Results tagged “school”

Three UCLA students and four others have been arrested in connection with attacks that took place at an off-campus frat party in September. The incident happened in the early hours on Tuesday, September 22nd when police received a call about an assault with a deadly weapon at a Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity residence on the 600 block of Midvale Avenue.

There's been a national controversy bubbling around President Obama's planned speech to school-age students tomorrow, and specifically the initial course materials provided to accompany the talk, which features the country's leader talking about the importance of education and staying in school. Today the White House released the speech so that everyone can preview its content.

It's Time for Lunch...what's on our kids' plates? Tater tots, pudding cups and mystery meat often find a home on kids' cafeteria trays, but that doesn't have to be the case. This fall, the Child Nutrition act, which leaves schools only $1 to spend on each child’s meal after labor, equipment and overhead costs, is up for re-authorization by Congress. In order to promote awareness of the need to change food policy for school-age children, Slow Food L.A. and Whole Foods are behind 6 "Eat-in" events in Los Angeles community gardens this Labor Day.

[Update, 4:55 p.m.: All Station Fire mandatory evacuations have been lifted in La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta except one area, says Bruce Quintelier of the Forest Service. The area still under an evacuation order is north of Markridge between Pennsylvania and Lowell with a voluntary evacuation from Santa Carlotta to Markridge between Pennsylvania and Lowell. See a map below]

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted 6-1 yesterday to approve a controversial plan put forth by Board VP Yolie Flores Aguilar called the "School Choice" plan which will allow private organizations and companies to submit bids for operational control of several schools in the district, including as-yet unopened campuses as well as troubled schools.

Many teachers, union leaders, students, and parents are crying foul as the LAUSD Board of Education is slated to vote tomorrow on the controversial School Choice proposal, which will allow non-profits, companies, and other interested parties to apply for control of troubled schools in the troubled district. The plan was authored and spearheaded by Board VP Yolie Flores Aguilar, and is being touted as a vital component of "reform" by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders at Rolling Ridge Elementary in Chino Hills and Dickson Elementary in Chino would probably issue their school district admins a great big ol' F for FAIL if they could. Those hundreds of students don't get to sing "no more pencils, no more books" for 34 more days, thanks to "a clerical error on a spreadsheet" at the Chino Unified School District that led to the miscalculation of mandatory time spent in the classroom, according to the LA Times.

This week, the Environmental Media Association's Young Hollywood Board is putting on the gloves and digging deep in support of organic gardening in Los Angeles-area schools. Celebs on the Board, including Nicole Richie, Lance Bass, Rosario Dawson, members of Maroon 5, Amy Smart, Matthew Rhys, Emily VanCamp and Emmanuelle Chriqui, will each adopt an area school, help with the planting, and check in with their gardens during the school year, explains People.

A Catholic elementary school in Claremont has canceled classes for Tuesday because one student is being tested for swine flu. The first grader from Our Lady of the Assumption visited Mexico early last week and is now showing flu-like symptoms.

With one day left before the LAUSD Board is due to vote on the postponed motion for thousands of layoffs district-wide at their regularly scheduled meeting, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to meet later this morning with teachers and parents to talk about ways to avoid the ax falling so mightily.

Locke High School in South LA has been shut down after a 16-year-old male student was shot and wounded shortly before 8 a.m. Police set up a perimeter around the school, located at 325 East 111th Street near Watts, as they search for a suspect who they believe is a 17-year-old male. The victim was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Police believe the incident is gang related.

When MOCA found itself in financial trouble last year, Eli Broad was one of the first to offer up assistance. Now, the LA-based philanthropist has committed to contribute almost half a million dollars to help arts programs in public schools...in New York, according to the LA Times.

Members of the United Teachers Los Angeles are gathered right now outside the LAUSD's Local District 5's offices to protest the board's plan to terminate thousands of teachers, many of them the district's youngest and most energetic. The crowd, dressed in either their UTLA red shirts or pink (symbolic of the pink slips) prompted District 5 Superintendent Carmen Schroeder to come down to address the crowd. Using a microphone, several of the area's...

The Los Angeles Unified School District reached a tentative agreement yesterday with the union representing its teachers which gives them a new contract that will last until 2011, according to abc7.com.

Students in LAUSD schools in Highland Park are already under a lot of pressure to do well, from test scores to less-than-ideal classroom environments. But the neighborhood is experiencing an increase in gang-related violence, mostly via gunfire, and that is making getting an education even harder, explains the LA Times' Steve Lopez.

LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines is looking for ways to help the beleaguered district function on a budget deficit and in the wake of more state-level cuts. To do so, he is considering laying off "a great many employees," according to abc7.com. "The first wave of possible cuts will likely be made among non-teaching personnel. They include management and staff throughout the district." If approved by the school board by vote on March 10, the pink slips will go out shortly after, although not all those employees notified will immediately lose their jobs. Cortines insists that instruction will continue in the classrooms and that he is focused on doing what he can to minimize how these layoffs will affect the kids.

