Berks Students Solve Logistical Challenges With Robotics
More than 100 students in Berks County took part in the annual Sea, Air and Land Challenge, a hands‑on competition organized by the Berks County Intermediate Unit. Teams built a land rover to locate and transport simulated hazardous waste, drones that could detect and extinguish mock forest fires, and submersibles that retrieved wreckage. Reading High’s rover, steered by junior Jadiel Peguero, demonstrated speed and strength despite a payload‑drop mishap. Wyomissing High’s sophomore duo led the air contest with a camera‑equipped drone they refined through multiple prototypes.
Federal Privacy Bills Have Major Implications for K-12
Lawmakers are advancing a suite of federal privacy bills aimed at protecting K‑12 students online, including the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0). The proposals would impose a duty of care...
Michigan Senate Passes Bill to Curb Notifications, Data Collection
Michigan’s Democratic‑led Senate approved the “Kids Over Clicks” package, SB 757‑760, to restrict minors’ exposure to social‑media notifications, data collection, and advanced chatbots. The bills ban push notifications to users aged 10‑17 between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and during school hours, tighten...
ASU+GSV 2026: Tactile Learning Tools Lay Foundation for AI Education
At the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit, LEGO Education’s head of education impact, Jenny Nash, advocated for tactile learning tools as a gateway to AI literacy. She argued that kindergarteners should prioritize hands‑on play with LEGO bricks rather than early screen time...
Opinion: 5 AI Moves Leaders Must Make for Next School Year
The U.S. Department of Education’s new rule prioritizing AI in discretionary grants is pushing K‑12 districts to accelerate adoption for the 2025‑26 school year. Experts warn that success hinges on strategic leadership, not just tool selection, emphasizing problem‑first thinking, unified...
Connecticut House Passes Bell-to-Bell School Cellphone Ban
The Connecticut House approved a statewide "bell‑to‑bell" cellphone ban with a 117‑31 vote, sending the measure to the Senate. The bill would prohibit student phone use on school grounds during the school day, except for special‑education needs, while leaving buses...
Nevada to Launch Data Dashboard Tracking Student Career Prep
Nevada will launch a publicly viewable education dashboard on Sept 1 that tracks high‑school graduates' outcomes, including remedial college enrollment, average time to degree, and unemployment within two years. The tool consolidates existing data on career‑technical education, early college credit, and...
NYC Cancels Plans for AI-Focused School, Upper West Side Schools
New York City’s Department of Education withdrew its proposal to open the Next Generation Technology High School, the city’s first AI‑focused high school, and scrapped plans to restructure three Upper West Side middle schools. Chancellor Kamar Samuels cited intense community...
Detroit Public Schools Deploy Facial Recognition System
Detroit Public Schools Community District has installed Singlewire’s Visitor Aware facial‑recognition system at every campus, requiring parents and visitors to scan a government ID and their face before entry. The district says the technology is more secure than paper sign‑in...
Manchester Schools Revise AI Policy for Ethics, Transparency
Manchester School District’s Committee on Teaching and Learning voted to adopt an updated artificial‑intelligence policy that emphasizes ethical use, citation, and data‑privacy safeguards. The policy officially approves three platforms—SchoolAI, Khan Academy’s Khanmigo, and Canva—and requires students and educators to disclose...
CoSN 2026: When Legislators Talk ‘Safety,’ Schools Hear ‘Restriction’
At the CoSN 2026 conference, experts warned that a surge of nearly 20 federal bills aimed at children’s online safety is blurring the line between safety and privacy. Legislation such as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and proposed COPPA...
Bridgeport, Conn., Schools to Put Wi-Fi in Public Housing
Bridgeport Public Schools will extend its Wi‑Fi network to three public‑housing complexes, leveraging a $714,456 grant from Connecticut’s Community Wi‑Fi Grant Program. The initiative will provide free internet access to more than 800 students residing in Trumbull Gardens, Charles F....
Pennsylvania Educators Ask for State Guidance on AI
Pennsylvania educators testified before the state House Education Committee, urging the legislature to issue clear guidance on artificial intelligence use in K‑12 schools. They highlighted that the Commonwealth has yet to adopt any substantive AI policy, risking a lag behind...
Montana's Frontier Learning Lab Incorporates Emerging Tech Into Education
Montana’s Digital Academy launched the Frontier Learning Lab to integrate emerging technologies such as AI and virtual reality into K‑12 classrooms. The lab’s inaugural cohort trained 20 teachers in AI, and it operates an AI help desk recognized by Google,...
CoSN 2026: Why Human Error Remains Greatest Threat to FERPA
At the 2026 CoSN conference, data‑security adviser Mike Tassey warned that simple human mistakes—like a teacher accidentally using CC instead of BCC—remain the biggest threat to FERPA compliance. He illustrated the point with multiple real‑world incidents, from mis‑directed emails exposing...
California Boosts Mobile Power of Student Dashboard
California’s Student Pathways Dashboard, launched a year ago, has been refreshed with fully mobile capabilities, faster load times, and enhanced accessibility for vision‑impaired users. The upgrade adds an additional year of education and career outcome data, expanding the tool’s analytical...
