EduClips: Students Plan Marches, Walkouts In Response To FL Mass Shooting; Turpin Abuse Case Prompts CA Bill To Tighten Home School Regulation — And More Must-Reads From America’s 15 Biggest School Districts

EduClips: Students Plan Marches, Walkouts in Response to FL Mass Shooting; Turpin Abuse Case Prompts CA Bill to Tighten Home School Regulation — and More Must-Reads From America’s 15 Biggest School Districts

EduClips offers a selection of the most important education news stories from the largest school districts in the United States, which cater to over 4 million students across eight states. You can find previous editions of EduClips here. Stay informed about the latest school and policy news by subscribing to the TopSheet Education Newsletter and receive updates directly to your inbox.

Top Story

SCHOOL SHOOTING — In response to the recent devastating school shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 innocent lives were lost, high school students are using social media platforms to organize marches and school walkouts across the country. Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have launched campaigns with hashtags like #NeverAgain and #Enough, encouraging fellow students and anti-gun-violence activists to join them. A national walkout involving both teachers and students is scheduled to take place on March 14, followed by marches on March 24 and a day of protests on April 20, the anniversary of the tragic 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.

Smaller events are also emerging in response to the tragedy. Students from Douglas High School are planning to visit politicians in Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, on Tuesday and Wednesday to advocate for stricter gun laws. On Tuesday, Florida officials will hold workshops in Tallahassee focused on school safety, security measures, mental health, and child-welfare services. (Read more at The Wall Street Journal)

National News

MORE ON FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING:

School Shootings Pose New Challenges for Teachers (Read at The New York Times)

Anger and Grief Dominate Anti-Gun Rally in Parkland (Read at the Miami Herald)

Parkland Students and Teachers Face Difficult Decisions About Returning to School (Read at Education Week)

SCHOOL BOARDS — School boards increasingly support social activism (Read at The Washington Post)

ESSA — Democrats Accuse DeVos of Ignoring ESSA. DeVos Denies and Explores the Debate (Read at Politics K-12)

YEARBOOKS — Students and free speech advocates express outrage over yearbook censorship policy (Read at USA Today)

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT — Betsy DeVos’s Team Proposes Reducing Political Positions and Combining Federal Education Programs (Read at Politics K-12)

D.C. CHANCELLOR — A Year After Taking Office, D.C. Schools Chancellor Faces Criticism (Read at The Washington Post)

District and State News

CALIFORNIA — State Bill Seeks to Strengthen Regulation of Home Schools Following Turpin Abuse Case (Read at the Los Angeles Times)

NEW YORK — As Chancellor Search Continues, Randi Weingarten Dismisses Orlando Schools Chief as Similar to Joel Klein (Read at Chalkbeat)

HAWAII — Hawaiian School Pays $80 Million in Compensation for Decades of Sexual Abuse by Psychiatrist (Read at The Washington Post)

NEVADA — Struggling Las Vegas Elementary School Achieves Top Rating (Read at the Las Vegas Review-Journal)

NEW YORK — Four Questions and a Lesson from Finland for New York City’s Future Schools Chancellor (Read at The Hechinger Report)

CALIFORNIA — Lawmaker in Bay Area Aims to Mandate Free Lunch in Public Charter Schools (Read at the Mercury News)

TEXAS — Texas Education Agency Develops Plan to Address Issues in Special Education System (Read at Community Impact Newspaper)

FLORIDA — Florida Senate Reinforces HB 7055 Bill with its Own Version (Read at the Tampa Bay Times)

Think Pieces

REMEDIATION — Strategies to Prevent Students from Falling into the Remedial Education Trap (Read at The Hechinger Report)

CHARTER UNIONIZATION — New Report Highlights Decrease in Unionized Charter Schools, Majority Found in Four States (Read at The74Million.org)

SCHOOL SHOOTING — Reflections on the Latest School Shooting and the Challenges Faced by Educators, Parents, and Students (Read at Chalkbeat)

DENVER — Denver Adjusts School Performance Ratings After Community Expresses Concerns (Read at The74Million.org)

Quote of the Day

“I imagined the horrifying scene in my mind, and it made me sick to my stomach. Should I empty the cabinets and put children inside? Is my best option to barricade the doors? Can I move furniture quickly enough? Should I ask my students for help?” —Catherine Collett, a sixth-grade teacher in Northern Virginia, reflecting on her mental preparation for a school shooting. (Read at The New York Times)

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