Latest news with #schoolstaff
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Homeless Student Counts in California Are Up. Some Say That's a Good Thing
This article was originally published in CalMatters. In Kern County, the first rule in counting homeless students is not saying 'homeless.' Instead, school staff use phrases like 'struggling with stable housing' or 'families in transition.' The approach seems to have worked: More families are sharing their housing status with their children's schools, which means more students are getting services. 'There's a lot of stigma attached to the word 'homeless,'' said Curt Williams, director of homeless and foster youth services for the Kern County Office of Education. 'When you remove that word, it all changes.' Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Largely as a result of better identification methods, Kern County saw its homeless student population jump 10% last year, to 7,200. Those students received transportation to and from school, free school supplies, tutoring and other services intended to help them stay in school. For the purposes of this data, the definition of homelessness is broader than the state's point in time count. The trend is reflected statewide. In the latest state enrollment data released last month, California had 230,443 homeless students — a 9.3% increase from the previous year. Some of the increase is due to the state's ongoing housing shortage, but most of the increase is because of better identification, advocates and school officials said. Homeless students face numerous obstacles in school. They have higher rates of discipline and absenteeism, and fare worse academically. Last year, only 16% of homeless students met the state's math standard, some of the lowest scores of any student group. Related 'Schools can't solve homelessness, but they can ensure the students are safe in the classroom and getting the education they need to get out of homelessness,' said Barbara Duffield, executive director of Schoolhouse Connection, a national homeless youth advocacy group. 'That starts with identifying the child who's homeless.' Challenges of counting homeless students Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, schools are required to count their homeless students throughout the school year and ensure they receive services. Homeless students also have the right to stay enrolled in their original school even if they move. For many years, schools struggled to identify homeless students. Under state law, schools must distribute forms at the beginning of the school year asking families where they live — in their own homes, in motels, doubled-up with other families, in shelters, cars or outdoors. Some schools were less-than-diligent about collecting the form, or reassuring families understood the importance. Often, homeless families were reluctant to submit the form because they were afraid the school might contact a child welfare agency. Immigrant families sometimes feared the school might notify immigration authorities. And some families didn't realize that sharing quarters with another family — by far the most common living situation among homeless families – is technically defined as homeless, at least under McKinney-Vento. A 2021 bill by former Assemblymember Luz Rivas, a Democrat from Arleta in the San Fernando Valley, sought to fix that problem. The bill requires schools to train everyone who works with students — from bus drivers to cafeteria workers to teachers — on how to recognize potential signs of homelessness. That could include families who move frequently or don't reply to school correspondence. The bill seems to have helped. Last year, the state identified 21,000 more homeless students than it had the previous year, even as overall enrollment dropped. Still, that's probably an undercount, researchers said. The actual homeless student population is probably between 5% and10% of those students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, according to the National Center for Homeless Education. In California, that would be a shortfall of up to 138,713 students. Influx of funding Another boost for identifying homeless students came from the American Rescue Plan, the federal COVID-19 relief package. The plan included $800 million for schools to hire counselors or train existing staff to help homeless students. Nearly all schools in California received some money. About 120 districts in California won grant money through the McKinney-Vento Act, which last year dispersed about $15.9 million in California to pay for things like rides to school, backpacks, staff and other services. Districts are chosen on a competitive basis; not all districts that apply receive funds. But those funding sources are drying up. Most of the pandemic relief money has already been spent, and President Donald Trump's recently approved budget does not include McKinney-Vento funding for 2026-27. The cuts come at a time when advocates expect steep increases in the number of homeless families over the next few years, due in part to national policy changes. Republican budget proposals include cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and other programs aimed at helping low-income families, while the immigration crackdown has left thousands of families afraid to seek assistance. For families living on tight budgets, those cuts could lead to a loss of housing. And in California, the shortage of affordable housing continues to be a hurdle for low-income families. Even Kern County, which has traditionally been a less pricey option for families, has seen a spike in housing costs as more residents move there from Los Angeles. Joseph Bishop, an education professor at UCLA and co-author of a recent report on homeless students nationwide, said the loss of government funding will be devastating for homeless students. 'California is the epicenter of the homeless student crisis, and we need targeted, dedicated support,' Bishop said. 'Folks should be extremely alarmed right now. Will these kids be getting the education they need and deserve?' Better food, cleaner bathrooms In Kern County, identification has only been one part of the effort to help homeless students thrive in school. Schools also try to pair them with tutors and mentors, give them school supplies and laundry tokens, and invite them to join a program called Student Voice Ambassadors. There, students can tour local colleges, learn leadership skills and explore career options. As part of the program, staff ask students what would make school more enticing — and then make sure the suggestions happen. At one school, students said they'd go to class if the bathrooms were cleaner. So staff improved the bathrooms. At another school, students wanted better food. They got it. Williams credits the program with reducing absenteeism among homeless students. Two years ago, 45% of Kern County's homeless students were chronically absent. Last year, the number dropped to 39% – still too high, he said, but a significant improvement. 'Without McKinney-Vento funds, the Student Voice Ambassador program would go away,' Williams said. 'How will we keep it going? I don't know.' This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
MPS Superintendent Cassellius launches listening tour. Here's how to attend.