Scottsbluff, Neb., Schools Use AI Platform to Expedite IEPs
The Scottsbluff School Board approved a two‑year extension of Goalbook, an AI‑driven platform, at a cost of $22,759. Goalbook automates the creation of standards‑based individualized education plans (IEPs), generating performance statements, measurable goals, and instructional strategies from existing student data....
CoSN 2026: AI Strategy Should Start With Goals for Student Skills
At the CoSN 2026 conference, experts urged K‑12 leaders to reverse the common tools‑first mindset and start AI planning with clear student skill goals. Chris Agnew of Stanford’s AI Hub for Education emphasized that districts should define desired graduate competencies,...
Large Districts Absent From Ohio Dashboard on Chronic Absenteeism
Ohio launched a public dashboard that lets users track chronic absenteeism rates for 728 reporting schools and districts on a weekly basis. The tool defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% of school days or two days each month and aims...
Opinion: Schools Need Clear Rules Around AI Deepfakes
Lake Zurich High School disclosed that police are investigating students who used artificial‑intelligence tools to create and share explicit deepfake images of classmates. The incidents, which surfaced in early April, echo similar cases in Pennsylvania and Louisiana where teens faced legal...
CoSN 2026: Student-Led Cyber Programs Incentivize Culture of Safety
At DeKalb County School District, the second‑year Cyber Champions program places students at the forefront of district‑wide cybersecurity education, turning them into peer advocates for digital safety, phishing awareness, and AI ethics. The initiative operates without a dedicated budget, leveraging...
State-Appointed Supt. Envisions 100 AI-Focused Campuses for Houston ISD
Houston ISD superintendent Mike Miles is expanding the AI‑focused “Future 2” program from two to six schools for the 2026‑27 school year, adding two elementary and two middle campuses. The initiative is part of the district’s New Education System reform, which...
ASU+GSV 2026: AI’s Impact on Youth Psychology
At the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit, a panel titled “Living and Learning With Aliens” warned that AI‑driven chatbots and learning tools could undermine youth psychological development. Experts highlighted the loss of relational friction, reduced empathy, and the danger of anthropomorphic language...
Opinion: ADA Rule Forces Schools to Rethink How They Publish Online
The U.S. Department of Justice’s updated Title II website accessibility rule takes effect on April 24, requiring public institutions serving more than 50,000 people to meet ADA‑compliant web standards immediately, while smaller entities have until April 26 2027. K‑12 districts, whose websites now serve...
Approaches to AI Vary Among San Diego County Schools
San Diego County’s 42 school districts are racing to craft AI policies, resulting in a patchwork of approaches that range from strict usage rules to a focus on AI literacy. Poway Unified released an AI Playbook emphasizing critical‑thinking skills, while...
Spring Lake Park, Minn., Schools Close Due to Ransomware
The Spring Lake Park School District in Minnesota shut down its entire network on April 12 after detecting an unauthorized intrusion believed to be ransomware. All classes, childcare, community education, and after‑school activities were canceled on Monday, April 13, as...
Virtual Learning Boomed, but Now States Struggle to Govern It
The pandemic vaulted virtual K‑12 schooling from a niche option to a permanent fixture, but state oversight remains a patchwork of centralized, decentralized and hybrid models. Florida runs a statewide virtual system, Michigan relies on multiple local authorizers, and Texas...
21 New Education Bills in Virginia Deal With Tech, Mental Health
Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed 21 education bills in Virginia aimed at bolstering student mental health, regulating classroom technology, reviving school‑construction oversight, and improving support for low‑performing schools. The revived School Construction and Modernization Commission must deliver a 10‑year capital roadmap...
Alamo Heights ISD Declines to Say Whether It Paid Ransom
Alamo Heights Independent School District (AHISD) suffered a ransomware attack in late March that knocked out internet access for nearly a week. The district restored its systems with external forensic investigators but refused to confirm whether it paid a ransom,...
Lorain, Ohio, High School to Launch Online Job Directory
Lorain High School in Ohio is rolling out a free digital Job & Employer Directory in partnership with OhioMeansJobs Lorain County. The online catalog will list local companies, open positions, and application details, with employer submissions due by April 16 and...
Will Iowa Use AI to Analyze School, County Budgets?
Iowa House leaders are weighing a multi‑million‑dollar (estimated $5 million) contract with Tyler Technologies to deploy artificial‑intelligence tools that analyze school and county budgets. The AI platform would ingest publicly available spending data, normalize it by size and geography, and present...
Centegix Acquires Pikmykid for School Safety, Operations
Emergency‑response firm Centegix has acquired school‑safety software provider Pikmykid, creating a unified platform that merges daily student‑movement workflows with crisis‑response tools. The combined solution will handle tasks such as bus dismissal coordination, real‑time campus mapping, and silent panic alerts on...
Q&A: Do Weapons Detection Systems Keep Schools Safe?
