Education News: February 9, 2007

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending February 9, 2007.

Settlement Deal Over Autistic Irvine Boy’s Schooling is Released
(Source:  The Los Angeles Times, 2/9/07):  The Irvine Unified School District will cover the expenses of educating a severely autistic boy at home for the next two years under a recent settlement reached between the family and the district.  The terms of the settlement, released because they involve taxpayer money, will allow the boy 35 hours a week of in-home behavioral analysis.  The parents of the boy filed the suit after being forced to give expensive gifts to school employees to ensure their son’s adequate care.

Allentown School System Faces Suit Over Sex Assaults
(Source:  The Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/8/07):  Parents of three allegedly assaulted students are suing the Allentown school district over failing to properly protect their children from an older, mentally disturbed student at the school.  The district is fighting the case in court, saying that the school did not take “affirmative” steps to put the young students in harm’s way.  Parents claim that school officials knew about a first attack and failed to take steps to prevent later ones.

Thousands Rally For School Vouchers
(Source:  The Houston Chronicle, 2/8/07):  At the Texas state capitol, thousands of students and parents rallied this week with the demand that the Texas state legislature provide a pilot program of vouchers that would allow low-income inner-city students to attend private schools.  Texas businessman James Leininger, financer of a $100 million private program that promotes this objective, has warned that students will be left with no options when his program runs out in 2008.

Judge Mulls Suit Over Gay Classroom Talk
(Source:  The Boston Globe, 2/7/07):  Two sets of parents in Lexington, Massachusetts, have filed a lawsuit against the Lexington school district because a story featuring a homosexual couple was read to their children in elementary school.  The parents are asking to be notified when homosexuality will be discussed in the classroom.  District officials say it is impossible to strictly monitor when sensitive topics are discussed in schools.

Online Postings Land Educators in Hot Water
(Source:  The San Diego Tribune, 2/6/07):  A teacher at Challenger Middle School stepped down from chaperoning a school trip after an unnamed student voiced concern about content on the teacher’s personal website.  The district has not disciplined the teacher, and he has since asked to be reinstated on the trip.  The case raises questions about guidelines for lives of teachers outside of the classroom.

Indiana Hopes to Stop Brain Drain
(Source:  The New York Times, 2/6/07):  Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has proposed a scholarship with strings attached to keep bright college students in the state after graduation.  The program would provide $5,000 a year in scholarship money to top students going to college in-state—provided they stay in Indiana for at least three years after graduation.  Those who move away will have to pay the money back.  The governor proposes outsourcing the state lottery to finance this plan.

As Push For Longer Hours Forms, Intriguing Models Arise in D. C.
(Source:  The Washington Post, 2/5/07):  Washington Jesuit Academy in Northeast Washington has a roughly 12-hour school day.  Onerous as it sounds, the day allows students time for lunch, breakfast, dinner, a long study hall to do homework, and time for sports.  Scores on standardized tests at the academy show dramatic student improvement, making a longer school day yet another option in the quest to improve learning environments.

Rich School, Poor School
(Source:  The Chicago Tribune, 2/4/07):  The amount per student spent in school districts across the state of Illinois greatly varies according to the income brackets of community taxpayers.  Affluent districts spend in some cases over $22,000 a year per student, while many poorer districts spend less than the $8,765 median.  The disparity further emphasizes the opportunity gap for children from different economic backgrounds.