburg College will start its next freshman FAAME class next month. To find out more about the program, contact Marshall at marshall.steve@spcollege.edu or call 1-727-712-5887.

    Dalia Dangerfield

    Source link

  • Financial expert explains advantages of 529 plan for education expenses

    Financial expert explains advantages of 529 plan for education expenses

    RALEIGH, N.C. — It’s never too late to start thinking about saving for your child’s future.

    The Education Data Initiative says the average cost of college tuition and fees at public four-year institutions has risen 179.2% over the past 20 years.

    What You Need To Know

    • The average cost of college tuition and fees at public four-year institutions has risen 179.2% over 20 years, according to the Education Data Initiative

    • Austin Kobilka of Patriot Wealth in Raleigh says parents can take simple steps to help pay for their child’s post-secondary education 

    • A 529 plan is a way to save for your child’s education costs

    • May 29 is 529 Day

    Financial professional Austin Kobilka from Patriot Wealth in Raleigh says there are simple steps parents can take to help their child’s post-secondary education for 529 Day, which is May 29.

    “The money you contribute grows tax-free and can be used at any time for qualified educational expenses including private school tuition for K-12, college tuition, room and board, books, computers, printers, internet service, as well as graduate schools, trade schools and apprenticeships,” Kobilka said.

    He says anyone can contribute to a 529 plan and the contribution limits are high.

    There are two types of 529 plans. Prepaid tuition plans are offered by a few states and universities.

    “They allow you to lock in your child’s tuition at current rates even if they don’t plan to attend college for a few years,” he said. “Like a savings plan, your money will grow over time and is tax-free.”

    A savings plan is the second 529 option, which is the most common.

    “You can choose which investments you want included (usually mutual funds). How those investments perform will determine how much the account value grows over time,” Kobilka said.

    Starting this year, if you have a 529 account that’s at least 15 years old, you will be able to roll over up to $35,000 of unspent funds into a Roth IRA account, thanks to a provision from the SECURE Act 2.0 of 2022, he said.

    Siobhan Riley

    Source link

  • Manatee County private school bans cellphones for all grades

    Manatee County private school bans cellphones for all grades

    MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — As several counties in the Tampa Bay area weigh the pros and cons of using cell phones in classrooms, one private school in Manatee County has already banned cell phones for students in kindergarten through 12th-grade.

    What You Need To Know

    • Educational Harbor Christian School banned cell phones on May 1

    • If a student goes against these rules, there will be a one-day suspension

    • There are special allowances depending on the students’ needs

    The principal and founder of Educational Harbor Christian School Stacey Mayo said that at first, they told students to leave their phones in their bags, but the devices were still too much of a distraction, so the school enforced the cellphone ban on May 1.

    “Our overall goal actually isn’t just academic. Although there are academic benefits, I’ve read studies where having the cell phone in the room can affect their GPA and their attention. Just having the notifications close by them or on vibrate is enough to pull their focus away from their studies,” she said.

    Educational Harbor Christian School is a private K-12th grade school in Manatee County.

    One pastor and teacher in favor of this new policy is Ryan Akers, who teaches math and science.

    “They are able to focus on what we are doing at the time without being distracted, and they are able to be on task a whole lot more,” he said.

    With more than 20 years of teaching experience, he’s seen a lot change over the years.

    “Well, when I started teaching, hardly anybody had a phone, especially the teenagers. There just weren’t very many. As we’ve gotten more and more used to phones in culture, they’ve come inside the classroom. It’s really hard to set down your phone,” said Akers.

    Those distractions led school administrators to ban cellphones for all students.

    When students arrive, they put their phones in this cubby that’s later locked by school staff, but for special circumstances the rules can change depending on the students’ needs. But every student will get their phone back at the end of the school day.

    Educational Harbor Christian School’s phone locker. (Spectrum News/Julia Hazel)

    Akers says he’s already seen a positive impact on the students.

    But not all parents are on board with this new rule. Denise Musso is against the cell phone ban that impacts her 11-year-old daughter. Her main concern is safety.

    “If something were to happen, it would be very nerve-wracking. I think having phones locked up and not on their persons can cause a lot of anxiety. I think that you have to look at it case-by-case,” she said.

    And the school does. There are some exceptions for students, like those with an Individual Education Plan. This family wants the school to change the policy for everyone.

    “I hope that they will have good procedures in place and really get the parents involved and let them have some kind of a say on moving forward,” she said.

    And her daughter likes to stay connected in the classroom. She wishes the rule would change too.

    “I like having the phones more than not having them,” she said.

    But Akers said limiting phones allow him to push his students to reach higher.

    “The biggest hope is for the students to start to achieve their peak level,” he said.

