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Freshman Arsonist Set Numerous Fires At Siena College Dorm While Classmates Slept, Police Say Freshman Arsonist Set Numerous Fires At Siena College Dorm While Classmates Slept, Police Say
Freshman Arsonist Set Numerous Fires At Siena College Dorm While Classmates Slept, Police Say A 19-year-old student is accused of intentionally setting numerous fires at a New York college dorm as his classmates slept. Joshua Thomas, of Saratoga County, was arraigned on arson charges in Albany County Court on Wednesday, May 7, a spokesperson for the DA’s office told Daily Voice. An investigation found that Thomas–a freshman at Siena College in Loudonville–poured rubbing alcohol on the ground and used a lighter to start a fire outside a dorm room in Hines Hall just after 3 a.m. on Friday, April 25, prosecutors said. At the time, two female students were asleep inside. Thomas then w…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Saratoga Springs School District's Transgender Athlete Policy Sparks Federal Investigation Saratoga Springs School District's Transgender Athlete Policy Sparks Federal Investigation
Saratoga Springs School District's Transgender Athlete Policy Sparks Federal Investigation The Trump administration has opened an investigation into a public school district in upstate New York over its policy permitting transgender athletes. Rep. Elise Stefanik confirmed that the US Department of Education is investigating the Saratoga Springs City School District for alleged Title IX violations “after my strong public advocacy," in a post on X Tuesday, May 6. Stefanik linked to a New York Post article in which Education Secretary Linda McMahon confirmed that the administration was looking into whether the district discriminated against girls by allowing biological boys to play …

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Phone Ban: NY To Become Largest State With Bell-To-Bell Restrictions On Student Smartphones Phone Ban: NY To Become Largest State With Bell-To-Bell Restrictions On Student Smartphones
Phone Ban: NY To Become Largest State With Bell-To-Bell Restrictions On Student Smartphones New York classrooms are dialing down distractions. Come this fall, all K-12 public schools in New York will implement bell-to-bell bans on student cell phone use, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced Tuesday, May 6. The sweeping new policy, part of the state’s 2026 budget agreement, prohibits students from using internet-enabled personal devices anywhere on school grounds from the first bell to the last—including during lunch and study hall periods. “New York was the first state to target addictive social media feeds — and now we’re the largest state to restrict smartphones in schools thr…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Millions To Have Paychecks Garnished As Federal Student Loan Collections Restart Millions To Have Paychecks Garnished As Federal Student Loan Collections Restart
Millions To Have Paychecks Garnished As Federal Student Loan Collections Restart Millions of Americans may soon have their wages garnished as the Trump administration resumes student loan collections paused since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 5.3 million borrowers are set to receive wage garnishment notices in the summer of 2025, according to the Department of Education. The federal government officially restarted student loan debt collections on Monday, May 5. Nearly 195,000 borrowers began receiving 30-day warning letters from the Treasury Department. Their Social Security or other federal benefits will be seized through the Treasury Offset …

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by Chris Spiker
Schools
Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market
Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market A record number of federal student loan borrowers are seriously delinquent as debt collections resume after a five-year pause, while new college graduates face tough employment prospects. The Education Department restarted collecting defaulted federal student loan debt on Monday, May 5. Collections were paused at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The move threatens to seize tax refunds and garnish paychecks from millions of Americans in default on their loans. The Education Department said about 42.7 million people owe more than $1.6 trillion in student loan d…

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by Chris Spiker
Schools
Student Scored $127K In Aid With University Application Full Of Lies — Now He’s In ICE Custody Student Scored $127K In Aid With University Application Full Of Lies — Now He’s In ICE Custody
Student Scored $127K In Aid With University Application Full Of Lies — Now He’s In ICE Custody A student who faked his way into Lehigh University and received over $127,000 in aid is now in ICE custody — marking the school’s third international student in recent years to face criminal charges, including one who poisoned his roommate and another who used a fake death certificate to win a full scholarship. All three have since been removed or are being deported. Cryilstan Sowah-Nai, originally from Ghana, pleaded no contest to securing execution of documents by deception on Monday, April 28, according to the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office. Investigators say he misrepresen…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor
National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor A Pennsylvania high school teacher has been named the 2025 National Teacher of the Year, education officials announced Tuesday, April 29. Ashlie Crosson teaches English and journalism at Mifflin County High School in Lewistown, where she also helps students publish a newspaper, magazine, and run social media accounts. She earned the national title after being selected as Pennsylvania’s 2024 Teacher of the Year by the state Department of Education. Crosson started teaching in Delaware in 2011, later returning to Pennsylvania to work in the Bellefonte Area School District while earning her m…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
Trump Weighs In On NY School Mascot Battle: ‘Long Live The Massapequa Chiefs!’ Trump Weighs In On NY School Mascot Battle: ‘Long Live The Massapequa Chiefs!’
Trump Weighs In On NY School Mascot Battle: ‘Long Live The Massapequa Chiefs!’ President Donald Trump is throwing his support behind a Long Island school district fighting to keep its Native American-themed mascot. Trump came to the defense of the Massapequa Chiefs, blasting New York’s push for a rebrand as “ridiculous” and “an affront to our great Indian population," in a Truth Social post on Monday, April 21. The school district has been ordered to retire its decades-old mascot under a 2023 New York State mandate banning Indigenous-themed names and logos in public schools. “I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island, who are fighting furiously to keep the M…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education 150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education
150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education More than 150 college leaders issued a scathing letter criticizing the Trump administration's escalating threats against universities. The American Association of Colleges and Universities released the public letter on Tuesday, April 22. The group of university presidents accused President Donald Trump of "unprecedented government overreach," warning that the crackdown could harm students and democracy. Trump has demanded that colleges eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, along with other orders aimed at limiting campus activism. The Trump administration has paused…

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by Chris Spiker
Schools
IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates
IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates The Trump administration is weighing whether to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status—an unprecedented and aggressive move that has escalated tensions between the Ivy League institution and the federal government, according to reports from The Washington Post and CNN. According to two people familiar with the matter, the Internal Revenue Service is preparing to rescind Harvard’s long-standing nonprofit designation, CNN reported. A final decision could be announced soon. Related: Obama Calls Out Trump Over "Unlawful" $2 Billion Cuts to Harvard The effort follows the White House’s …

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by Josh Lanier
Schools
‘Unlawful’: Obama Defends Harvard Against Trump’s $2B Funding Threat ‘Unlawful’: Obama Defends Harvard Against Trump’s $2B Funding Threat
‘Unlawful’: Obama Defends Harvard Against Trump’s $2B Funding Threat Former President Barack Obama is lending his voice to support Harvard University after the prestigious Ivy League school dared President Donald Trump to follow through on his threatened $2 billion federal funding freeze if the school didn’t comply with his administration’s new guidelines. Among other demands, Trump wants Harvard to dismantle its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; ban masks at campus protests; implement a merit-based admissions and hiring system; and reduce the influence of faculty and administrators he claims are “more committed to activism” than education, a letter …

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by Josh Lanier
Schools
School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At Capital Region Campus: Cops School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At Capital Region Campus: Cops
School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At Capital Region Campus: Cops A school employee was placed on leave after allegedly having inappropriate conversations with students at a campus in upstate New York, police said. Schoharie County resident Paul Hallock, 65, of Cobleskill, was arrested Thursday, April 10, following a New York State Police investigation into alleged misconduct at William H. Golding Middle School. An investigation found that Hallock, who works as a lunch monitor at the school, engaged in inappropriate conversations with multiple students between October 2024 and February of this year, according to police. Troopers opened a formal investig…

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by Michael Mashburn