Pinellas County schools are piloting weapon detection systems at two campuses amid rising firearm incidents in K‑12 settings. Mo Canady, director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, cautions that technology alone can create a false sense of security...
North Haven to Automate $250 Fines for Passing School Buses
North Haven, Connecticut, will begin automatically issuing $250 fines on April 13 to drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses, using BusPatrol cameras that capture license‑plate data. During a warning phase, the town sent nearly 300 warnings to violators. The...
Florida Virtual School Taps Texas Voucher Program via Loophole
Florida’s NFC Academy, a K‑12 Christian virtual school, was approved by the Texas Comptroller on March 13 to participate in the state’s $1 billion Education Freedom voucher program. The school entered as a “private school acting as a vendor,” exploiting a...
Massachusetts House to Vote on Under 14 Social Media Ban
The Massachusetts House will vote Wednesday on legislation that would ban social media for children 14 and under without parental consent and require age verification. The bill also mandates parental consent for 15‑year‑olds, allows unrestricted use after 16, and imposes...
Digital Promise, TNTP Partner to Develop AI Guidance for Schools
Digital Promise and TNTP have launched a three‑year, Salesforce‑funded partnership to develop evidence‑based AI guidance for U.S. school districts. The initiative aims to reach up to 15 million students by 2028, testing AI integration strategies that support teachers and align with...
Tenn. General Assembly Approves Screen Time Limits for K-5
Tennessee's House approved House Bill 2393, mandating K‑5 districts to prioritize teacher‑led, non‑digital instruction and ban student social‑media use during school hours. The bill, which passed 87‑6, includes exceptions for teachers, students with disabilities, virtual schools, and state‑required electronic testing....
Napa Valley Schools Emphasize Honesty, Ethics in AI Policy
Napa Valley Unified School District's board voted 5-1 to adopt a comprehensive artificial‑intelligence policy that stresses ethics, equity, and academic honesty. The ten‑principle framework, crafted by a 30‑member AI council, permits AI as a learning aid while prohibiting its use...
Learning Beyond Paper to Offer Digital, Bilingual After-School Courses
Learning Beyond Paper has launched Learning Beyond the Bell, a fully online, bilingual after‑school curriculum for K‑6 students. The program delivers project‑based, play‑centered lessons across six domains, including STEAM, literacy, and social‑emotional learning. Developed with input from after‑school directors, teachers...
Costs, Maintenance, 'Turtle Mode': NY School Leaders Question EV Buses
New York school districts that adopted electric buses report soaring costs and operational headaches as the state pushes a diesel‑to‑electric mandate by 2027 and a fully electrified fleet by 2035. The average EV bus costs more than twice a diesel...
Boston Public Schools to Launch AI Fluency Curriculum
Boston Public Schools will become the nation’s first district to embed an AI‑fluency curriculum across its high schools starting September. The program is funded by a $1 million donation from tech entrepreneur Paul English and built through a public‑private partnership with...
Students Turn to AI to Find the Right College, Major
High school students are increasingly turning to AI chatbots to navigate college and major selection, a trend driven by overloaded school counselors who serve an average of 372 students—well above the recommended 250. A 2025 EAB survey shows AI usage...
Can Federal Agents Tap School Surveillance Cameras?
School surveillance cameras are now ubiquitous, but recent investigations reveal that federal agencies may seek access to footage beyond school safety purposes. Under FERPA, only recordings tied to a specific incident are protected, leaving routine video vulnerable to external requests....
Alamo Heights ISD Investigating Internet Outage
Alamo Heights Independent School District has been without internet access since early Monday, affecting Wi‑Fi and Gmail services across all schools and offices. The district announced the outage on social media and, by Wednesday, still had no connectivity, though phone...
NYC Schools Prohibit AI for Grading, Discipline, IEPs
New York City public schools have released their first AI guidance, introducing a traffic‑light framework that permits AI for lesson planning and communications while prohibiting its use for grading, discipline, and individualized education plans. The policy replaces a three‑year blanket...
Houston ISD Superintendent Touts Importance of AI
Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles used his third State of the District address to spotlight the district’s AI‑focused transformation. He highlighted rising MAP scores, especially an 11‑point gain for Black and Hispanic students, and a jump to 197 schools earning...
Utah to Launch Statewide Career-Planning Platform
Utah is rolling out a statewide First Credential Career Mapping Tool built on YouScience’s Brightpath platform to satisfy House Bill 260, which requires high‑school graduates to earn a stackable credential. The dashboard offers aptitude assessments, connects students to the Admit Utah...
Tulsa Public Schools Proposal Seeks $105M for Technology
Tulsa Public Schools’ Proposition 3 seeks roughly $105 million from a $609 million bond to overhaul classroom technology, including $68.3 million to replace laptops and other devices. The district plans a five‑year refresh cycle, but inflation and tariffs have pushed costs up from the...
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Students Targeted by Phishing Scam
A phishing email promising fraudulent job opportunities was sent to students at Ardrey Kell High School in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district, requesting banking information. The district quickly removed the unauthorized message, secured the affected student accounts, and issued a Canvas...