Ocean
Schools
Seaside Heights, Toms River Schools Could Merge After OK From State Officials Seaside Heights, Toms River Schools Could Merge After OK From State Officials
Seaside Heights, Toms River Schools Could Merge After OK From State Officials New Jersey's top education officials have signed-off on a referendum for a merger between two school districts. On Friday, March 8, Acting New Jersey Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer approved Seaside Heights merging with the Toms River Regional school district. The Central Regional School District had petitioned against the merger, but Dehmer said that Seaside Heights is closer in proximity to Toms River, so transportation will be cheaper and more time-efficient. He also said the merger would be unlikely to "increase or exacerbate the segregation of students by racial, …

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by Cecilia Levine
Calvert
Schools
Social Media Threat Targeting Patuxent High School Not Credible, Sheriff Says Social Media Threat Targeting Patuxent High School Not Credible, Sheriff Says
Social Media Threat Targeting Patuxent High School Not Credible, Sheriff Says There was an increased police presence at Patuxent High School in Lusby on Friday afternoon after an implied threat targeting the building was made, officials say. On March 8, the Calvert County Sheriff's Office was called in following reports of a social media post from an anonymous user that raised alarm bells for some school officials. According to the sheriff's office, the threat was investigated and was found to be not credible and unfounded, though as a precaution, additional deputies were present around school grounds. "While this threat has not demonstrated credibility thus fa…

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by Zak Failla
Englewood
Schools
'Deeply Offensive:' 30 Dwight-Englewood 7th Graders Were On Racist Text Chain, Admin Says 'Deeply Offensive:' 30 Dwight-Englewood 7th Graders Were On Racist Text Chain, Admin Says
'Deeply Offensive:' 30 Dwight-Englewood 7th Graders Were On Racist Text Chain, Admin Says The Dwight-Englewood school, a private school in Bergen County, said more than 30 7th grade boys were involved in a text chain that featured racist language. In a letter sent to parents, Jeremy Gregersen, the head of school, said the texts contained highly-charged language and anti-Black, racist memes. "My stomach dropped even further as I found that my son was included in the text chain," Gregersen said. Gregersen said the boys on the text chain have various degrees of culpability. Some simply said nothing, others laughed and egged it on while others posted offensive comments and memes, G…

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by Sam Barron
Essex NJ
Schools
Solar Eclipse Will Close Essex County School Early Solar Eclipse Will Close Essex County School Early
Solar Eclipse Will Close Essex County School Early Concern over kids looking at a solar eclipse has caused a school district in Essex County to close early next month. Livingston Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Block announced in a letter to parents on Wednesday, March 6, that on Monday, April 8, the elementary and high school will dismiss at noon while the middle schools will dismiss at 12:45 p.m. The solar eclipse will be occurring at 3 p.m. and Block said they are concerned unsupervised children might be drawn to look at the eclipse, damaging their eyes. Concerns over driving during the eclipse also factored into the early dismissa…

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by Sam Barron
Chester
Schools
Octorara School Board Fills Vacancy Caused By Deadly Plane Crash Octorara School Board Fills Vacancy Caused By Deadly Plane Crash
Octorara School Board Fills Vacancy Caused By Deadly Plane Crash The Octorara Area School Board appointed a new member at its meeting last Wednesday, Feb. 28.  Dan Jurich will fill the seat left vacant by the death of former board president Sam Ganow, members unanimously decided.  OctoraraAreaSD Jurich's term is set to expire in 2025 and he has not yet been given a committee assignment, according to the board website.  Ganow was killed when the twin-engine Grumman American GA-7 he was flying in crashed near Coatesville on the afternoon of Feb. 1. He was the only person onboard and the crash remains under investigation by the Natio…

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by Mac Bullock
Charles
Schools
Student Assaulted, Car Stolen Outside St. Charles High School, Sheriff Says Student Assaulted, Car Stolen Outside St. Charles High School, Sheriff Says
Student Assaulted, Car Stolen Outside St. Charles High School, Sheriff Says A group of teens are wanted after assaulting a student outside a Charles County high school and stealing his vehicle, according to the sheriff's office. On Wednesday morning, a student from St. Charles High School was approached in the parking lot by multiple people and struck in the head with what investigators believe was a handgun.  The student dropped his keys, and the group picked them up and fled in his car. The teen was treated for an undisclosed injury by responding paramedics. According to the Charles County Sheriff's Office, the assault does not appear to be random and detec…

