Yonkers, NY
Schools
Board Of Ed To Discuss Closing School In Yonkers As Part Of Addressing $101M Budget Gap Board Of Ed To Discuss Closing School In Yonkers As Part Of Addressing $101M Budget Gap
Board Of Ed To Discuss Closing School In Yonkers As Part Of Addressing $101M Budget Gap A Westchester County school's future depends on decisions made in an upcoming Board of Education meeting, officials said.  The possible closure of School 21 in Yonkers will be discussed during a Board of Education meeting on Tuesday night, May 20, according to Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Anibal Soler, Jr. Soler said the potential closure would be recommended in his proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year to address a $101 million structural budget gap.  The superintendent said the idea is part of an overall recommendation to address the district's financial situatio…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
Stafford, VA
Schools
Antisemitic Graffiti Found In Stafford High School Bathrooms Sparks Increased Police Presence Antisemitic Graffiti Found In Stafford High School Bathrooms Sparks Increased Police Presence
Antisemitic Graffiti Found In Stafford High School Bathrooms Sparks Increased Police Presence Students returning to Stafford High School on Wednesday will see an increased police presence on and around campus after hateful, antisemitic graffiti was found in student bathrooms. A joint investigation was launched by the Stafford County Sheriff's Office and Stafford Public Schools following hateful rhetoric and threats found inside student bathrooms this week. While investigators say they have not found evidence of a credible threat against the school community, the nature of the graffiti was serious enough for law enforcement to increase its presence at the school out of caution. Offi…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Mamaroneck, NY
Schools
Mamaroneck Students Perform National Anthem At Yankee Stadium For Second Straight Year Mamaroneck Students Perform National Anthem At Yankee Stadium For Second Straight Year
Mamaroneck Students Perform National Anthem At Yankee Stadium For Second Straight Year Dozens of student musicians from a Westchester County school district recently took center stage at Yankee Stadium, performing the National Anthem before a Yankees home game against the Baltimore Orioles earlier this month. Mamaroneck Public Schools announced Monday, May 18, that 39 students from the district’s elementary schools, Hommocks Middle School, and Mamaroneck High School participated in the performance.  The students are members of the Larchmont Mamaroneck Youth Orchestra, which also includes young musicians from neighboring school districts. The group was founded by Chatswor…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
Wheaton-Glenmont, MD
Schools
School Bus Carrying Children Rear-Ended By Tesla In Glenmont: Police (DEVELOPING) School Bus Carrying Children Rear-Ended By Tesla In Glenmont: Police (DEVELOPING)
School Bus Carrying Children Rear-Ended By Tesla In Glenmont: Police (Developing) A school bus loaded with children was involved in a crash at a busy Maryland intersection on Monday afternoon, police say. Shortly before 3 p.m. on May 18, officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police were called to the intersection of Ingram Lane and Tivoli Lake Boulevard in Glenmont, where there was a reported crash involving the bus. Police say the Tesla rear-ended the bus, which had 10 students on board. No students were injured. According to the department, the driver of the Tesla was evaluated by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel but was not transported to the h…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Lykens Valley, PA
Schools
School Paraprofessional Accused Of Raping Teen Girl At PA Home School Paraprofessional Accused Of Raping Teen Girl At PA Home
School Paraprofessional Accused Of Raping Teen Girl At PA Home A Pennsylvania middle school paraprofessional and youth sports volunteer is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl at his home, according to Lycoming Regional Police. Brian S. Witner, 39, of River Mill Road in Jersey Shore, was arrested Friday, May 8, after investigators said DNA evidence linked him to the assault reported by the teen in December. The girl disclosed the alleged assault to school officials at BLAST IU on Dec. 4, prompting an immediate report to police, according to investigators. Witner, who worked as an in-school suspension paraprofessional at Jersey Shore Area Middle School…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
White Plains, NY
Schools
These Westchester Students Earned Prestigious National Merit $2,500 Scholarships These Westchester Students Earned Prestigious National Merit $2,500 Scholarships
These Westchester Students Earned Prestigious National Merit $2,500 Scholarships More than two dozen students from Westchester County have been named winners of prestigious National Merit $2,500 Scholarships, awarded to some of the nation’s top graduating high school seniors.  The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the winners this week, naming 2,500 students nationwide who were selected from more than 15,000 finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.  According to NMSC, winners were chosen based on academic achievement, PSAT/NMSQT scores, leadership, extracurricular involvement, essays, and recommendations from school officials. …

