John Huber
Cameras in Special Education Classrooms?
The debate over placing cameras in self-contained special education classrooms is gaining momentum across the country, and Maryland is one of the states actively considering, and implementing such policy. Legislators in Maryland joined those in Florida, Iowa, South Carolina, and Tennessee this year introducing laws and policies that would allow or require video surveillance in …
Can Schools Discipline Students for Social Media Posts?
A recent article in Government Technology discussed whether schools can legally discipline students for social media posts made off campus. The article highlighted cases in Colorado where students were suspended or expelled for online behavior involving threats, bullying, and offensive content. Attorneys and advocates argued that such actions violate students’ First Amendment rights. This seems …
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Teachers Want More Support. Many Principals Want to Provide It.
By John Huber, Marylandk12.com A recent Education Week article asked teachers what principals could do to better protect them from aggressive student behavior and increasingly confrontational parents. The answers were not surprising. Teachers want administrators to respond quickly when serious incidents occur, and they want disruptive students removed from classrooms when learning becomes impossible. They …
Teachers Want More Support. Many Principals Want to Provide It. Read More »
What Message Are Schools Sending With Their Back-to-School Videos?
Dear Educators: Please Stop Using Songs You Haven’t Actually Listened To Schools across Maryland are preparing to welcome students back for another school year. Social media feeds are once again loaded with the annual parade of back-to-school videos. Teachers are dancing in hallways, administrators are lip-syncing popular songs, and entire staffs are gathering for choreographed …
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Trump Administration’s Head Start Overhaul Continues the Push Toward Local Control
By John Huber marylandk12.com The Trump administration has announced a proposal to overhaul Head Start, one of the nation’s largest early childhood education programs. Much of the initial reaction has focused on the potential elimination of long-standing federal regulations, the proposal is also part of a larger policy reducing federal control and shifting decision-making authority …
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New ACLU Report Questions Whether School Resource Officers Make Schools Safer
By: John E Huber, MarylandK12.com The ACLU of Iowa recently released a report titled Rethinking School Safety in Iowa: The Harms of School Resource Officers (SROs). The report argues that School Resource Officers contribute to increased referrals, arrests, and disciplinary consequences for students, particularly Black students and students with disabilities. It also questions whether SROs …
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DMPTC Is Right About Somerset’s Book Policy
The Delmarva Parent Teacher Coalition (DMPTC) has published some content lately defending Somerset County’s approach to library materials and criticizing recent media coverage of the issue. I’m with them on this one. The debate in Somerset County has become increasingly driven by political narratives while some of the most important governance questions have been pushed …
A New Study Suggests School Board Politics May Not Be What Many Think
By; John Huber Marylandk12.com For the past several years, may who follow education news would seem to believe that school board meetings have become ground zero in America’s political culture wars. News coverage has been dominated by shouting matches over curriculum, transgender policies, mask mandates, book choices, diversity initiatives, and increasingly partisan school board elections. …
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When Scheduling Meets Reality: A Closer Look at the DMPTC Claims in Somerset County
The Delmarva Parent Teacher Coalition (DMPTC) recently published an article supporting Somerset County Board of Education Chairman Matt Lankford’s proposal to shift the school day toward shorter class periods, roughly 45 minutes, combined with regular outdoor breaks. The proposal is being viewed as a research-based solution to declining academic outcomes and framed in direct contrast …
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What Lou Taylor Knew and What Maryland Law Required at the Time
By John Huber | MarylandK12.com Yesterday, the Delmarva Parent Teacher Coalition reposted on social media a case that many in Worcester County will remember. It involved a local high school teacher who was charged with having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student decades earlier. He would ultimately plead guilty. This may seem like old …
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