    It’s a new rule for students, but parents and school leaders agree — the goal of education remains unchanged.

    If students don’t abide by the new rules, they will be suspended for one school day.

    Julia Hazel

    Source link

  • Leaders of Northwestern, UCLA and Rutgers to testify before Congress

    Leaders of Northwestern, UCLA and Rutgers to testify before Congress

    WASHINGTON — House Republicans have summoned the leaders of Northwestern University and Rutgers University to testify about concessions they gave to pro-Palestinian protesters to end demonstrations on their campus.

    The chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles, also was scheduled to appear Thursday in the latest in a series of hearings by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce into how colleges have responded to the protests and allegations of antisemitism. Tensions over the Israel-Hamas war have been high on campuses since the fall and spiked in recent weeks with a wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments that led to over 3,000 arrests nationwide.

    What You Need To Know

    • Thursday’s hearing expands the scope of the committee’s inquiry for the first time to large, public universities, which are more strictly governed by First Amendment and free speech considerations. Earlier hearings largely focused on private, Ivy League colleges

    • Originally, the presidents of Yale University and the University of Michigan were called to testify. But the committee shifted its attention to Northwestern and Rutgers after those colleges struck deals with pro-Palestinian protesters to limit or disband encampments

    • Expected to testify Thursday are Michael Schill, the president of Northwestern; Gene Block, UCLA’s chancellor; and Jonathan Holloway, the president of Rutgers

    • The committee’s chair, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., criticized the schools for their decision to negotiate with protesters

    After the first of those hearings in December, an outcry of criticism from donors, students and politicians led to the resignations of the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, who gave cautious, halting answers to questions about whether calls for the genocide of Jews would violate their schools’ conduct policies.

    In April, the committee turned its attention to Columbia President Minouche Shafik, who took a more conciliatory approach to Republican-led questioning. Shafik’s disclosure of disciplinary details and concessions around faculty academic freedom upset students and professors at Columbia. Her testimony, and subsequent decision to call in police, escalated protests on campus that inspired students at other colleges to launch similar demonstrations.

    Thursday’s hearing expands the scope of the committee’s inquiry for the first time to large, public universities, which are more strictly governed by First Amendment and free speech considerations. Earlier hearings largely focused on private, Ivy League colleges.

    Originally, the presidents of Yale University and the University of Michigan were called to testify. But the committee shifted its attention to Northwestern and Rutgers after those colleges struck deals with pro-Palestinian protesters to limit or disband encampments.

    Expected to testify Thursday are Michael Schill, the president of Northwestern; Gene Block, UCLA’s chancellor; and Jonathan Holloway, the president of Rutgers.

    The concessions that Northwestern and Rutgers agreed to were limited in scope. Like some other colleges that reached agreements with protesters, they focused on expanding institutional support for Muslim and Arab students and scholars on campus.

    At Northwestern, the administration agreed to re-establish an advisory committee on its investments that includes student, faculty and staff input. The university also agreed to answer questions about financial holdings including those with ties to Israel.

    Rutgers agreed to meet with five student representatives to discuss the divestment request in exchange for the disbanding of the encampment. The university also stated it would not terminate its relationship with Tel Aviv University.

    The committee’s chair, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., criticized the schools for their decision to negotiate with protesters.

    “The Committee has a clear message for mealy-mouthed, spineless college leaders: Congress will not tolerate your dereliction of your duty to your Jewish students,” she said in a statement. “No stone must go unturned while buildings are being defaced, campus greens are being captured, or graduations are being ruined.”

    UCLA’s oversight of its campus protests has been under scrutiny since counter-demonstrators with Israeli flags attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. The counter-demonstrators threw traffic cones and released pepper spray in fighting that went on for hours before police stepped in, drawing criticism from Muslim students and political leaders and advocacy groups.

    On Wednesday, the police chief at UCLA was reassigned “pending an examination of our security processes,” according to a statement from the school.

    City News Service

    Source link

  • University of Cincinnati population continues to rise

    University of Cincinnati population continues to rise

    OHIO — The University of Cincinnati could become one of the largest universities in the country over the next decade.

    What You Need To Know

    • This past school year, the University of Cincinnati had an enrollement of 51,000 students, making it the largest population size yet 

    • The university is expected to grow in the next few years 

    • Housing is one of the school’s top priorities as it prepares for the spike in population

    This past academic year, the school enrolled nearly 51,000 students, the most in its history. School leaders expect that number to increase to 60,000 by 2034.

    They said they are getting more students from Cincinnati Public Schools and from across the Indiana border. The increased numbers have the school working on ways to add more housing on campus.

    “We’re really moving into a phase in the next couple of years where we will be doing a lot of investment in our housing,” said Jack Miner, vice provost for enrollment management at the university. “We’ve had phenomenal partnerships for years with private developers. We continue to see a lot of private growth in this area.”

