Lawsuit Filed to Stop Student Transfers in Missouri

When the economy slowed to a nearly grinding halt a few short years ago, school districts across the country quickly felt the pinch. States were forced to slash budgets, leaving less funding for their schools and other public services. School districts had to come up with creative solutions to the financial challenges in an effort to meet the growing needs of students. Today, some school districts, like ones in Colorado, are getting tired of pinching their pennies, particularly in light of the fact that state governments may be sitting on much needed resources without allotting them appropriately. In fact, a number of Texas school districts have taken their state to court – in hopes of providing more and equitable funding to students throughout the Longhorn State.

A Lawsuit is Filed

The largest school districts in Texas recently filed a lawsuit against their state government, alleging the public school system in Texas is both inadequate and inequitable. This suit is the fourth of its kind filed against the state since June, 2011, when the legislature ended their session. This particular lawsuit, according to a report at the Houston Chronicle, includes more than 60 school districts that currently serve around 1.3 million Texas students. This brings the total litigation against the state to more than 500 Texas school districts, serving approximately 3.3 million children.

“We wish litigation weren’t necessary, but the nature of school finance just seems to be that you have this back-and-forth dialogue

Like other states, Colorado has seen more than its share of budget cuts that have impacted public services throughout the state. Unfortunately, many cuts have trickled down to Colorado’s public education system, which some argue has shortchanged the students who attend Colorado schools. In recent years, many school districts have decided to take matters into their own hands by suing the state government responsible for ensuring their funding. In an exciting turn of events, a court ruling and a budget windfall have occurred nearly simultaneously in the state, providing a reason for some to be slightly more optimistic about the state of public education in Colorado.

This TED Talk discusses school funding as it is tied to student attendance.

Lobato vs. the State of Colorado

In 2005, a lawsuit was filed against the state of Colorado by one of the state’s school districts. The lawsuit, initiated by the San Luis Valley School District, claimed that the state had shortchanged the public education system by $2 to $4 billion per year, leaving educators grappling with how to meet state and federal standards in education without appropriate resources from which to draw. Other school districts across the state joined the lawsuit as more educators hopped on the bandwagon to urge state lawmakers to give schools what districts believe is their constitutional due.

Recently, the judge overseeing the Lobato vs. State of Colorado lawsuit gave

Earlier this year, the Obama administration predicted that nearly 80 percent of all public schools nationwide would miss the benchmarks required by the No Child Left Behind Act by the end of 2011. Now that the numbers are in from the Center on Education Policy, the number of schools failing No Child Left Behind is considerably lower than original predictions. However, at a failure rate of almost 50 percent, there is still plenty of concern over what needs to be done to revamp NCLB to make it a more effective means of evaluating school performance across the country.

What is No Child Left Behind?

According to an article at Great Schools, the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted in 2002 and has demonstrated “sweeping impact” in public schools across the country. This piece of legislation has been instrumental in determining what students would learn, the tests they would take, and the training teachers received. The original intent of the law was to hold all public schools to a national standard, so that students in all locations and from all demographics would receive the same quality education. Targets are established, and schools that meet the targets receive their maximum funding allowance, while schools that fail to make the grade may lose funding and even be subject to closure.

A report at CNN explains that states are required to set proficiency goals, develop testing to accurately assess their progress toward those goals, and report their

In one of their final actions of the current calendar year, the Fairfax County School Board in Virginia voted to allow schools to install indoor surveillance cameras in their buildings. The request for such cameras became a primary talking point during the first half of this school year after massive food fights and other disciplinary problems came to light. While some parents and school board members argue that surveillance cameras will help to curb some of the behavior issues in schools, others worry that the new cameras will be a flagrant violation of student privacy rights.

An Overview of New School Policy

The Fairfax County School Board’s vote allows schools to install surveillance cameras, but it does not require them. Each school within the county will be able to engage in public discussion between faculty, students, and parents about whether cameras would help or hinder discipline issues. Principals would be responsible for making the final decisions in their own schools, ensuring that each administrator would determine the need for surveillance cameras based on their own unique situations.

If a school decides to install surveillance cameras, they will only be allowed in public venues like cafeterias, hallways, and school lobbies. No school will be required to install surveillance devices, and they will not be allowed in locker rooms, restrooms, or classrooms in the schools that do decide to use them.

According to the Washington Post, the vote occurred earlier in December, with eight board