SCHOOLS

How could a bus driver leave the door open to allow another person to join in on a brutal beat down? A mother has plenty of questions.

Top Republican legislators in Kansas are focusing on helping conservative parents remove their children from public schools over what’s taught about gender and sexuality.

A day before a ban goes into effect that would prohibit elected officials from serving as lobbyists, the vice chair of the Miami-Dade School Board has quit as well as a Miami Shores councilmember.

Only three months into the school year, there have been numerous threats that have prompted lockdowns or arrests throughout Broward and Miami-Dade County.

The Supreme Court has ruled that religious schools can’t be excluded from a Maine program that offers tuition aid for private education.

Enrollment in Catholic schools in the United States rose 3.8% from the previous academic year, rebounding from a sharp drop caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week public schools in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties adopted new mask policies.

With ICU pediatric unit bed capacity throughout Broward County wearing thin, education leaders are worried about the spread of COVID-19 when school starts on Wednesday.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools officers arrested a 30-year-old juvenile detention center worker on Thursday, accusing him of sexual battery.

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The majority of California's 6.1 million public school students could be back in the classroom by April under new legislation announced Monday by Gov. Most students in the nation's most populous state have been learning from home for the past year during the pandemic. Instead, the state would set aside $2 billion to pay districts that get select groups of students into classrooms by the end of the month. Crucially, the legislation does not require districts to have an agreement with teachers' unions on a plan for in-person instruction. Districts that fail to have children back in classrooms before May 15 won’t get any money.

The Broward Teachers Union put up two billboards to bring awareness of their disagreement with school superintendent over forcing teachers back to the classroom who may be at risk for COVID-19. BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – They are continuing their fight against Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie’s directive that all teachers must be back in the classroom. As a follow up with their delivery of thousands of pairs of flip flops to community and business leaders earlier this week, the Broward Teachers Union posted two billboards that asks the question: “School Superintendent Robert Runcie? AdAccording to the superintendent, Broward Schools has allowed more than 600 teachers with underlying health issues to remain teaching online. The billboards point drivers to sign a petition at protectourteachers.net that asks the superintendent to protect medically high risk teachers by continuing to let them teach from home.

HIALEAH, Fla. – Miami-Dade brick-and-mortar schools are opening their doors Monday to some students. The students who will return to in-person learning Monday in Miami-Dade County public schools will be those in Pre-K, kindergarten and first grade, along with students with special needs. “We’ve been in schooling since Aug. 31, but tomorrow, Oct. 5, will be the first day of physical schooling,” Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Sunday outside of Hialeah Elementary School. But school board member Marta Perez tells Local 10 that the schools are ready to go, despite a sooner-than-expected return. It was Tuesday when the Miami-Dade School Board had to quickly pivot, voting to reopen physical classrooms on Oct. 5 instead of Oct. 14 - a plan that had already been voted on and approved.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami Dade School Board met Wednesday to discuss the cyber attacks and other slowdowns that have been plaguing the district since it began its online learning platform Monday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation told Local 10 they are assisting Miami-Dade Schools Police. “It’s something we have never dealt with, not only internally, but our local law enforcement partners haven’t either,” Commander Edwin Lopez, Miami-Dade School Police, said. School board member and Vice Chair Steve Gallon said the online experience was an utter failure. There were also questions about the K-12 online platform itself and the $15.3 million contract.

MADRID – Masks will be mandatory for all students in Spain, ages 6 or older, when returning to schools in September because of increased coronavirus cases, the government announced Thursday. Previously, masks were only required for students above age 12 by some Spanish regions. Students will receive a daily body temperature check, must wash hands at least five times per day and classrooms will need frequent ventilation, the government said. That allows localized quarantines if there’s a positive test, rather than closing entire schools. Parents and teachers have expressed concern, with new waves of outbreaks since the country emerged from a strict lockdown.

WESTON, Fla. – It’s been a week since Broward County School have gone back to school — virtually for now because of COVID-19. "I don't think I've ever cried this much as I have during this situation," Shannon Martinez, Gator Run Elementary School Teacher, said. [RELATED: Facebook Live Town Hall with Broward Schools, Wednesday, 6 p.m. Click here to join.] In Broward County, superintendent Robert Runcie said that district will revisit in-class learning after Labor Day. There was an enrollment decrease in Broward County Schools by about 7,600 students this school year.