    In addition to UC, The Ohio State University also has a large population size. Bestcollege.com lists the university as the third largest in the nation, with more than 61,000 students. 

    Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misspelled Jack Miner’s name. This has been corrected. (May 22, 2024)

    Camri Nelson

    Source link

  • Protesters temporarily take over building on University of Chicago campus

    Protesters temporarily take over building on University of Chicago campus

    CHICAGO (AP) — A group protesting the war in Gaza and demanding that the University of Chicago divest from companies doing business with Israel temporarily took over a building on the school’s campus.

    What You Need To Know

    • A group protesting the war in Gaza and demanding that the University of Chicago divest from companies doing business with Israel temporarily took over a building on the school’s campus

    • Members of the group surrounded the Institute of Politics building around 5 p.m. Friday while others made their way inside, the Chicago Sun-Times reported

    • The Chicago protest follows the May 7 clearing of a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at the school by police. University of Chicago administrators had initially adopted a permissive approach, but said earlier this month that the protest had crossed a line and caused growing concerns about safety

    • More than 2,900 people have been arrested on U.S. campuses over the past month

    Members of the group surrounded the Institute of Politics building around 5 p.m. Friday while others made their way inside, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

    The brief occupation came as other colleges across the country, anxious to prepare for commencement season, either negotiated agreements with students or called in police to dismantle protest camps.

    The Chicago protest follows the May 7 clearing of a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at the school by police. University of Chicago administrators had initially adopted a permissive approach, but said earlier this month that the protest had crossed a line and caused growing concerns about safety.

    On Friday, campus police officers using riot shields gained access to the Institute of Politics building and scuffled with protesters. Some protesters climbed from a second-floor window, according to the Sun-Times.

    The school said protesters attempted to bar the entrance, damaged university property and ignored directives to clear the way, and that those inside the building left when campus police officers entered.

    “The University of Chicago is fundamentally committed to upholding the rights of protesters to express a wide range of views,” school spokesperson Gerald McSwiggan said in a statement. “At the same time, university policies make it clear that protests cannot jeopardize public safety, disrupt the university’s operations or involve the destruction of property.”

    No arrests or injuries were reported.

    Students and others have set up tent encampments on campuses around the country to protest the Israel-Hamas war, pressing colleges to cut financial ties with Israel. Tensions over the war have been high on campuses since the fall but the pro-Palestinian demonstrations spread quickly following an April 18 police crackdown on an encampment at Columbia University.

    The demonstrations reached all corners of the United States, becoming its largest campus protest movement in decades, and spread to other countries, including many in Europe.

    Lately, some protesters have taken down their tents, as at Harvard, where student activists this week said the encampment had “outlasted its utility with respect to our demands.” Others packed up after striking deals with college administrators who offered amnesty for protesters, discussions around their investments, and other concessions. On many other campuses, colleges have called in police to clear demonstrations.

    More than 2,900 people have been arrested on U.S. campuses over the past month. As summer break approaches, there have been fewer new arrests and campuses have been calmer. Still, colleges have been vigilant for disruptions to commencement ceremonies.

    The latest Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas and other militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking an additional 250 hostage. Palestinian militants still hold about 100 captives, and Israel’s military has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

    On Thursday, police began dismantling a pro-Palestinian encampment at DePaul University in Chicago, hours after the school’s president told students to leave the area or face arrest.

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Largo special needs teacher mentors and supports students

    Largo special needs teacher mentors and supports students

    LARGO, Fla. — Adrienne Hill, the Varying Exceptionality case manager at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School, says she’s always had a passion for working with children with special needs.

    She teaches them unique skills in her role, and Hill says her aunt inspired her to pursue this career. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Adrienne Hill is the Varying Exceptionality case manager at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School
    • She has been teaching at the school for five years

    • Hill says she has always had a passion for working with special needs students

    “She showed me how much compassion and how much care,” Hill said. “And she showed me the end product later once her students started coming back telling her how much they have grown and how much they’ve changed, I was like, ‘OK, I’m hooked,’” said Hill.

    She’s been teaching at the school for five years and says she loves it.

    “I am a student at heart all the time, so I’m always learning,” she said. “And each year with a new set of kids, we get a new set of things to learn.”

    Hill is also the “Girlfriends Mentor” — she mentors and supports girls at the middle school and helps them in different areas of their lives. She had that support growing up and said that’s why she wanted to be involved in the program.

    “My mom was excellent, but she fell ill, so it was hard to be somewhere with me all the time,” Hill said. “So I come in with these young ladies and there are times they have orchestra performances and mom can’t make it. She’ll send a text message, an email, and I’ll show up.”