The 9-year-old who brought a gun to an El Monte elementary school yesterday said he was just trying to show it off to classmates. Problem is, the gun accidentally discharged when he pulled it out of the backpack. And the even bigger issue here is how the hell did he get the gun? Well, he said he found it at his grandmother's house. Apparently, the kid will face charges and the grandma may face charges of storing the gun negligently, according to the Associated Press.

University of California students waiting for their Cal Grants to come through will find their next payments are coming from another source--the UC schools. The UC announced today they "will provide funding to cover the value of UC students' Cal Grant awards for the spring term," using "resources from its short-term financial reserves," according to a UC news release. They're advancing the funds "with the expectation that the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) will disburse Cal Grant funds to campuses once the state adopts a final budget." Sadly, that budget remains in limbo; this month many programs and residents will be receiving IOU's instead of checks. The UC system also issued temporary funding to their students last fall when the budget caused delays in Cal Grant payments.

If you've got it, flaunt it. That's what the Beverly Hills Unified School District is looking into doing--raising school funds by using their famous name to brand a clothing line instead of the usual PTA bake sale. "Beverly Hills' population has aged," writes Peter Baller at Forbes, "and fewer residents have school-aged children. That's left the 5,300-student district short on community support and unable to raise taxes." Splitting between 60 to 70% with a manufacturer or retailer, the school could raise from $500,000 to several million each year by selling product internationally. Apparently, Asia will be a big market for Beverly Hills branded products.

The LA County Department of Public Health has issued a warning about frozen cookie dough that was sold in several area schools as part of a fundraiser. Aside from the fact that raising funds by selling frozen cookie dough is kind of weird, the problem is that the dough could possibly be tainted with salmonella. Tasty!

The perilous state of the California budget has had a rippling effect on institutions and employees for months now. The California State University has been no exception, and now its officials have announced that things are about to get even chillier on their 23 campuses with the arrival of a salary and hiring freeze aimed at controlling costs.

The Los Angeles Unified School District has initiated a spending freeze, thanks in part to the possibility of having to cut $400 million in spending mid-year, after already being crippled by $400 million in budget cuts this year. Their first major move has been to put one of their biggest arts programs in a holding pattern. The LA Times reports:

In a Dec. 12 e-mail, district administrators told arts instructors with the Arts Community Partnership Network to cancel all work immediately and that payments might be delayed, though work could begin again next month if the state resolves its budget crisis.

When the going gets tough.... Tom Farber, a teacher at a suburban San Diego school, has sold out his ad inventory for the year. That's pretty good in this economy.

The California State University (CSU) system is facing enrollment limits for the next academic year, and because of this, many CSU campuses are now having to limit the application period. Whereas once upon a time a prospective student could apply year-round to a CSU school for admission to an upcoming semester or quarter, now at least 9 campuses will be enforcing a November 30th application deadline for Fall 2009 starts, with many of the remaining campuses to follow shortly thereafter.

In a court case that's so pedestrian other than the defendant (and even that could be disputed), it's big news. The Britney Spears driving without a valid license case has finally come to a close, days after the the jury tried, but failed, to agree on a verdict.

Yesterday was the ribbon cutting and grand opening of a school that has gone down on the record books of local history thanks to its years of woefully planning and eventually enormous price tag. Yes, Belmont Roybal Learning Center is up and running.

Santa Ana winds whipped up the Marek / Little Tujunga Canyon Wildfire this morning, forcing school and freeway closures. More than 3,000 acres have burned from Lakeview Terrace to Sylmar including a mobile home park in Lopez Canyon. The 210 Freeway is closed from the 2 to the 118 and LAUSD announced the closure of four schools: Broadous Elementary in Pacoima, Hubbard Elementary in Sylmar, Harding Elementary in Sylmar and Fenton Charter School in Lakeview Terrace.

Ah the joys of a terrible stomach flu on a college campus. As of last night, the latest numbers were out: "The number of USC students with norovirus, a highly contagious gastrointestinal virus, has reached 330 over the last five days, university officials said Tuesday.... The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed that the virus is the norovirus, which periodically breaks out on campuses, cruise ships and in nursing homes." The Daily Trojan reports the same numbers in an article today and says the end is in sight.

The Daily News has published a series of articles today regarding the financial layout of the Los Angeles Unified School District's administration, and points to what appears to be a bit of an upper-tier bloat. As the LAUSD preps to face a massive budget cut, some wonder if now is the time to trim the fat downtown at their administrative headquarters.

A Fountain Valley High School junior is facing criminal charges after it was determined he sent threatening emails to two English teachers.