Free Republic

WKYT Audrey Rowe is visiting schools all over the nation. “Everything we can do.. to make food taste good,” Rowe told students at Elkhorn Middle School in Frankfort on Wednesday. The USDA official from Washington, DC got a first-hand look…and taste of school lunches in Kentucky. “I think we can make it to where one day you’ll say ‘that lady was here and I like this food now.’ That’s what I’m working on,” she said.

A Colorado high school student quit the school choir after an Islamic song containing the lyric "there is no other truth except Allah" made it into the repertoire. James Harper, a senior at Grand Junction High School in Grand Junction, put his objection to singing "Zikr," a song written by Indian composer A.R. Rahman, in an email to Mesa County School District 51 officials. When the school stood by choir director Marcia Wieland's selection, Harper quit. "I don’t want to come across as a bigot or a racist, but I really don’t feel it is appropriate for students in a...

The nanny state tramples on parental prerogatives over kids 'diets' stories are irresistible blog fodder, arguably even tastier than the legendary 'dubious taser use by police' viral vids. Remember last year when a Chicago school flatly forbade kids from bringing in homepacked lunches? A school in North Carolina has a different approach: You can bring the lunch mom packed for you, but if it doesn’t meet the USDA guidelines, you’ll be marched to the cafeteria to eat a “healthy� lunch instead — and mom will be billed for the extra expense. The punchline? Mom’s lunch actually did meet the guidelines...

RUSH: This is from Rayford, North Carolina. Carolina Journal. I'm gonna read it to you exactly as it printed out here: "A preschooler at West Hoke Elementary School ate three chicken nuggets for lunch Jan. 30 because a state employee told her the lunch her mother packed was not nutritious. The girl’s turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips and apple juice did not meet US Department of Agriculture guidelines, according to the interpretation of the agent who was inspecting all lunch boxes in her More at Four classroom that day." Again, let me read this to you again: "The...

Principal encouraged cheating, staffers sayBy Kristen A. Graham and Dylan Purcell Inquirer Staff Writers Posted: Sun, Feb. 12, 2012, 6:35 AM Teachers got the message in meetings and during visits to their classrooms in the days before they were scheduled to administer state exams. Multiple staffers at Cayuga Elementary said they were instructed by principal Evelyn Cortez to do what they had to do in their rooms to get good scores. Cortez, reached Friday night, was emphatic: "I disagree with these allegations." The school, in a tough Hunting Park neighborhood, produced strong test results for several years running, and Philadelphia...

Portage Public Schools had an odd reaction to some good financial news this week, telling a company that could save it $270,000 a year "no thanks." That offer came from Grand Rapids Building Services, a facilities cleaning contractor that proposed taking over the school district’s first shift custodial duties. GRBS is able to accomplish the same work at a lower cost primarily because it uses a different benefits package than Portage schools, one that doesn’t include overpriced health insurance from the Michigan Education Special Services Association or expensive contributions to the unsustainable school employee pension plan. GRBS’ more reasonable benefits...

As L.A. Probes Sex Abuse Charges, Staff Replaced At Elementary Schoolby Mark Memmott February 7, 2012 08:00am "In a dramatic move to quell parents' fears, Los Angeles school officials said they will temporarily replace the entire staff of an elementary school south of downtown Los Angeles, where two teachers have been accused of lewd acts against students," the Los Angeles Times writes. KPCC's Pass/Fail blog says that "the district has never relocated an entire staff before." The changes at Miramonte Elementary School "will affect everyone from the principal to secretaries to teachers to custodians, [L.A. Unified Superintendent John] Deasy said....

When parent Jeff Travis saw a lesson sheet his son received in social studies class, he was shocked. Using propaganda that could have been disgorged by the KGB, the flier seemed to elevate communism over “capitalism.” Distributed in Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa, the lesson sheet includes a cartoon (portion shown below) that purports to illustrate the differences between the two systems. In the left panel are two unhappy-looking workers with balls and chains tied to their ankles who toil away on one side of a machine while all the profit spills out the other side into...

Abu Qatada, the radical Islamic preacher once described as Osama bin Laden’s “right hand man in Europe”, will be back on the streets within days after being granted bail. A senior immigration judge said yesterday that Qatada could be released despite even his own defence team suggesting that he posed a “grave risk” to Britain’s national security. Qatada was granted bail by Mr Justice Mitting after the European Court of Human Rights ruled last month that he could not be deported to his native Jordan. The bail conditions will be similar to those set in 2008, with the cleric confined...