    She acts like a second mom for many of her students and loves watching them grow throughout the school year.

    “I hope they learn that they always have someone to be by their side, that they always have someone who is going to encourage them,” Hill said. “And for this year, our target has been for them to be able to self-advocate.”

    Do you have an amazing teacher in your life?

    Do you know an amazing teacher? Nominate them to be our next A+ Teacher.

    Jorja Roman

    Source link

  • Manatee County Schools collecting cost data on new electric buses

    Manatee County Schools collecting cost data on new electric buses

    MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — The push to bring more electric vehicles to Florida is impacting local school districts. 

    The state’s Department of Environmental Protection is partnering with several counties to purchase electric buses.

    What You Need To Know

    • Manatee County Schools on March 18 began driving their four electric buses

    • Two of the buses have a range of 130 miles with two batteries, and the other two have a 200-mile range with three batteries

    • Jamie Warrington says the district paid about $385,000 per bus, with 70% of the cost covered by the grant. The standard diesel school bus currently costs about $155,000, and new electric buses have gone up this year to about $450,000 each, he said

    One of the drivers is Susie DuDeVoire, has been a bus driver for Manatee County Schools for 23 years.

    “I do it for the kids. They need somebody every day to listen to them, to be nice to them,” she said.

    Over the years, she’s experienced many changes that now include an electric bus.

    “Very different. It’s quiet. See, let me turn off the AC for you. I can hear them buckle their seatbelt,” she said.

    DuDeVoire is driving one of the four electric buses the Manatee County School District purchased with grant money from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

    The Director of Transportation for Manatee Schools, Jamie Warrington, says the grant covered 70 percent of the cost. He says the district actually paid about $385,000 per bus, with 70% of the cost covered by the grant.

    The standard diesel school bus currently costs about $155,000, and new electric buses have gone up this year to about $450,000 each, he said.

    “The school district has always done what we can to try to be more green to combat the emissions issues the country is experiencing,” Warrington.

    When DuDeVoire heard the news, she said she was happy about the new addition.

    “I was excited, a little excited, something new,” DuDeVoire said.

    She’s been driving her bus since March 18 and already has some favorite additions.

    “I love this braking system. It brakes when I take the foot off the gas and puts energy onto the battery,” she said.

    The school district hopes these buses help the environment and save money.

    “We are collecting the data,” said Warrington.

    He says it will take three to four months of collecting data before he can determine if the new buses are more cost-effective.

    “There are electrical costs associated with it. We aren’t exactly sure how that’s going to play out. FP&L has been working with us. There will be a dashboard to check on the progress and see how much electricity it’s costing to fully charge that bus after routes, as well as overnight,” he said.

    He says two of the buses have a range of 130 miles with two batteries, and the other two have a 200-mile range with three batteries. Each bus driver can only stick to their daily school pick-up and drop-off routes that were similar to when the drivers would travel in their gas buses. He says this way it will have consistent data every day.

    “The goal is always to keep the money in the classroom where it belongs with the students, so I’m really hopeful and excited that when we are able to get to the point of the comparison, that the data will speak for itself,” he explained.

    After her morning and afternoon routes, DuDeVoire charges the bus. Her bus has three batteries and a 200-mile range. It takes four to six hours to fully charge.

    This environmentally-friendly bus might change the future of the district – but for DuDeVoire, the goal is the same.

    “To get kids safely to and from school,” she said.

    If the data shows it’s saving the district money, Warrington said he hopes to add more to the fleet.

    Julia Hazel

    Source link

  • Northern Kentucky University soon to offer AI minor

    Northern Kentucky University soon to offer AI minor

    HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Northern Kentucky University (NKU) is introducing an artificial intelligence minor to its list of degree offerings beginning this fall.

    What You Need To Know

    • Beginning in the fall 2024 semester, Northern Kentucky University (NKU) is offering a new artificial intelligence minor 

    • It will be offered through the College of Informatics

    • NKU said the AI minor will provide students with a basic foundation in computing, machine learning and prompt engineering

    • Courses will also cover societal, ethical and legal implications 

    Many believe AI will continue to become a part of everyday life as it advances at a rate that Kevin Kirby, dean of the College of Informatics at NKU, said he has never seen before.

    “I’ve never seen anything change so fast,” Kirby said. “It’s very important to keep our subject matter fresh, and we know students are coming to NKU right now with lots of experience in AI.”

    NKU created the new AI minor through the College of Informatics. The university said according to the Wall Street Journal, AI expertise adds value to a wide variety of careers, which is why it created the minor to pair with nearly any major.

    “When students come here, we want them not to be just users of AI,” Kirby said. “We want them to be, maybe, power users. We want them to understand … this is how it works, this is why it consumes so much data and so much power.”

