skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Public Comment Period for New MD School Discipline Rules Ends Today

play audio
Play

Monday, November 4, 2013   

BALTIMORE - This is the last day for Marylanders to weigh in on a proposed overhaul of public school discipline rules. The Maryland State Board of Education is considering changes intended to reduce the number of suspensions, eliminate disparities in the way out-of-school punishments are handed out to African-American children and pupils with disabilities, and create a culture of keeping kids in school and holding them accountable.

According to David Beard, education policy director for Advocates for Children and Youth, pupils suspended for nonviolent offenses such as insubordination should be able to keep up with their coursework.

"Obviously if somebody is being violent, they're taken out for the safety of the school," he said. "But in cases where some say, 'Oh, this will teach them a lesson,' it really doesn't. It acts as a mini-vacation, particularly for teenagers."

The state teachers' union is speaking out against the proposed regulations, saying the new rules would tie the hands of school administrators and educators in addressing discipline issues. The State Board of Education has scheduled a final vote for next month.

Beard said that in order to keep pupils on a track to graduation and help reduce the number of dropouts, schools should consider alternatives that keep children in school whenever possible. He believes pupils should not be given a free pass for bad behavior, and instead he advocates for methods that are appropriate for the behavior displayed. He noted that one Maryland high school has instituted a school-service day.

"The student comes on a Saturday morning for four hours and has to clean the school, and the parents have to sign off on it," as he described the system. "But they come in and they actually have a football coach that does it with them, and actually engages with them. Oftentimes, when kids are being disruptive, there's something else going on."

Beard said most kids who receive out-of-school suspensions in Maryland are minorities or disabled.

Link to proposed regulations at ACY.org.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021