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Possibly Tampered-With, Smoking Chromebook Prompts Early Dismissal At HS In Hudson Valley Possibly Tampered-With, Smoking Chromebook Prompts Early Dismissal At HS In Hudson Valley
Possibly Tampered-With, Smoking Chromebook Prompts Early Dismissal At HS In Hudson Valley A high school in Dutchess County was forced to dismiss students early after a student-issued Chromebook began smoking inside a classroom, school officials said.  The incident happened around 8:50 a.m. Monday, May 5, at Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls, according to Superintendent Dr. Dwight Bonk of the Wappingers Central School District. The smoke from the device triggered a fire alarm, prompting emergency responders to arrive at the school. Although the fire was quickly contained, school leaders said the lingering smoke and odor made it necessary to dismiss students for …

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by Ben Crnic
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Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market
Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market A record number of federal student loan borrowers are seriously delinquent as debt collections resume after a five-year pause, while new college graduates face tough employment prospects. The Education Department restarted collecting defaulted federal student loan debt on Monday, May 5. Collections were paused at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The move threatens to seize tax refunds and garnish paychecks from millions of Americans in default on their loans. The Education Department said about 42.7 million people owe more than $1.6 trillion in student loan d…

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by Chris Spiker
Schools
School District Reverses Ending DEI Policy After Legal Review In Putnam County (UPDATE) School District Reverses Ending DEI Policy After Legal Review In Putnam County (UPDATE)
School District Reverses Ending DEI Policy After Legal Review In Putnam County (Update) A Putnam County school district that temporarily suspended its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy under the threat of losing critical federal funding now says it plans to fully reinstate the policy at its next board meeting.  In a letter sent to families on Thursday, May 1, the Haldane Central School District confirmed that its Board of Education intends to restore the DEI policy in its entirety during a scheduled public meeting on Tuesday, May 6.  The reversal follows the Board's vote on Tuesday, April 22 to temporarily suspend the DEI policy. That decision was made on…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Student Scored $127K In Aid With University Application Full Of Lies — Now He’s In ICE Custody Student Scored $127K In Aid With University Application Full Of Lies — Now He’s In ICE Custody
Student Scored $127K In Aid With University Application Full Of Lies — Now He’s In ICE Custody A student who faked his way into Lehigh University and received over $127,000 in aid is now in ICE custody — marking the school’s third international student in recent years to face criminal charges, including one who poisoned his roommate and another who used a fake death certificate to win a full scholarship. All three have since been removed or are being deported. Cryilstan Sowah-Nai, originally from Ghana, pleaded no contest to securing execution of documents by deception on Monday, April 28, according to the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office. Investigators say he misrepresen…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
124 Employees To Be Let Go At Hudson Valley School District Due To Budget Cuts, Officials Say 124 Employees To Be Let Go At Hudson Valley School District Due To Budget Cuts, Officials Say
124 Employees To Be Let Go At Hudson Valley School District Due To Budget Cuts, Officials Say Facing ongoing financial challenges, a Westchester County school district has announced it will lay off 124 employees at the end of the current school year.  Mount Vernon City School District Superintendent Dr. K. Veronica Smith announced the upcoming layoffs on Wednesday, April 30, citing the district's current financial situation as the reason why. The layoffs will include: 84 certified staff members, such as teachers, teaching assistants, and administrators; 40 civil service employees. All layoffs will take effect at the end of the 2024–2025 school year.  "I am saddened…

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by Ben Crnic
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National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor
National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor A Pennsylvania high school teacher has been named the 2025 National Teacher of the Year, education officials announced Tuesday, April 29. Ashlie Crosson teaches English and journalism at Mifflin County High School in Lewistown, where she also helps students publish a newspaper, magazine, and run social media accounts. She earned the national title after being selected as Pennsylvania’s 2024 Teacher of the Year by the state Department of Education. Crosson started teaching in Delaware in 2011, later returning to Pennsylvania to work in the Bellefonte Area School District while earning her m…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
School District Suspends DEI Policy In Putnam To Protect $450K In Federal Funding School District Suspends DEI Policy In Putnam To Protect $450K In Federal Funding
School District Suspends DEI Policy In Putnam To Protect $450K In Federal Funding A Putnam County school district has voted to temporarily suspend its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy following last-minute legal guidance to protect hundreds of thousands of dollars in critical federal funding, officials announced.   In a letter sent to families on Saturday, April 26, the Board explained that its decision came just hours before its Tuesday, April 22 meeting, after the district’s legal counsel advised immediate action to maintain compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Failure to do so, according to the Board, could have put $450,000…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Trump Weighs In On NY School Mascot Battle: ‘Long Live The Massapequa Chiefs!’ Trump Weighs In On NY School Mascot Battle: ‘Long Live The Massapequa Chiefs!’
Trump Weighs In On NY School Mascot Battle: ‘Long Live The Massapequa Chiefs!’ President Donald Trump is throwing his support behind a Long Island school district fighting to keep its Native American-themed mascot. Trump came to the defense of the Massapequa Chiefs, blasting New York’s push for a rebrand as “ridiculous” and “an affront to our great Indian population," in a Truth Social post on Monday, April 21. The school district has been ordered to retire its decades-old mascot under a 2023 New York State mandate banning Indigenous-themed names and logos in public schools. “I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island, who are fighting furiously to keep the M…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education 150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education
150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education More than 150 college leaders issued a scathing letter criticizing the Trump administration's escalating threats against universities. The American Association of Colleges and Universities released the public letter on Tuesday, April 22. The group of university presidents accused President Donald Trump of "unprecedented government overreach," warning that the crackdown could harm students and democracy. Trump has demanded that colleges eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, along with other orders aimed at limiting campus activism. The Trump administration has paused…

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by Chris Spiker
Schools
IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates
IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates The Trump administration is weighing whether to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status—an unprecedented and aggressive move that has escalated tensions between the Ivy League institution and the federal government, according to reports from The Washington Post and CNN. According to two people familiar with the matter, the Internal Revenue Service is preparing to rescind Harvard’s long-standing nonprofit designation, CNN reported. A final decision could be announced soon. Related: Obama Calls Out Trump Over "Unlawful" $2 Billion Cuts to Harvard The effort follows the White House’s …

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by Josh Lanier
Schools
‘Unlawful’: Obama Defends Harvard Against Trump’s $2B Funding Threat ‘Unlawful’: Obama Defends Harvard Against Trump’s $2B Funding Threat
‘Unlawful’: Obama Defends Harvard Against Trump’s $2B Funding Threat Former President Barack Obama is lending his voice to support Harvard University after the prestigious Ivy League school dared President Donald Trump to follow through on his threatened $2 billion federal funding freeze if the school didn’t comply with his administration’s new guidelines. Among other demands, Trump wants Harvard to dismantle its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; ban masks at campus protests; implement a merit-based admissions and hiring system; and reduce the influence of faculty and administrators he claims are “more committed to activism” than education, a letter …

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by Josh Lanier
Schools
School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At NY Campus: Cops School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At NY Campus: Cops
School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At NY Campus: Cops A school employee was placed on leave after allegedly having inappropriate conversations with students at a campus in upstate New York, police said. Schoharie County resident Paul Hallock, 65, of Cobleskill, was arrested Thursday, April 10, following a New York State Police investigation into alleged misconduct at William H. Golding Middle School. An investigation found that Hallock, who works as a lunch monitor at the school, engaged in inappropriate conversations with multiple students between October 2024 and February of this year, according to police. Troopers opened a formal investig…

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by Michael Mashburn