students

Transgender former student sues Huntsville City Schools

A former student who is transgender sued Huntsville City Schools last week. The lawsuit filed in federal court by Zelda Menefee alleges the school district failed to act when she was harassed, physically assaulted and bullied because she was transgender, and that administrators ignored the actions. Menefee, 19, said the bullying was so bad — … Continued

Chip Brownlee

/

September 19, 2018

Opinion

Why are white people so scared?

Several Saturdays each Fall, Auburn University students, faculty and alumni — thousands of them — roll into Jordan Hare Stadium on campus to cheer for the school’s football team. The majority of the players are black. The school’s basketball teams — both mens and womens — are made up primarily of black players. The school’s … Continued

Josh Moon

/

September 14, 2018

State Dept. of Education seeks more than a $1 million in outside contracts

The Alabama State Department of Education will request approvals this morning for contracts totaling more than $1 million, almost all of which will be spent on legal services. While the majority of the contracts before the state’s Legislative Contract Review Committee are routine — mostly dealing with issues related to students with special needs — … Continued

Josh Moon

/

September 13, 2018

Ex-student alleges private school was aware of relationships between teacher, students

A former student of a West Alabama private school has filed a lawsuit against the school, its board and its headmaster, alleging they were aware of inappropriate and illegal sexual relationships between a female teacher and several students more than a year before charges were filed against the teacher but failed to inform the parents or … Continued

Chip Brownlee

/

August 7, 2018

Opinion

Back to school priorities

Over the next few weeks, students across Southwest Alabama will head back to school. The start of a new school year always comes with special emotions for students, parents, and teachers. In Washington, I am the only Member of Congress from Alabama who serves on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, which has jurisdiction … Continued

Bradley Byrne

/

August 6, 2018

Opinion

Refuse to be ignored

Watching the way Republicans in Alabama are campaigning for their offices – statewide, congressional seats, Legislature – is discouraging to people who care. They are running invisible campaigns against their Democratic opponents. Their strategy appears to be out-of-sight, out-of-trouble-with-their-views. They don’t want to stick their heads up too far and end up the victim of … Continued

Joey Kennedy

/

August 2, 2018

Only 71 percent of Alabama high school seniors are college/career ready

A new report from Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama shows that there is still a sizable gap between Alabama’s graduation rate and the number of students who are considered college and career ready even though the gap has improved. The report looks at state educational statistics for last year’s graduating class of 2017. While … Continued

Chip Brownlee

/

June 25, 2018

Students respond to Higher Education Commission’s FAFSA promotion efforts

Students across Alabama are completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, at higher rates, responding well to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education’s effort to boost application rates. At least 44 percent of Alabama high school seniors completed that form that allows them to apply for Pell Grants and subsidized federal student … Continued

June 13, 2018

Opinion

The true story of the Montgomery school mess, Part I

In 2012, while working for the local newspaper, I broke the story of massive grade changing taking place within the Montgomery County school system. At the direction of school administrators, who were themselves receiving direction from the central office, students who were failing courses were being shuffled through “credit recovery” courses, where they earned better … Continued

Josh Moon

/

June 1, 2018