It comes as federal agents are warning parents that more kids on-line increases the risk of savvy cyber-child predators having access to children. With children as young as 5-years-old now online to get a virtual education, the district should provide a warning to students, Karp said. These topics are organized into 4 main categories:Connecting Virtually: information related to devices and connectivity, student email accounts, My School Online, Digital Citizenship and Cyber Safety. Each module will indicate whether it is to be viewed by students, parents, or both together. Modules will be made available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole via the Week of Welcome website at www.miamiweekofwelcome.com.

Meanwhile, the largest district in the state that’s currently offering face-to-face instruction has now quarantined more than 1,150 students because of possible coronavirus exposure. According to numbers released Wednesday, around 70 students and staff members in the Cherokee County district have tested positive for COVID-19. Washington stateSeattle schools to start with remote teachingThe Seattle school board has voted unanimously to begin the academic year with remote teaching only. The Seattle Times reported the state’s largest school district approved the plan Wednesday. The remote learning plan passed with a wide-ranging amendment from school board members that directs the superintendent to explore creating outdoor classes.

A sign alongside a playground at Hanna Woods Elementary School in the Parkway School District in suburban St. Louis indicates that the playground is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Saturday, July 18, 2020. Parkway has formulated a flexible plan to reopen schools when the fall semester begins Aug. 24. Just how bad the virus is at the time will determine if schools open completely, if they mix online and in-person classes, or if they are forced to go strictly virtual. (AP Photo/Jim Salter)

That's how funding is shared with private schools under other federal rules that Congress referenced in the legislation creating the relief aid. In Louisiana, for example, private schools are estimated to get at least 267% more under DeVos' formula. DeVos said urgent action was needed after dozens of private schools permanently closed as a result of the pandemic. Democrats and public school officials condemned the rule, saying it gives private schools a disproportionate share of the aid. DeVos has been accused of bending the formula to benefit the private schools she has championed.

MIAMI – Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Friday Miami-Dade County Public Schools is preparing to follow the new guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the coronavirus pandemic. CDC Guidelines for School (CDC Guidelines for School)District employees will be testing students’ temperatures before they are allowed into the bus and school, Carvalho said. During the Recover phase, the district will be holding virtual Summer School from June 8 to July 10. During the Restart phase, students who demonstrate low levels of academic performance, as well as students with learning disabilities and English language learners would return to school on July 27. For more updates from Miami-Dade County Public Schools, visit this page.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County’s public schools are planning to finish the school year remotely. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho shared the decision on social media Wednesday afternoon, tweeting:“This year’s last day of school for students is June 3rd. A physical return to schools this year is not only unlikely but imprudent.”This year's last day of school for students is June 3rd. A physical return to schools this year is not only unlikely but imprudent. Palm Beach County announced Wednesday that its public schools will hold virtual graduation ceremonies that will be aired on television and streamed online.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Pete Perez is a campus monitor at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, and he’s one of the many non-instructional Broward school district employees who was told it’s time to go back to work. “They’re playing Russian Roulette with our lives.”On Tuesday, the district sent us a statement that said only essential staff who can’t work remotely have been called in. Local 10 News has learned that campus monitors have been told to report to the schools where they work, stay in their cars, and observe and report anything they see. And, because he has diabetes and is more at risk, he feels unsafe going into work at all. On Wednesday afternoon, the unions representing school district employees had a phone call with Superintendent Robert Runcie and gave him a list of questions.

The school where she works, Broward High School, she says, is short on supplies needed to keep students healthy. But Miami-Dade County Public School District Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho was willing to go on camera to clear up any concerns about the hygiene supplies in his district. Attending an awards event at Felix Varela High School, Carvalho said, “Every school has hand towels, hand sanitizers, soap available to them.”He said each time he is at a school, he checks for himself to see if facilities have adequate supplies. “It’s not acceptable that a single restroom in our school district is not appropriately stocked because the schools certainly have what they need. “The District is reviewing the quantity of hygiene supplies on hand to ensure all schools are adequately stocked.

SAMPSON COUNTY, N.C. – Wild video shows the moment a severe storm blew through a school gym in North Carolina on Monday, injuring three students. The back part of the Union Intermediate Elementary School gym can be seen falling down as about 25 children ran the other way to safety. As the students ran, bricks and wooden beams began to fall. The injured children were taken to the hospital with undisclosed injuries, although they are expected to be fine, WTVD reports. “What a blessing it is that only three students were injured and those three students are going to be okay,” said school spokesperson Wendy Cabral.