Possible IRS rule change alarms charter schools. The IRS is proposing changes to the rules for Charter Schools. You have until Monday to comment at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools website.The issue is this: The regulation would force those charter school teachers who have chosen to be in the state retirement system and are currently contributing to their state retirement plans to quit their charter-school jobs or lose the money that has been contributed to their accounts by the state. Teachers can keep what they've put into the account, but anything the state has put in would be...

Lunch Scholars Video Shows Students Cant Answer History Questions Did you know that “bin Laden” is the vice president of the United States, or that the Civil War led to America’s independence? How about that Canada’s a state? Well, that’s what some local students at (what appears to be) a Washington state high school think. In a video that’s probably a few hours from going viral, a young man decided to question classmates for a video called “Lunch Scholars.” It is anything but scholarly. HuffPo explains: Austin, an intrepid young student-reporter, embarks on the noble mission of answering the question,...

UPDATE: 1/31/2012 6:36 PM A proud Parkersburg South Patriot mascot is ready to fight for his school spirit and the for the right to carry his musket. "Anywhere you see the symbol of the patriot, he's carrying his gun. It's painted on the walls of the school. He has his gun with him. I feel that it's part of his uniform," Alex Burdette, the mascot wearing senior says. This muzzle loading mascot is ready to go to war for a Parkersburg South tradition. "I first realized there was a problem when at certain away games the security guards would come...

At a time when the Highland Park School District's budget was drastically in the red, its teachers didn’t make any contributions to health care costs and saw their average salaries increase. Despite losing 44 percent of its students over four years, the district only cut its full-time work force by 21 percent and didn’t touch its administration staffing levels. It has the highest debt-to-revenue ratio of any school district in the state. Gov. Rick Snyder recently declared Highland Park is in a state of financial emergency, which could lead to the appointment of an emergency manager. Despite media reports of...

Everyone who's ever gone to school should know how to spell "school." But someone who plastered a school crossing sign on the street in front of a New York City high school got it wrong. The New York Post reports ( http://nyp.st/zzfXDj) that the big white letters in front of Marta Valle High School on the Lower East Side say "SHCOOL X-NG."

DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A figurative beat down turned literal beating has led to the felony arrests of a group of local high school football players. Police arrested four Star International Academy seniors Wednesday on aggravated assault charges stemming from an altercation in the team’s last game of the season. The players -- Mohamed Ahmed, Fanar Al-Alsady, Hadee Attia and Ali Bajjey, all age 17 -- are accused of gang-beating Lutheran Westland’s quarterback as time expired in Lutheran’s 47-6 drubbing of Star on Oct. 21. According to numerous witness statements gathered by police, Lutheran’s quarterback was set to take a knee...

"Azerbaijan thwarts terror attack against Israeli, Jewish targets Security official in Baku links Iran to planned operation; three men detained." SNIPPET: "Three men were detained last week after planning to attack two Israelis employed by a Jewish school in Baku, the Azerbaijan Ministry of National Security has revealed. Meanwhile, an Azeri commentator considered close to the republic's president has launched a scathing indictment of Iran. The Azeri ministry said it had arrested a cell that planned to "kill public activists," before it became apparent that the intended victims were two Israeli Chabad emissaries, a rabbi and a teacher employed by...

NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) - A school in southern Arizona was put on lockdown after a group of apparent illegal immigrants was spotted walking near the campus

First Lady Michelle Obama seemed to delight middle schoolers in Virginia when she attended a special screening of her appearance on a Nickelodeon show, but the audience showed some displeasure, booing when she told them about the healthy food initiative that changes their school lunch menu. "Booo," cried the students who heard Mrs. Obama report that "my husband and the Congress passed a legislation to make sure we could put more nutritious foods into the schools. So you should be seeing more vegetables, more fruit, more healthy foods," she explained, according to the event transcript. The disc jockey helping with...

Is Sofia Hellqvist Prince Carl-Philp’s future wife and princess bride? Sofia Hellqvist was born on December 6, 1984 in Täby and moved to Älvdalen at the age of six and during her teen years was a part of the fine arts set in school where she apparently got exceptionally good grades and was a popular student and took dance lessons. Later she studied in Stockholm while working as a hostess and waitress part time and doing modeling for a variety of publications.

