Safety & Security
Teens largely self-reliant when it comes to online privacy
In the age of social media, online privacy concerns are a consistent issue. A new survey reveals where teenagers, who often don't realize the impact a digital footprint…
Reducing school emergency response times with X-ray vision
Emerging radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can improve school communications and emergency response times by increasing teacher and student visibility during emergencies.
Wi-Fi routers: More security risks than ever
More major brand-name Wi-Fi router vulnerabilities continue to be discovered, and continue to go unpatched, a security researcher has revealed at Defcon 21, CNET reports.
School web filtering needs extreme makeover
During a recent symposium on the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), experts agreed that though the law backed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has good intentions, school…
Teacher fired after extinguishing classroom flames
When day care teacher Michelle Hammack briefly left her classroom to extinguish a nearby fire, she probably did not expect her actions to lead to her own firing,…
Missouri is encouraging gun-safety courses for first-graders
In between learning how to read and perform simple addition, some Missouri first-graders may soon also be taught gun safety, the Huffington Post reports.
Iris scans are the new school IDs
Kids lose their school IDs but they don't often lose their eyeballs. That's one of the reasons why a growing number of schools are replacing traditional identification cards…
The latest innovation in bulletproof school gear
A Marion, Ohio, man has designed what he believes is a desk uniquely suited to protect students from intruders, the Huffington Post report.
The ripple effects of stricter privacy rules for kids
Tougher federal rules restricting advertisers and marketers from tracking and targeting children online take effect today, with positive and potentially negative results predicted, USA Today reports. It took…
Data security is a classroom worry, too
Like many privacy-minded parents of elementary students, Tony Porterfield tries to keep close tabs on the personal information collected about his two sons, reports The New York Times.
Facebook: Contact information for 6 million users may have been exposed through bug
The Washington Post reports that Facebook said contact information for as many as 6 million of its users may have been exposed through a bug recently reported to…
Tips on preparing school data for the unexpected
While student safety remains schools’ top priority during threats of natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes, school administrators and IT leaders must also ensure that they take…
Teacher fired over ex-husband’s ‘threatening and menacing’ behavior
An elementary school teacher fired by a private San Diego-area school following a domestic violence incident involving her ex-husband is speaking out about her ordeal, Yahoo News reports.
Teachers pose with their guns
December’s massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut jarred parents and teachers around Ohio, CNN reports.
School database loses backers as parents balk over privacy
A $100 million database set up to store extensive records on millions of public school students has stumbled badly since its launch this spring, with officials in several…
Free service allows bully reporting by text
Students are getting a new weapon to fight back against bullies: their cell phones.
Massive tornado rips through Moore, Okla.
A devastating, mile-wide tornado touched down near Oklahoma City on Monday, killing dozens of people—including children—decimating homes, businesses and a pair of elementary schools in the suburb of…
Tornado devastates Okla. elementary school
A monstrous tornado as much as a mile wide with winds up to 200 mph roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs May 20, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings…
Report: Why it is hard to monitor bullying at schools
The Washington Post reports that a new report that reviewed years of research says that it is hard to accurately monitor levels of bullying in schools because there…
Schoolgirl tries science experiment, arrested for felony
Who among us hasn't -- just once in our lives -- put a couple of things in a test tube, a bottle, or our mouths and wondered what…
Will Google Glass face adoption challenges due to privacy concerns?
A ZDNet debate: Are the privacy concerns about Google Glass any different than cameras on smartphones?
Education data: Privacy backlash begins
As increasing amounts of student, class and school data are captured and analyzed, some people have started to sound alarms about potential privacy violations and other kinds of…
In shift, White House favors incentives for optional cybersecurity measures for companies
The White House has backed away from its push for mandatory cybersecurity standards in favor of an approach that would combine voluntary measures with incentives for companies to…
Back at college, suspect called Boston bombs “crazy”: classmate
Working out at the gym at their sleepy New England college, two students chatted about how "crazy" it was that bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon. Three days…
Criminalizing children at school
The New York Times Editorial Board writes that the National Rifle Association and President Obama responded to the Newtown, Conn., shootings by recommending that more police officers be…
A Missouri school trains its teachers to carry guns, and most parents approve
At 8:30 on a cloudy, frigid morning late last month in this folksy Ozark town, the superintendent of an area school strolled through the glass doors of the…
Even in pro-gun states, bid to arm teachers stalls
When a gunman killed 26 children and staff at a Connecticut grade school, Missouri state Rep. Mike Kelley quickly proposed legislation that would allow trained teachers to carry…
Opening up, students transform a vicious circle
There is little down time in Eric Butler’s classroom, The New York Times reports.
School bans dodgeball citing bullying concerns
Students attending Windham schools in New Hampshire, won't be dodging balls during gym class anymore. The school district voted to ban dodgeball and other "human target" sports in…
Bulletproof backpacks for kids
It was an ordinary school day for Demitric Boykin and his 4-year-old daughter, Jaliyah. Ordinary, except for her brand-new backpack, ABC reports.
CPS students protest school closings as fears over violence grow
Just days after the Chicago Public School district revealed its list of 54 school closings — plus six turnaround schools and 11 consolidations — students have taken to…
Ohio crash cautionary tale for families with teens
There were lies told to parents, a car with five seats carrying eight teens, and an unlicensed driver. The car was speeding. No seat belts were used, the…
More teens use smart phones to get online
Keep computers in a common area so you can monitor what your kids are doing: It's a long-standing directive for online safety—but one that's quickly becoming moot as…
Texas district creates school SWAT team
A Texas school district has assembled a SWAT team to bolster school safety, local NBC affiliate KVEO reports. The decision comes after the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy…
SD gov signs into law that teachers can be armed
South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed into law Friday a measure allowing the state's school districts to arm teachers and other personnel with guns, the first of its…
Could this school’s police program be a model for the country?
Every school day, Simpsonville, S.C., police officer Justin Chandler patrols the halls of Plain Elementary School, the Huffington Post reports.
‘Bully’ documentary gets its own documentary on ‘Anderson Cooper 360’
A bully’s worst fear is revenge, so it’s special when a victim of bullying can turn those slurs and taunts into nationwide popularity, the Huffington Post reports.
State offers schools post-disaster grants
The New Jersey Department of Education says it will distribute $1.25 million in grants to help schools that were hit hard by Superstorm Sandy last year, the Associated…
Digital rights advocates wary of new ‘six strikes’ initiative for online piracy
The newest attempt to thwart illegal filesharing launched Monday and while the "six strikes and you're out" initiative seems to offer light penalties, digital rights advocates are concerned…