NEW JERSEY EDUCATION NEWS
CBS News New York
Middletown, New Jersey, parents blindsided by plans to close, consolidate schools
Plans to close and consolidate schools in Middletown, New Jersey, have angered parents and students who feel blindsided by the news.
MyCentralJersey.com
Bridgewater-Raritan transgender student policy: effort to repeal fails
The Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education has refused to abolish a policy to protect transgender students.
NJ.com / MSN.com
N.J. school cancels 2nd grade trip to ‘gender justice’ center after online backlash
A New Jersey elementary school canceled a second-grade field trip to a center named for women’s rights icon Alice Paul after a barrage of online bullying created a security risk, the school district’s superintendent said.
N.J. district wants to close 2 elementary schools in massive restructuring (MSN.com)
A large Monmouth County school district may close two schools and convert a middle school into an elementary school in a huge restructuring driven by state aid cuts, local officials said this week.
NJ Patch
Trump To Sign Order Closing Dept. Of Education: See NJ Impacts
The order, scheduled to be signed at 3:30 p.m. followed by a public event, fulfills a campaign promise to eliminate an agency that Trump has decried as wasteful.
NJ Spotlight
Lawmakers plan help to curb eating disorders
As cases soar and deaths rise, training for coaches among options being considered.
Fiery meeting as Middletown school district confronts financial crunch
Staff layoffs and program cuts are being considered to deal with $10M budget deficit.
NorthJersey.com / MSN.com
NJ advances bill to improve school bus safety for students with disabilities
Buses carrying children with disabilities also would need to be equipped with video cameras, communication devices and GPS. The only caveat came from Jonathan Pushman, director of governmental relations at the New Jersey School Boards Association, who expressed concerns about the financial implications of the bill. Installing the required equipment on school buses to comply with the bill could cost between $15 million and $52 million, the association estimated.
Think you can survive at the poverty level? These students saw what it was like (MSN.com)
Over 100 middle and high school students from across New Jersey came to Dickinson University in Madison on Tuesday to understand poverty.
TAPinto.net
Plainfield Board of Education Votes in Favor of Massive 36% School Property Tax Increase
At Tuesday evening’s budget meeting, the Plainfield Board of Education voted to authorize the district to raise the local school property tax rate from the current 2.14% to 2.92%.
NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWS
Education Week
Trump Admin. Gives Maine 10 Days to Bar Trans Athletes—or Risk School Funding
This is a test case of the president’s use of federal funds as a cudgel for compliance.
I Fought for Public Education. What I Learned From Its Detractors (Opinion)
Without community buy-in, education reforms can weaken support for public schools.
The College Board Adds Two New AP Courses. Here’s What Makes Them Different
The career-focused AP courses in business and cybersecurity will equip students with real-world skills.
AP / Yahoo.com
Trump will order a plan to shut down the US Education Department
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Education Department, according to a White House official, advancing a campaign promise to eliminate an agency that’s been a longtime target of conservatives.