News from the Pacific Justice Institute Less than a week after California’s gay history mandate went into effect, a new pro-LGBT bill introduced last week promises to stir even more controversy. AB 266, sponsored by Assemblyman and comedian Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), would require schools to allow students to participate on sports teams according to their “gender identity,” not their biological sex. This is no joke. That means that a boy who claims that he identifies as female would have the right to try out for the girls’ basketball team, potentially taking away an opportunity from a girl who might...

Dear Carrie: I am relatively new to investing. I have set money aside and plan to take an aggressive approach to paying off my student loans. Can you offer an ideal action plan for both investing and lowering student debt? --A Reader Dear Reader: With money set aside and wanting to put a plan in action, it sounds like you're already headed in the right direction. Now it's time to get down to specifics so that, ideally, you can accomplish both your investing and debt lowering goals -- and then some. Student debt can be daunting, and you're right to...

Third graders in in Gwinnett County, Ga., were given math homework Wednesday that asked questions about slavery and beatings. Christopher Braxton told ABC News affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta that he couldn't believe the assignment his 8-year-old son brought home from of Beaver Ridge Elementary school in Norcross. "It kind of blew me away," Braxton said. "Do you see what I see? Do you really see what I see? He's not answering this question." The question read, "Each tree had 56 oranges. If eight slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?" Another math problem read, "If Frederick...

MIAMI (AP) — Seven central Florida teenagers were arrested after authorities said they punched and kicked a 13-year-old until she was unconscious while on a school bus. The victim told authorities that Friday was her first time riding the bus and no one would let her sit down. About 75 children were riding the bus bound for a middle school in Ocala, a rural city north of Orlando. The victim said someone threw a shoe at her and she threw one back, according to an arrest report. One girl allegedly asked students if they wanted to hit the victim, then...

The ever-vigilant crew at WeaselZippers has uncovered a jaw-dropping incident at Woodbrook Elementary School in Virginia in which third-grade students performed (and school officials claim wrote) a song titled, “Part of the 99” as part of a “Kid Pan Alley” performance in October.

School Defends “Occupy” Song For 8-year-olds By Todd Starnes/TWITTER A Virginia school district is defending a song allegedly written and performed by a group of third graders about the Occupy Wall Street movement that conservative bloggers are calling a form of indoctrination. The song, “Part of the 99,” was performed by children at Woodbrook Elementary School in Albemarle County, Virginia. A spokesman for the school system said as far as they were concerned there isn’t a controversy and called criticism of the program unfortunate. “We really don’t censor the topics that students come up with,” school spokesman Phil Giaramita told...

A shocking one in four students at a Bronx high school slated for closure is a teen parent or pregnant, The Post has learned. That startling statistic is buried in thousands of pages of documents the city Department of Education submitted to the state earlier this year when it initially sought funds to fix the long-struggling Grace Dodge HS in Belmont. It has since proposed shuttering the school — with, critics charge, no regard to the parenting teens.

To speak out against the anti-scientific orthodoxy that prevails among large segments of the educated class is to make yourself the skunk at the garden party. Imagine yourself at one of those fashionable dinner parties you go to now and then—you know, the kind where everybody has retro-chic eyeglasses and au courant haircuts, and the food isn’t just vegetarian but organic.You make the mistake of mentioning your headache and the woman on your left offers you some capsules from the health food store. Here is your side of the ensuing conversation:“Oh, thanks, but you know I only take medications that...

"Nasty, Rotty Stuff" That's the verdict from student Mayra Gutierrez on the new healthful menu introduced this year by the Los Angeles Unified School District. And she's not alone, according to the L.A. Times. "At Van Nuys High School," reports the paper, "complaints about the food were so widespread that Principal Judith Vanderbok wrote to [food services director Dennis] Barrett with the plea: 'Please help! Bring back better food!'" Readers might wonder how, with all of the challenges in reading, writing and arithmetic, school administrators decided that reducing fat and sodium at the cafeteria was a top priority for L.A....

For the rest of the semester, a Rutherford County elementary student has to eat lunch at the "silent table" for allegedly waving around a slice of pizza some say resembled a gun. Nicholas Taylor attends David Youree Elementary School in Smyrna, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. School leaders say the 10-year-old threatened other students at his lunch table with a piece of pizza with bites out of it so it looked like a gun and when asked about it was initially not truthful. Nicholas' mother LeAnn calls her son's punishment "absolutely ridiculous" saying he was just playing around and...

BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY, Ky. -- Kentucky State Police said a 16-year-old student is facing charges, accused of using Facebook to threaten a high school. Police wouldn't release the messages, but said they had lyrics from the band Insane Clown Posse and referenced using weapons at Breckinridge County High School. A Breckinridge County student said it was a little scary Friday at school as news went around about the Facebook posts. School district officials said police were on campus all day as a precaution. "It makes you nervous, nervous for your child and everything," said concerned parent Merrilee Lucas. Police said that...

A federal lawsuit has led to official recognition for a student-led Christian club that had earlier been banned by the Hicksville Union Free School District in Central Islip, N.Y. Attorneys of the Christian law firm Alliance Defense Fund on Friday started the process of voluntary dismissal of the federal lawsuit against the district after its “decision to change course and grant the club equal access to the rights, benefits, and privileges extended to all other non-curriculum student clubs.” Apart from officially recognizing the Frontline Club, the district also adopted a resolution affirming its “continuing policy to comply with the Equal...

A South St. Paul woman who beat her 8-year-old daughter in front of her St. Paul classmates on the last day of school was sentenced Wednesday to 15 days in jail. Socorro Eaton, 27, must report to the Ramsey County workhouse Dec. 27, Judge Margaret Marrinan ordered. A jury convicted her Oct. 27 of gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child. The case arose from an incident on June 14, the last day of school at Bruce Vento Elementary in St. Paul. The girl had told her mother that she needed to bring a bag of art supplies to class....

Farmington Public Schools Superintendent Susan Zurvalec angered some parents by using the school’s list-serve to send out an email asking parents to contact their legislators to oppose a bill that would lift the arbitrary cap on charter public schools. Experts have said in the past that such communication using school resources is not in violation of the campaign finance laws because there is no election involved. The message was sent Dec. 5. Deb O’Hagan, a member of the Lakes Area Tea Party that has members in the Farmington School District, says she has a problem with Zurvalec’s message for numerous...

In happier times Russian university students could expect a bright future as part of the country’s elite. Instead the country is experiencing a serious brain drain as graduates head abroad, and many other young people dream of doing so: 40 percent, according to one survey. It is of serious concern to the authorities in the run-up to parliamentary elections on December 4. One first year maths student at Moscow State University said if she continued her studies she would probably go abroad, because she did not believe the government was putting enough money into science development. The loss of more...

The following are statements issued by Patricia Nalley, President of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education, Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell, Superintendent of schools, and Vicki Plitt, Principal of Glen Burnie High School. Additionally, the school sent home a letter to parents this afternoon explaining the situation.

Even the Grinch would not be this mean. A sourpuss teacher in Rockland County ruined Christmas for a class full of second-graders this week, when she told them that there is no Santa Claus during a lesson about the North Pole. The evil educator even told the youngsters - mostly 7- and 8-year-olds - that the presents under their trees were put out by their parents, and not St. Nick. The stunning Scrooge-like behavior has caused a blizzard of outrage at the quiet George W. Miller Elementary School in Nanuet, where angry parents would like to see the teacher roasted...

About 15 percent of black students in St. Paul were suspended at least once last year, compared with 3 percent of whites. To address the problem, the district decided in 2009 to spend about $450,000 of $58 million it received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to institute the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program. The program requires administrators and teachers to periodically evaluate their school rules and determine which ones call for suspensions and which call for lesser punishments. They're also encouraged to be more explicit about what is expected of students in order to be successful...

A school district in Michigan that gets 18 percent of its student body via the state's schools of choice program appears to have attacked legislation supporting expanded parental choice when it comes to charter and cyber schools in a resolution. It raises the question of whether school district officials only believe in a parent’s right to choose a school if it is their district, said Michael Van Beek, education policy director for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. The Berkley School District Board of Education passed a resolution that appears to attack charter public schools, although the school board president...

Last week a Hooters server stepped inside a Florida school to talk with students about her job for a career day. Now a parent at the school is outraged, and people are asking whether it was appropriate for a woman who works at a restaurant known for its sexy waitresses to speak to a group of students. Hooters is a national restaurant chain that’s known for its hot waitresses who sport tight tank-tops and orange short-shorts. It’s a place where men like to go for wings and jugs (of beer). But Hooters server Brittany Morgan, 23, wasn’t sporting her uniform...

