Southern States

Kentucky Schools: Jefferson County Schools Described As Academic Genocide

Struggling schools in Kentucky may face a double-whammy this year, with potential takeovers in sight even as the state’s commissioner of education makes “reckless” statements regarding the quality of education in some parts of his state. At the focus of the controversy is Jefferson County, one of the largest school districts in Kentucky and across the country. While some say the county is making positive progress in turning around its schools, others believe the progress is too slow to provide the necessary academic benefit to many of the youth in Jefferson County.

Comments Fuel Fire

The Courier-Journal reports that the commissioner of education for Kentucky, Dr. Terry Holliday, recently referred to the lack of progress in low-performing Jefferson County schools as “academic genocide.” He also likened the difference in education quality among schools in the county to “apartheid.” The comments drew fire from students, parents, teachers, and the county school board. Shortly after the comments were made, the Jefferson County school board issued a joint statement, which was quoted in the Courier-Journal as saying:

“Dr. Holliday accused JCPS of committing ‘academic genocide’ on Louisville students and compared JCPS ‘apartheid’. We emphatically reject this characterization of our district and the work of JCPS’s 16,000 employees. We are concerned this reckless language will distract from the real issue of increasing student achievement by starting yet another squabble among adults, about adults.”

Despite the protests of the school

College preparation is one of the concerns facing secondary public schools across the country. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, one of the largest school districts in the country, one solution to ensuring college preparedness may be found at an innovative high school that combines high school and college for a rich academic experience. Cato Middle College High was created as a prototype for the rest of the state, allowing high school juniors and seniors a taste of the college experience while they are still finishing high school requirements.

About Cato Middle College High School

Cato was established by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district in 2007, as North Carolina’s first Middle College program. The school is located on the Cato Campus of Central Piedmont Community College, where students take both high school courses and earn college credits simultaneously. Only 100 students are enrolled at Cato at any given time, which ensures students get plenty of personalized attention from instructors while they are getting a head start in their college endeavors.

In this video, students describe some of the happenings at Cato.

Students take the last two years of their high school classes while on this campus. This typically consists of Advanced Placement or honors coursework. At the same time, students may take college classes through Central Piedmont Community College, tuition-free. Students can choose from any of the Central Piedmont campuses, taking courses in classrooms that are up

As many schools are looking for ways to beef up security measures after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, some are focusing on mental health as a part of their efforts. Miami-Dade, one of the largest school districts in the U.S. is taking this approach by providing mental health training to school teachers and staff. The new training is based on a program from the American Psychiatric Foundation, and it will be offered to teachers, cafeteria workers and janitors at middle and high schools across the county.

Typical or Troubled?

The program from the American Psychiatric Foundation, titled, “Typical or Troubled?” is designed to help those who work with teens recognize the symptoms of mental illness. According to the foundation, approximately one in five children has a mental health disorder, and about half of those have what would be considered a serious disorder. In addition, the foundation emphasizes that 90 percent of individuals diagnosed with a mental health disorder see the early signs of that condition during adolescence.

The statistics suggest that early detection of mental health disorders during the teen years could result in an improved prognosis and treatment program for many mental health patients. The American Psychiatric Foundation states that early detection of mental health disorders results in more effective treatment options, particularly for teens. Unfortunately, when mental health disorders are not diagnosed and treated early on, the symptoms can become worse over time. Symptoms may impact a student’s ability to perform

One of the largest school districts in the country is in the midst of major renovations that will benefit the local economy, as well as its students. Orange County has announced the ongoing progress of 12 construction and renovation projects, with a hefty price tag of around $224 million. The district expects to pump many of those dollars right back into the local community, by creating more than 9,700 jobs to get the work done. The projects are being funded through a sales tax referendum that was approved by voters in 2002.

Construction Projects on the Way

Orange County Public Schools has approved the construction of two new schools that will handle the overflow of students in the growing school district. The first expansion school with be constructed near Lake Nona in the Dowden Road/Randal Park area. The second will be located on Hackney Prairie Road near Ocoee, according to the Orange County Public Schools website.

Construction of the two new elementary schools will create more than 800 construction jobs and another 614 indirect jobs for the county. Jobs that fall into the indirect category include architects, engineers, landscapers and carpenters that are expected to work on the new buildings at some point in the process. It appears that the construction downturn in Florida has lent itself to available, highly skilled workers who can handle the new construction projects for the school now.

“Having spent my life in construction, I know how difficult downturns in

In the aftermath of the tragedy that struck Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last month, a stream of hoax threats was received by school districts across the country. District officials took those threats very seriously, however, launching investigations and school lockdowns nationwide with the intent of protecting students at all costs. In Florida, threats made by a bank employee and a student both resulted in action by school and district officials. However, the handling of those threats raised the eyebrows – and the ire – of some of the individuals involved.

Threats Circulate Social Networks

WLRN reports that a number of phony threats surfaced in Florida shortly after the Connecticut shootings. Many of those threats were circulated on social websites like Facebook, according to some of the students that reported the threats. However, officials were unable to verify the threats through this medium, since the posts appear to have been deleted before officers were alerted. At least a portion of those threats were posed against schools in Coral Springs, Pompano Beach and Davie.

WOGX also reported on threats received throughout the state, in the counties of Brevard, Seminole, Orange, and Volusia. At one prep school in Orlando, authorities were called when a woman carried a sword onto school property. Police departments across the state said that every threat received was taken very seriously in light of recent events in Connecticut. That meant several area