Braving extreme heat warnings June 23, about 30 people filed past industrial fans in the hallways of James Madison High School to gather with Brenda Cassellius, the new superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. It was the first of 10 events on Cassellius' "Listen and Learn Tour" that will be hosted at different schools throughout the summer. The events are open to anyone but most of the attendees June 23 were MPS staff, who spent about an hour sharing ideas for the district as Cassellius mostly listened. "We may not have a full huge standing crowd but I can tell you, the words that you're going to give and the information you're going to share with me today is incredibly valuable," Cassellius said. Attendees encouraged Cassellius to offer more opportunities for both staff and families to share their experiences. "I feel like we're overlooked a lot," said Ty-Asia Love, a safety assistant for MPS. "We're the frontline of the school but we're always the ones that get overlooked or thrown under the bus. Nobody comes to us and asks us what we feel like could be different. And we see a lot.' Tresha Patton, a library coach who trains MPS school librarians, asked Cassellius to consider budgeting for librarians at all MPS schools. Currently, schools that only serve students through fifth grade do not automatically get even a part-time librarian — and budget documents show most of those 40 schools haven't found room for librarians in their budgets. Patton was making a point that Cassellius herself and many others have also raised — that staffing is inconsistent across the district. In a recent review of the district's academic performance, MGT of America Consulting noted: "Multiple staff members described a 'haves and have-nots' system and indicated that the district does not do enough to balance resources." Some have called for an equity audit. James Madison — serving a relatively high population of Black students, students from lower-income families and students with disabilities — had more unfilled staff positions than most schools according to February data. The school was missing two core teachers, an art teacher, a paraprofessional aide and a secretary, according to MPS data shared with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Jacques Lake, a special education teacher at James Madison, said the school has been short-handed, leaving him responsible for supporting the special education needs of 30 students. Jessica Mendez, Community Schools Coordinator at South Division High School, called for "balanced investment" across the district "so each neighborhood school could be a student's first choice." She said students come to her school from over seven miles away. Cassellius said she wants to look more closely at what services and staffing can be guaranteed for every school, such as librarians like Patton mentioned, but she warned that without more state funding, adding something requires subtracting something else. "It's like, if we did do libraries, then what else would have to go?" Cassellius said. "Those are the trade-offs.' Cassellius said she expects to need to cut about $100 million in her next budget plan, for the 2026-27 school year, if there aren't significant changes in state funding. Cassellius avoided major cuts in most areas of her budget plan for the upcoming school year, though she controversially eliminated about 40 specialized teaching jobs. The budget was cushioned by a voter-approved referendum to raise taxes for MPS. It also relies, like previous years, on the expectation that hundreds of MPS staff positions will be unfilled. Another issue immediately confronting Cassellius is the state of the district's school buildings, which on average are over 80 years old and have over $250 million worth of maintenance needs that have been put off over the years. The issue was present at James Madison June 23, when temperatures in Milwaukee reached over 90 degrees. The school was built in 1966, reported nearly $8 million in deferred maintenance needs last year, and has only partial air conditioning. Only about one in five MPS buildings have full air conditioning. Emily Castle, who works for a state college-prep program at two MPS schools, said the heat is a regular issue. "I simply can't breathe, like I have to wear a shirt like I'm wearing right now and bring a stick of deodorant to my schools, because I cannot, as an adult, even, take the heat," Castle said, wearing a tank top. Sharonda Robinson, the coordinator for the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme at Stuart School, asked Cassellius to consider supporting more schools in updating their cement areas to more natural materials. She said students have been asking for green space and a calm outdoor area where they can read. Robinson said school staff have applied multiple times to get grants but haven't received them. As Cassellius looks to improve conditions in school buildings while needing to cut costs, she has said MPS will likely need to merge and close some schools where student populations have waned. An outside firm, Perkins Eastman, is under contract through January to help district leaders make those decisions under their long-range facilities master plan. At the moment, Cassellius is focused on another facilities problem: the deterioration of hazardous lead-based paint throughout the district, which is made worse in high