A Fort Myers principal involved Lee County sheriff’s deputies in an elementary school crush. Deputies were dispatched Wednesday to Orange River Elementary School in reference to what Assistant Principal Margaret Ann Haring called a “possible sex crime” — two students kissing. “This incident is more of a simple assault, though by definition there would have to be a victim,” Sgt. Stephanie Eller said. Haring told deputies she had two students, both under 12, who kissed while in physical education class, reports said. Haring said one of them was debating about who liked who more. The student then went over and...

A settlement amount of $1.875 million was reached between the Miami-Dade County School Board and the family of a teen who was stabbed to death while at Coral Gables High School, according to the law firm representing the family. Andy Rodriguez, 19, faces life in prison after being found guilty on Aug. 2 of second-degree murder in the September 2009 death of 17-year-old Juan Carlos Rivera.

A settlement amount of $1.875 million was reached between the Miami-Dade County School Board and the family of a teen who was stabbed to death while at Coral Gables High School, according to the law firm representing the family. Andy Rodriguez, 19, faces life in prison after being found guilty on Aug. 2 of second-degree murder in the September 2009 death of 17-year-old Juan Carlos Rivera.

The City of Utica fire chief earns $73,440. Before leaving in March, the Utica police chief made $79,000. The Utica Community Schools has 36 gym teachers who earn more than the fire chief and 31 phys-ed teachers who earned more than the police chief. UCS closed four of its elementary schools last year to save money as it faced a $33 million deficit in 2010-11. The district’s website blamed politicians “for ongoing failure by the state legislature to bring about stable and ongoing financial reform with regard to Michigan’s public schools.” Yet, half of the district’s 52 gym teachers make...

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.- The Charlotte County School District released a copy of its investigation into Charlotte High School math teacher Jeff Spires. The report details statements from students and Spires, who confess to taking part in grade-changing for money. According to the documents, an eleventh-grade student first brought forward allegations that Spires was selling grades on October 14. In the investigator's report, he says that student told the school's principal Barney Duffy he had bought several favorable grades on quizzes. The district released some of the student's exams. One one of them the student wrote "I paid coach $40.00 cash...

An Orlando-area mom reportedly angry that her child was being bullied took matters into her own hands on Tuesday —and was arrested for her trouble. Leslie Ann Thomas, 31, charged into Lockhart Middle School on Doctor Love Road about 9:16 a.m., according to an arrest report.

Sandusky's house located yards away from Lemont Elementary SchoolBy Christina Gallagher Collegian Staff Writer November 11, 2011 at 7:43 PM A chain link fence separates Jerry Sandusky's State College home from the school-aged children who attend Lemont Elementary School. **SNIP** Throughout the week, Sandusky's secluded, humble residence has been shielded. Today, trash bags and tarps covered two first floor windows that once gave view to a bedroom window with a doll in the window. A carved jack-o-lantern and a potted plant sat to next to the front door. The door's side windows were also covered with paper. No one answered...

State football playoffs kick off on Friday in nearly all states which didn't start them on the first weekend of November. That's the case in New Mexico, too, though one school is fighting to put some of the state's scheduled matchups on hold until it can have a blown call rectified … and possibly be added to the playoff mix itself. As reported by KOB-TV and KOAT-TV, among other New Mexico outlets, Atrisco (N.M.) Heritage High parents filed an injunction on behalf of the school's football team after it was kept out of the New Mexico Class 4A state playoffs...

I always like to report progress on a subject close to my classical liberal heart -- namely, the reform of our grotesquely dysfunctional K-12 public school system. School reform (from a classical liberal perspective) involves at least two things: school choice (i.e., putting the resources for education in the hands of parents, not the educational bureaucrats -- preferably by vouchers) and school employee accountability (i.e., tying teachers' compensation to their actual performance). Of the two, school choice is fundamental, because allowing parents and students to choose where they want the students to attend forces school administrators to worry about student...

It can be a malicious rumor whispered in the hallway, a lewd photo arriving by cell phone, hands groping where they shouldn't. Added up, it's an epidemic — student-on-student sexual harassment that is pervasive in America's middle schools and high schools. During the 2010-11 school year, 48 percent of students in grades 7-12 experienced some form of sexual harassment in person or electronically via texting, email and social media, according to a major national survey being released Monday by the American Association of University Women. The harassers often thought they were being funny, but the consequences for their targets can...

The Cambridge Public School District in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the first in the state to close in observance of an Islamic holy day. Today, students and teachers will have the day off, as a district committee voted last year to close for one Muslim holiday each year. The holiday – Eid al-Adha — is also known as the “Festival of Sacrifice” . It is one of the two “high holy days” that are observed by Muslims.