skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, May 16, 2024

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

Cohen back on the hot seat in NY Trump trial; GOP threatens rural Republicans for school voucher opposition; mushrooms can help prevent mega-wildfires; Many outdoor events planned in CA for Endangered Species Day.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Speaker of the House Johnson calls the Trump trial 'a sham', federal officials are gathering information about how AI could impact the 2024 election, and, preliminary information shows what could have caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge crash.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Americans are buying up rubber ducks ahead of Memorial Day, Nebraskans who want residential solar have a new lifeline, seven community colleges are working to provide students with a better experience, and Mississippi's "Big Muddy" gets restoration help.

GA family calls for changes following threats to Muslim student

play audio
Play

Wednesday, January 3, 2024   

The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Georgia and the family of a Warner Robins Middle School student are calling for policy changes from the Houston County Board of Education after a classroom incident last month.

A 13-year-old Muslim student was allegedly threatened with beheading by her social studies teacher, after she asked him why he displayed an Israeli flag in his classroom.

Azka Mahmood, executive director of CAIR-Georgia, said the incident occurred on Dec. 7, but it was another week before the family became fully aware of the situation, due to media coverage.

"There's a gap of so many days when the community is completely exposed to this man," Mahmood pointed out. "That was very disturbing to them, that they didn't know how serious it was and that the bail was so low that it was completely non-deterrent."

The incident was reported to the school duty officer and the Houston County Sheriff's Office, leading to teacher Benjamin Reese's arrest the next day. However, according to the student's father, "families are not entitled to information under school investigation, regardless of the severity of the danger to students."

The Houston School Board has not responded to inquiries for this story about Reese's employment status or its communication policies.

In a statement released Tuesday, Jan. 2, the family urged the Houston County Board of Education to revise its information-sharing policy between schools and families, saying the lack of transparency leaves families unprepared for potential threats. They also raised concerns about what they see as the teacher's bail being set "too low" by the Magistrate Court of Houston County.

Mahmood emphasized the parents view this as a matter of public safety.

"They also want the police to look into maybe rearresting him or making sure that there's some kind of safety mechanism where they keep an eye on him," Mahmood explained. "Whether it be surveillance or just arresting him again or something like that."

In the statement, the family asked the school board to revoke Mr. Reese's Georgia ethics assessment certification to prevent him from teaching in the future.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Vose Elementary is unique as a 750-student preschool through sixth-grade Spanish dual-immersion school focused on playful inquiry and habits of mind. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The Beaverton School District is blazing a trail in early education through bilingual learning labs, which emphasize playful inquiry and habits of …


Social Issues

play sound

Massachusetts residents struggling to pay high food prices are acquiring a growing amount of debt to pay their bills, according to a new report…

Health and Wellness

play sound

The number of avian flu cases in dairy cows is holding steady in New Mexico but experts say more testing is needed to prevent its spread and protect h…


Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study is the only one providing local-level estimates of food insecurity and costs for every county and congressional district. (disha1980/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Texas leads the nation in food insecurity. According to the latest "Map the Meal Gap" study, from Feeding America, nearly 5 million people in the …

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota is moving closer to ensure all workers are eligible for the state's minimum wage of $10.85 an hour. The Legislature has been taking action …

The Environmental Defense Fund said methane emissions from oil and gas wells, including abandoned sites which were never capped, remain a significant driver of short-term climate change. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A new round of federal funding is coming North Dakota's way to help plug dozens of abandoned oil wells. The U.S. Department of the Interior this …

Environment

play sound

By Stephen Robert Miller for the Food and Environment Reporting Network.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for t…

Social Issues

play sound

In a blow to free speech and the right to assemble, the U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to hear a case involving the rights of protest …

 

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