    “AI is not just tech; it’s not just computer science. It’s about communicating with a new form of intelligence in some way. How do you talk to AI? How do you bend AI to your will?”

    The opposite happening is one of the major concerns some have expressed about AI. It’s a topic Robert Greenleaf Brice said he plans to address in his “philosophy of mind” class.

    “There are issues about consciousness … and of course, that falls right into the full wheelhouse of, ‘What is AI?’” Greenleaf Brice said. “Is it alive in the sense it has consciousness? Or is it just what some philosophers call weak AI, which is just kind of a tool?”

    “My concern is less that there’s a doomsday scenario, the ‘Terminator’ effect, where it will rise and have this consciousness. I’m less concerned about that. My concern is mostly about what it is that we’re putting into these programs. What sort of moral, ethical decision-making process is going into these programs?”

    NKU said the AI minor will provide students with a basic foundation in computing, machine learning and prompt engineering, along with societal, ethical and legal implications. 

    “There are some things to be afraid of with AI, but we want the fear to be informed,” Kirby said. “You are going to be thrown into a world where you’re using AI; your colleagues (and) your students are going to be using AI, so we want to empower you with the ability to deal with that.”

     

    Sam Knef

    Source link

  • Pasco charter school implements artificial intelligence to help in the classroom

    Pasco charter school implements artificial intelligence to help in the classroom

    PORT RICHEY, Fla. — While there’s a lot of controversy surrounding artificial intelligence, one Pasco County charter school has worked to implement the technology to help students and teachers in the classroom.

    What You Need To Know

    • Dayspring Academy has implemented two AI bots, one for teachers and one for students

    • Baxter Bot is an AI dog that helps students with assignments

    • The AI pilot program was created by Scholar Education

    • School administrators say the pilot has been a huge success, and they plan on expanding next year

    As part of a pilot program, Dayspring Academy implemented two AI bots, one for teachers and one for students

    “We have a teacher’s assistant and a student assistant.” said Marlee Strawn, co-founder and head of education for Scholar Education, the company behind the technology. “Our teacher assistant is Professor Bruce, so he helps the teachers with AI lesson planning and data analytics. And then our student assistant is Baxter Bot, and he knows the academic level of the student and he knows what the lesson is for that day.”

    In one sixth-grade class, students use Baxter Bot to help with assignments. “He” serves as her teaching assistant.

    “Baxter is an AI powered dog that helps answer questions about whatever you’re learning,” explained Aria, a student in the class. 

    Aria and her classmates are studying Les Misérables, and Baxter is helping them debate their assigned characters.

    “I’m asking him about claims that he has on Inspector Javert and the reasoning on why he’s giving these claims,” she said. 

    The teacher and Baxter Bot work together — she can view students’ transcripts with Baxter if she needs to, and Baxter not only knows the lesson plan for the day, but he also helps keep students on track.

    “It also helps when my teacher may be going a little fast and I can just ask Baxter really quickly to explain what she’s talking about and he’ll tell me,” said Mariah, another student in the class. “He’ll answer my questions and give me examples of the question.”

    School administrators say artificial intelligence is here to stay, and by exposing students to AI now, they’ll be better prepared for their futures.

    “It takes away that it’s scary, or it’s a robot, or something I’m unfamiliar with, which makes it easy for them to integrate into their life and to be supportive to them without them really knowing that part of it,” said Dayspring Academy CEO Suzanne Legg.

    There are guardrails in place, and while Baxter Bot helps guide students, he doesn’t just give answers.

    “I asked him if he could help me brainstorm reasons on how to figure out supporting why Jean Valjean stole, and I also asked him to help me with reasons to counter argue why Jean Valjean stole,” said Mariah. 

    Dayspring Academy administrators said the pilot program has gone so well they plan on expanding it next school year to other grade levels and more students.

    Fallon Silcox

    Source link

  • Hope Services in Pasco County expanding with new programs for students

    Hope Services in Pasco County expanding with new programs for students

    LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. — A Pasco County nonprofit is helping those with disabilities live independently.

    What You Need To Know

    • Hope Services, a Land O’ Lakes nonprofit, is expanding their operation with new programs on the way

    • The nonprofit teaches students life skills and offers vocational programs with training in areas like culinary arts, as well as construction and hospitality

    • It’s also giving those who volunteer and work at the center a sense of purpose

    Hope Services was founded more than 20 years ago but recently added a new program to its curriculum.

    Last year, the nonprofit opened its very own training center to teach students life skills and offering vocational programs with training in areas like the culinary arts as well as construction and hospitality.

    Executive Director Cindy Bray said they are learning everyday life skills.