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by Zak Failla
Northwest Dutchess
Schools
Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found At School In Rhinebeck Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found At School In Rhinebeck
Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found At School In Rhinebeck The discovery of two swastikas on a high school wall in the region is being used as a learning experience regarding anti-Semitism. The swastikas were found in Dutchess County on Monday, March 4 at Rhinebeck High School, said the principal Edwin Davenport. Davenport, who happened to be in the classroom when the symbols of hate were discovered by another student, said he is investigating to find who may have drawn the symbols in chalk on a wall, but also immediately called out the action for what it was -- "It's evil, and will not be tolerated," Davenport said. It is not the first time …

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by Kathy Reakes
Prince William
Schools
Teen Sent Bomb Threat To Staffer At Hylton High School, PWC Police Say Teen Sent Bomb Threat To Staffer At Hylton High School, PWC Police Say
Teen Sent Bomb Threat To Staffer At Hylton High School, PWC Police Say A teenager was charged following an investigation into a bomb threat that was made targeting a Prince William County high school, police say. On Tuesday morning, the School Resource Officer assigned to Hylton High School on Spriggs Road in Woodbridge was notified about a threat made via email targeting the building. According to the Prince William County Police Department, the investigation led them to a 15-year-old student, who allegedly sent the threat to a school staff member. It was ultimately determined that the threat was not credible and neither students nor staff were ever in any d…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax
Schools
Oakton Teacher Lops Off 11 Inches To Benefit Kids With Hair Loss: 'No-Brainer' Oakton Teacher Lops Off 11 Inches To Benefit Kids With Hair Loss: 'No-Brainer'
Oakton Teacher Lops Off 11 Inches To Benefit Kids With Hair Loss: 'No-Brainer' Erica Hosken prefers her locks long. But the Oakton High School teacher has no problem rocking a shorter look if it means easing some pain for a child. And that's exactly what she's doing these days. Last month, Hosken cut 11 inches of her hair to benefit children experiencing medically-related hair-loss. It's all part of an event happening March 16 called The Great Cut, in which an organization called The Longhairs will try to beat their own record for the most hair cut in a day, set in 2019. Proceeds benefit an organization called Children With Hairloss, and Hosken's 11 inches…

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by Cecilia Levine
Gloucester
Schools
NJ University Generated $3B In Annual Revenue For State, Plans Continued Expansion: New Study NJ University Generated $3B In Annual Revenue For State, Plans Continued Expansion: New Study
NJ University Generated $3B In Annual Revenue For State, Plans Continued Expansion: New Study An independent study released this week calculates that Rowan University's annual economic impact is $2.9 billion statewide, up nearly double from less than five years ago, campus officials said. Projects such as Discovery Hall, the $46.7 million academic building that opened in 2021, support growth in the region and state, said the new study by Econsult Solutions Inc. (ESI) of Philadelphia. The Glassboro-based university is planning another $1.5 billion in expansion projects in the next decade, campus officials said. President Ali A. Houshmand, in a press statement, said: “Our e…

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by Jon Craig
Calvert
Schools
Social Media Threat Targeting Huntingtown High School Unfounded, Sheriff Says Social Media Threat Targeting Huntingtown High School Unfounded, Sheriff Says
Social Media Threat Targeting Huntingtown High School Unfounded, Sheriff Says Some school officials in Calvert County got a scare on Monday, though a threat targeting Huntingtown High School was ultimately unfounded, according to the sheriff's office. There was an increased police presence at the school on Tuesday, following an investigation launched on March 4 after administrators advised law enforcement of a social media post from an unknown sender that included a threatening message regarding the school.  According to investigators, the message was, in fact, a reposted screenshot from an event that occurred in Virginia two weeks earlier, wherein an arres…

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by Zak Failla
Franklin PA
Schools
School Buses Tires Slashed In Chambersburg, Police Say School Buses Tires Slashed In Chambersburg, Police Say
School Buses Tires Slashed In Chambersburg, Police Say Multiple school buses had their tires slashed Chambersburg Police announced on Saturday, March 2. The police came to investigate the "criminal mischief" in the 100 block of East South Street on Feb. 26, as stated in the release. The caller met with police and explained that they "had multiple tires on their vehicles which were punctured with an object," the police said. The exact number of school buses damaged was not shared. The slashings are  believed to have happened sometime over the week prior to the owner calling the police. Anyone with information regarding these school bus ti…

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by Jillian Pikora