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
Port Jefferson, NY
Schools
Port Jefferson Teacher Semifinalist For ‘America’s Favorite’ — But Still Needs More Support Port Jefferson Teacher Semifinalist For ‘America’s Favorite’ — But Still Needs More Support
Port Jefferson Teacher Semifinalist For ‘America’s Favorite’ — But Still Needs More Support A Long Island educator competing to be “America’s Favorite Teacher” has advanced to the competition’s semifinal round but still faces an uphill battle. Melissa McMullan, a sixth-grade teacher at JFK Middle School in Port Jefferson, won her quarterfinal group at the last second following a furious late-night push on Thursday, May 7, she shared with Daily Voice. But with semifinal round voting set to end Thursday, May 14, McMullan sat in fifth place in her eight-person group on Wednesday afternoon, May 13, with only the top vote-getter making the final round. “This entire contest is a s…

SHARE

by Joe Wilkinson
Rivertowns, NY
Schools
Student's Realistic BB Gun Triggers Lockdown At School In Irvington Student's Realistic BB Gun Triggers Lockdown At School In Irvington
Student's Realistic BB Gun Triggers Lockdown At School In Irvington A student's realistic-looking BB gun triggered a lockdown and police response at a Westchester County school, authorities said. The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, May 11, while classes were in session at Irvington High School, according to the Irvington Police Department.  School administrators immediately activated lockdown procedures after receiving information that a student may have had a weapon. Officers were then provided with the student’s location and responded to the school immediately, police said.   During the investigation, officers found what the…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
Waynesboro, PA
Schools
Teacher Charged With Attempted Rape Of Child: PA AG Teacher Charged With Attempted Rape Of Child: PA AG
Teacher Charged With Attempted Rape Of Child: PA AG A teacher is accused of attempting to rape a child after allegedly arranging to meet someone who he believed was an 11-year-old boy and the child’s father at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Friday, May 8. Justin L. Pavetto, 37, of Butler County, was arrested this past weekend following an investigation by the Office of Attorney General’s Child Predator Section and the FBI, according to the release. Pavetto was employed as a teacher at New Horizon School, a public special needs school in Beaver County, at the time of his arrest, authorities said. The a…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
Nyack-Valley Cottage, NY
Schools
Antisemitic Symbols Found In Nyack High School Classroom Antisemitic Symbols Found In Nyack High School Classroom
Antisemitic Symbols Found In Nyack High School Classroom An investigation is underway after antisemitic symbols were discovered inside a classroom at a Rockland County high school.  Nyack Public Schools Superintendent Lizzette Ruiz-Giovinazzi informed families in a letter sent Thursday, May 7, that the symbols were found at Nyack High School at the end of the school day.  She said the Clarkstown Police Department was immediately notified, and the district is now working with law enforcement on next steps.  District leaders condemned the incident and reaffirmed their stance against hate and bias. "We denounce all acts of antisemit…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
Hartford, CT
Schools
Major Cyberattack Disrupts Classes For Thousands Of Colleges, Schools: What To Know Major Cyberattack Disrupts Classes For Thousands Of Colleges, Schools: What To Know
Major Cyberattack Disrupts Classes For Thousands Of Colleges, Schools: What To Know Schools nationwide are able to use a popular class management system after a cybersecurity incident locked out teachers and students, exposing personal data for millions of users. Canvas was "fully back online" on the morning of Friday, May 8, according to education technology company Instructure's website. The platform used by about 9,000 K-12 schools and universities was down for several hours on Thursday, May 7, in a data breach claimed by the hacking group ShinyHunters. Instructure said it first detected suspicious activity in Canvas on Wednesday, April 29. While the …

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Germantown, MD
Schools
Anti-Semitic Graffiti Suspects Caught On Camera Walking Away From Greenwood ES: Police Anti-Semitic Graffiti Suspects Caught On Camera Walking Away From Greenwood ES: Police
Anti-Semitic Graffiti Suspects Caught On Camera Walking Away From Greenwood ES: Police Three suspects accused of scrawling anti-Semitic graffiti across a Maryland elementary school were caught on surveillance cameras casually walking away from the scene in the middle of the night, police say. Now Montgomery County detectives are trying to figure out who they are. The vandalism happened around 3 a.m. Saturday, May 2, at Greenwood Elementary School on Gold Mine Road in Montgomery County, according to police. Investigators say anti-Semitic graffiti was spray-painted on both a wall and the side of the school's roof in Germantown. Surveillance images released by detectives show …

SHARE

by Zak Failla