    “Everything in our center is centered around not only teaching them life skills but also vocational skills,” said Bray. “So they leave us learning how to live on their own and also to become employed.”

    Bray said they are in the process of finishing a retail training room, which will be a big addition to their program.

    The program is already helping shape students’ lives. For inside one culinary classroom, students are getting a taste of food prep.

    “It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh — I’m doing cooking class!’” Cheyenne Stoltz, a student at Hope Services, said. “I don’t get to cook at home, so it’s a lot of fun for me.”

    Stoltz has been taking classes like this for the last year, honing her culinary skills and making delicious meals, like chicken stir-fry.

    “It’s fun to get to know people and have that feeling that you’re doing something good,” she said.

    It’s all under the watchful eye of chef and teacher Brent Belcher, a local business owner taking time to teach these eager students.

    “It’s kind of flexing a muscle that I don’t get to use on a daily basis in the kitchen,” Belcher, assistant director of Culinary Operations at Hope Services, said. “As far as like teaching and breaking things down and showing someone who is totally green to the industry, the baby steps to getting involved. That’s been very rewarding and challenging at the same time.”

    And the impact Belcher’s lessons have on his students is clear.

    “The teachers are amazing. They’re really kind and respectful,” said Stoltz. “They’ll help you out if there’s a problem and me taking this class here was amazing. It was life changing for me.”

    The nonprofit provides them with the necessary life skills to live independent lives.

    “These classes are changing my life and it’s a lot of fun, like I said,” Stoltz said. “I would do it again if I could.”

    All while making lasting memories and lifelong friends.

    You can learn more about Hope Services and their available classes on their website.

    Calvin Lewis

    Source link

  • Polk Education Association urges school board to start bargaining

    Polk Education Association urges school board to start bargaining

    BARTOW, Fla. — The Polk Education Association is asking the school district to set dates to begin the bargaining process for teacher and staff salaries for next school year.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Polk Education Association is asking the school district to start bargaining now, and not wait until the end of the fiscal year this summer

    • PEA officials say 19 other Florida school districts have started the bargaining process, including Hillsborough and Pinellas

    • More Education headlines

    Union members say bargaining has always started right after the legislative session ends in mid-March, but this year, they’re being told it likely won’t happen until June or July.

    Polk Education Association President Stephanie Yocum attended Tuesday’s school board meeting, along with about 100 other Polk County educators, to push for bargaining to begin.

    “We have about 19 other districts in Florida that have come back to the table with their union to bargain salaries, raises for next year,” she said. “We have four in our immediate area — Hillsborough, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas.”

    She says those other counties are her concern, because many teachers are making employment decisions for next school year right now.

    “Our teachers and staff that are currently working for Polk county some hope of what this might look like even if it’s not fully done, to see what it looks like, they might stay,” Yocum said.

    At the meeting, Superintendent Frederick Heid said without the governor signing the budget, the district can’t negotiate until the fiscal year closes this summer.

    “What I won’t do is lowball our employees, because right now, if we were forced to go back to the table, I have to under worst-case scenario assumptions, not best-case scenario assumptions, and that means I cannot over-extend us fiscally,” Heid said.

    Yocum countered by saying what the district can’t afford to do right now is wait.

    “There’s about 550 instructional jobs open for next school year,” she said, scrolling through job posting’s on Polk County School’s website. 

    With so many teacher vacancies, the risk of losing any more is too much, and ultimately, she said it’s students who will suffer.

    “We want what’s best for kids — we need our district to also see the bigger picture that this is about kids,” Yocum said. “And when you treat your teachers and staff with respect, when you give them what their raise could look like before making decisions for the summer, that helps kids.”

    The Polk Education Association is also pushing the district to put a millage referendum on the ballot, which they say also needs to be decided on sooner rather than later.

    Fallon Silcox

    Source link

  • Inverness teacher inspires students and fellow teachers

    Inverness teacher inspires students and fellow teachers

    INVERNESS, Fla. — Holli Herndon has a passion for training other teachers and helping her students succeed.

    She is the Behavior Specialist at Pleasant Grove Elementary School.

    What You Need To Know

    • Holli Herndon is this week’s A+ Teacher

    • Herndon is the Behavior Specialist at Pleasant Grove Elementary School

    • Do you know an amazing teacher? Nominate them to be our next A+ Teacher

    “Most of the kids that I work with, they just need somebody in their corner. Sometimes they haven’t had that person rooting for them to help them get through the things that they need to get through or to learn strategies that they need to be successful,” said Herndon. 

    She’s been at the school for two years and already won Teacher of the Year. In her role, she meets with students in groups and one on one. She also meets with teachers to come up with plans for individual students.