heat. She plans to invest about $19 million on lead stabilization over the next school year. MPS students, guardians, staff and community members can register to attend Cassellius' listening tour at Registrants can request child care and interpretation services. The sessions begin at 6 p.m. on the following dates: Monday, July 28: Congress School, 5225 W. Lincoln Creek Drive Tuesday, July 29: South Division High School, 1515 W. Lapham Blvd. Wednesday, July 30: Frederick J. Gaenslen School, 1250 E. Burleigh St. Monday, Aug. 4: Milwaukee German Immersion School, 3778 N. 82nd St. Wednesday, Aug. 6: Jeremiah Curtin Leadership Academy, 3450 S. 32nd St. Monday, Aug. 11: Clement Avenue School, 3666 S. Clement Ave. Wednesday, Aug. 13: Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language, 2430 W. Wisconsin Ave. Monday, Aug. 18: Ralph H. Metcalfe School, 3400 W. North Ave. Those who want to share feedback can also email comm@ Contact Rory Linnane at Follow her on X at @RoryLinnane. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MPS Superintendent Cassellius launches summer listening tour
CBC
11-06-2025
- CBC
More bloodshed intended in Brandon high school sword attack: police
A 16-year-old boy accused of attacking and seriously injuring another student with a sword at Neelin High School in Brandon, Man., intended to hurt more people, but was stopped by the swift action of school staff and officers, police say. Community members have left chalk messages of support for students and staff on the sidewalks outside the school.
ABC News
09-06-2025
- ABC News
South Burnett school employee faces court charged with child sex offences
Queensland police have charged a 67-year-old man, who was employed at a school in Queensland's South Burnett region, with child sexual offences. Police allege the offences were committed over a five-month period between January and June this year. The man has been charged with four counts of rape and appeared before the Kingaroy Magistrates Court earlier today. In a statement, Queensland's Department of Education said it was aware a school staff member had been charged with deeply concerning offences. The department confirmed the individual concerned was no longer working at a state school. The statement also said there was no higher priority than protecting the safety and wellbeing of students, and that support would continue to be provided for any students, parents or staff requiring assistance.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pewaukee bus driver facing additional charges
A Pewaukee bus driver previously charged with sexual assault of a child now faces additional charges related to a second child. Three additional felony charges were filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court May 27 in an amended criminal complaint against Thomas Felser: one count of first-degree child sexual assault — sexual contact with a child younger than 13, and two counts of sexual misconduct by school staff or volunteer. He was originally charged May 16 with one felony count of repeated sexual assault of a child and three felony counts of sexual misconduct by school staff or volunteer. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He remains in Waukesha County Jail on $350,000 bail, according to online court records. The amended complaint is similar to the original complaint, which said a mom went to the location of her child's bus May 13 after noticing on an app that it had not moved for 10 minutes. She discovered Felser and her child sitting close to each other, and Felser said they were just talking about the child's day. Security footage showed Felser and the child sitting next to each other that day, as well as other days. That child told police Felser touched them in their private areas, the complaint said. The amended complaint came about after police reviewed additional security footage from all of Felser's routes from April 2 to May 23, 2025. They discovered Felser had inappropriately touched another child on multiple occasions, the complaint said, listing incidents on April 3, April 7, April 16, April 17, April 28 and May 6. In a May 23 interview with police, a different child said Felser was playing the "monster" game, which involved going to the back of the bus and hiding. The child said Felser was usually the monster. When police asked whether Felser touched them where he wasn't supposed to, the child said they did not know and that they did not want to tell the officer "because it is 'super weird.'" Go Riteway, the bus company that Felser worked for, conducts full background checks for staff, has security cameras on all buses and provides universal training for staff on child abuse and neglect. It also provides GPS tracking, including the Here Comes the Bus app available to parents. The company declined to comment on Felser's case. Felser's attorney, Craig Powell, could not be immediately reached for comment. In a letter to parents, Pewaukee Schools Superintendent Mike Cady shared a link with community resources, which can be accessed at He declined to comment on the case. Anyone with additional information should call Village of Pewaukee Police at 262-446-5070, Cady said in his letter. Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or Follow him on X (Twitter) at @AlecJohnson12. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pewaukee bus driver facing additional charges
