Ohio school district bans student cell phone use

Students in Mansfield City Schools will no longer be allowed to use cell phones or personal electronic equipment during the school day. The first of the two new policies bans use of cell phones or other personal communication devices not only in the classroom but also before and after school, at lunch and in between classes. Read more>>

Gov. John Carney has vetoed a bill that would have eliminated charter schools' ability to give enrollment preference to students who live within 5 miles of their campuses. The bill would have allowed charter schools to prioritize students who live in parts of a school district "geographically contiguous" to them. Read more>>

Nine low-performing traditional public schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties can apply for extra funding this school year under the controversial new “Schools of Hope” program that lawmakers narrowly approved this spring. Read more>>

Gov. Greg Abbott gave lawmakers more leeway to consider school finance reform when he formally expanded the agenda for the special session, addressing an issue on which he has been needled by House Speaker Joe Straus. Read more>>

Ohio high school coaches now can coach their own players on out-of-season travel or club teams in most high school sports after new rule changes by the Ohio High School Athletics Association go into effect starting with the 2017-2018 seasons. Read more>>

Amid another steep enrollment drop, Chicago Public Schools’ principals received school budgets designed to hold schools steady with a slight per-student funding increase. Yet uncertainty remains about how the school year will end as the district relies for the third year in a row on state funding yet to come—this time to the tune of $300 million. Read more>>

Five years ago, Windsor Locks Public Schools in northern Connecticut was designated an Alliance District, meaning it was one of the 30 lowest-performing academic districts in the state and needed help. Read more>>

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the completion of the Arkansas Public School Computer Network, a high-speed broadband upgrade for every public school in the state. Arkansas is now one of six states to achieve at least 100 kilobits per second per student in 100 percent of its school districts. Read more>>

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association took the smart step to require high school softball players to wear face protection. Players risk concussions, broken bones, dental damage and eye injuries. The safety benefits far outweigh any discomfort and or visual limitations. Read more>>

Ironically, the tests are starting to fall out of favor because it is believed by some that they are creating the very situation they were designed to prevent: a more privileged student body that succeeds at least as much because of station in life as ability or intelligence. Read more>>

Lerner Publishing Group and Crayola are teaming up to launch 10 titles in Fall 2017 and nine titles in Spring 2018. The two new series features early learning topics, photographs, text, art activities and a glossary to help kids build nonfiction reading skills. Read more>>

Destiny Analytics is a districtwide subscription solution to complement Follett's Destiny Library Manager and Destiny Resource Manager platforms. The reporting solution will allow administrators and educators to explore data from both platforms, including student patron records. Read more>>

View more news at District Administration's PR Portal

David Creswell, who most recently was the associate superintendent of the Fontana USD, has been named superintendent of the Ventura USD. Creswell replaces Michael Babb, who was let go in March after nearly two years with the district. Read more>>

Bradford Exempted Village Schools welcomes new Superintendent Joe Hurst. As an administrator for Graham Local School District for the past 13 years, Hurst brings a lot of experience to the Ohio district. He has spent the last over nine years years as a high school principal. Hurst replaces Superintendent Ken Miller. Read more>>