    “We’re helping not just to build academic skills but we’re also building character for students and we’re setting examples as role models of who they can be and it’s our job to set the bar high and help them achieve what they didn’t even know was possible,” said Herndon.

    Herndon started her career in education in 2008. She is focused on helping not only students thrive but also teachers.

    “There’s some teachers who don’t even know how incredible they are yet and I take that as something that I need to do to light their spark and keep them going,” said Herndon. She went on to say, “I feel like it’s important for me to go be the voice of Citrus County to stand up for my teachers.”

    Herndon visited Tallahassee this year to speak with lawmakers about statewide education initiatives and learn why certain policies are in place.

    “I just want to move education forward so by going and meeting people and understanding why they make the decisions they make, I might be able to give them a piece of information they don’t have,” said Herndon.

    She says her goal is to improve education overall and part of that mission includes training teachers.

    “We have all chosen this because this is a job of the heart so when I’m walking around working with teachers, we all have the same goal and that is to impact students. And we’re here for each other and it creates a community and a network. And that’s no matter what school you go into you’re going to find that,” said Herndon.

    Everything she does within education comes down to helping students thrive.

    “I want to empower them. I want them to know that there is no age limit to how successful they can be in anything. A child is never too young to do great things,” said Herndon.

    Herndon is currently finishing up her dissertation in educational leadership.

    Do you have an incredible educator in your life? Nominate them to be featured as an A+ Teacher by filling out this form.

    Jorja Roman

    Source link

  • Suncoast Remake Learning Days a 15-day festival of free education

    Suncoast Remake Learning Days a 15-day festival of free education

    MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Several Florida counties are coming together for a 15-day festival called Suncoast Remake Learning Days after the country saw a decline in 2023.

    Students and families will get resources and hands-on learning opportunities at various locations across Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties, starting April 20 through May 4.

    One organization in Manatee County is working with parents to get their kids the materials they need to boost their reading levels. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Organizations across Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties are coming together for a 15-day festival called Suncoast Remake Learning Days
    • Students and families will get resources and hands-on learning opportunities at various locations from April 20 through May 4

    • Soar in 4, a Manatee County nonprofit, provides free literacy tools and resources to parents who need financial aid
    • They help roughly 800 families a day with free materials

    Amanda Quirino is teaching her kids something new through a game of hopscotch.

    Playing hopscotch isn’t the typical way to improve literacy, but it works for her family. Quirino has her kids focus on enunciation.

    “This is a game we don’t see anymore to show them what we grew up with. It’s simple like hopscotch or writing their name,” she said.

    Quirino has a table filled with learning materials, like arts and crafts, she received from Soar in 4, a nonprofit that provides free literacy tools and resources to parents who need financial aid.

    “I became a mom at the age of 20. So I was a very young mom, and I just wanted to be able to find the right resources,” she said.

    For the past 10 years, Quirino has received about a dozen items each week. Her children are bilingual, and she says those supplies have helped them overcome the hurdles of learning two languages.

    “My third grader, the testing is non-stop sometimes. So she needs to be that fluent reader and she needs to be able to comprehend the questions. My kindergartener, they have sight words. So anytime I can expose them to that, it will help them,” she said.

    According to Soar in 4, 50% of Manatee County students are reading below their grade level. Sheila Halpin, one of the organization coordinators, said the materials they provide help kids improve their reading and writing skills.

    “Soar in 4 has been in existence for 10 years. We have grown and grown and grown. We are seeing that the kids who attend preschool are getting better in 3rd-grade assessment,” Halpin said.

    They help roughly 800 families a day with free materials. Halpin says more than 90% of families who have attended a Soar in 4 event are using the at-home material and are reading more to their kids.

    “Families just don’t have the funds to purchase all of these items. We teach our families that when we are jumping rope, we talk about counting again. How many? 1, 2, 3, once again. Counting leads into literacy,” she said.

    Quirino’s chidlren read every day, and she says their skills have improved with the help of the hands-on tools Soar in 4 provides.

    “I’ve seen them pronouncing the sounds, putting it together, and connecting them. Maybe they would just know one sound, and now if they have the two sounds that go together or we count out syllables, and it’s helped them in their school life,” Quirino said.

    For Quirino, having these free resources is like connecting the pieces of a puzzle.

    “We barely just became homeowners last August. We rented for 10 years with our family, so we are finally able to do bigger and better things with our family. But it was hard, so it was through our programs that we were able to connect and get resources that we needed. It was a journey,” she said.

    Community resources that help families so their kids can have bigger and brighter futures.

    Julia Hazel

    Source link

  • Pro-Palestinian protests lead to arrests at Yale, canceled classes at Columbia

    Pro-Palestinian protests lead to arrests at Yale, canceled classes at Columbia

    Pro-Palestinian protests led to the arrests of 47 students at Yale University and the cancellation of in-person classes at Columbia University on Monday morning.

    What You Need To Know

    • Pro-Palestinian protests led to the arrests of 47 students at Yale University and the cancellation of in-person classes at Columbia University on Monday morning

    • The incidents followed the arrests of more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia last week

    • Students at both of the Ivy League colleges set up encampments as they called for the schools to divest from companies connected to Israel, including those they say are profiting from Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip

    • More than 34,000 Palestinians — at least two-thirds of them women and children — have been killed in the war, according to Gaza’s health ministry

    The incidents followed the arrests of more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia last week.

    Students at both of the Ivy League colleges set up encampments as they called for the schools to divest from companies connected to Israel, including those they say are profiting from Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 

    More than 34,000 Palestinians — at least two-thirds of them women and children — have been killed in the war, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The Israeli invasion followed Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

    At Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, protests at Beinecke Plaza, near the administration building, grew over the past week to include more than 250 people, according to the Yale Daily News. After negotiations between university administrators and protest organizers were unsuccessful, Yale police arrested 47 students who refused to leave the plaza Monday, the school said. 

    The university said it told the students they could avoid arrest if they left before the weekend ended. Protesters who left voluntarily Monday were not arrested, Yale said.

    “The university made the decision to arrest those individuals who would not leave the plaza with the safety and security of the entire Yale community in mind and to allow access to university facilities by all members of our community,” the school said in a statement.

    On Sunday, Yale President Peter Salovey said he was “aware of reports of egregious behavior, such as intimidation and harassment, pushing those in crowds, removal of the plaza flag, and other harmful acts.”

    Those who were arrested face a range of disciplinary actions, including reprimand, probation or suspension, the school said.

    After the arrests, more than 300 protesters had gathered in a circle blocking an intersection, the Daily News reported. 

    At Columbia in New York, President Minouche Shafik ordered all classes to be held virtually Monday to “deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps.”

    In her statement, Shafik said the “decibel of our disagreements” has increased in recent days after being “exploited and amplified” by protesters not affiliated with Columbia.

    “Over the past days, there have been too many examples of intimidating and harassing behavior on our campus,” Shafik said. “Antisemitic language, like any other language that is used to hurt and frighten people, is unacceptable and appropriate action will be taken.”

    She said a working group of deans, university administrators and faculty members will work in the coming days toward ending what she called a “crisis.”

    Demonstrations at Columbia over the weekend targeted Jewish students with antisemitic rhetoric, according to reports and social media posts. 

    On Sunday, Rabbi Elie Buechler, director of Columbia’s Orthodox Union-Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus called for Jewish students to “return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved.”

    “The events of the last few days, especially last night, have made it clear that Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety in the face of extreme antisemitism and anarchy,” he said in a statement.

    The incidents drew condemnation from Mayor Eric Adams and the White House. 

    “I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus,” Adams wrote Sunday on X, formerly Twitter. “Hate has no place in our city, and I have instructed the NYPD to investigate any violation of law they receive a report about and will arrest anyone found to be breaking the law.”

    White House spokesman Andrew Bates said: “While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable and dangerous.”

    In his statement Sunday marking Passover, President Joe Biden called out “the alarming surge of Antisemitism – in our schools, communities, and online.”

    “Silence is complicity,” he said. “Even in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.”

    Columbia’s Students for Justice in Palestine — a coalition of more than 110 student groups calling for the university “to divest from apartheid and genocide” — said in a statement Sunday night: “We are frustrated by media distractions focusing on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us.”

    “We firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry and stand vigilant against non-students attempting to disrupt the solidarity being forged among students—Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, Black and Pro Palestinian classmates and colleagues who represent the full diversity of our country,” it said.

    Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., called Monday for Shafik to resign immediately, arguing “Columbia’s leadership has clearly lost control of its campus putting Jewish students’ safety at risk.”

    Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee, sent a letter Sunday to Shafik and other Columbia officials saying she is “gravely concerned” about the protests at the school. 

    “Columbia’s continued failure to restore order and safety promptly to campus constitutes a major breach of the University’s Title VI obligations, upon which federal financial assistance is contingent, and which must immediately be rectified,” Foxx wrote. 

    Shafik testified before Foxx’s committee last week, where some lawmakers accused Columbia of not doing enough to protect students from antisemitism on campus. 

    Shafik defended the university’s commitment to free speech but also acknowledged some rhetoric used by protesters was antisemitic that violated Columbia’s code of conduct. She said the school had suspended 15 students and promised that a visiting professor was not welcome back.

    “Antisemitism has no place on our campus and I am personally committed to doing everything I can to confront it directly,” Shafik said at the hearing.

    Ryan Chatelain

    Source link