Education category, Page 10
Judge strikes down Trump administration guidance against diversity programs at schools and colleges
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the nation’s schools and universities. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland stated that the Education Department violated the law when it threatened to cut...
Edgewood Elementary to start late due to ongoing building renovations
Woodland Hills School District students are sharpening their pencils and putting together their backpacks for the first day of school, but not everyone will be back in the classroom as expected. Edgewood Elementary school students will now have late start to the 2025-26 school year. Building renovations are still underway....
Quaker Valley School District officials, staff prepare for start of 2025-26 school year
Quaker Valley School District officials and staff are eager to welcome nearly 1,830 students at the start of the 2025-26 school year. Students in kindergarten through ninth grade are expected to report Wednesday, Aug. 20, and all students will be in schools the following day. Staffers are to report Thursday,...
Fox Chapel Area School District officials and staff prepare for 2025-26 school year
Fox Chapel Area School District officials and staff are eager to welcome students for the 2025-26 school year. The first day of school is Aug. 21. Officials said there are about 355 teachers ready to educate about 4,330 students, an increase of 52 students from last school year’s 4,278 enrollment....
Morning Roundup: Penn Hills police seek info on armed robber; it’s college move-in time again
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025: Penn Hills police seek pizza shop robber Penn Hills police are seeking information on a suspect who committed an armed robbery Aug. 9 at Pasquale’s Pizzeria along Saltsburg Road. Restaurant staff turned over surveillance video...
Hempfield Area looks to bolster curriculum oversight at elementary schools
Hempfield Area School District is looking to add another layer of oversight to the curriculum at its five elementary schools. The school board will vote next week on assigning one chairperson per K-5 grade level. Each chairperson would help ensure continuity in learning at the district’s Fort Allen, West Point,...
Opponents of controversial hiring accuse Leechburg Area School Board of political bias
Leechburg Area School Board members were presented with formal complaints and questions Wednesday night following a controversial hiring decision. Neill Brady, a Leechburg resident and school board candidate, voiced his dismay and requested answers after his son-in-law, Sean Hess, was passed over for a position with the district despite receiving...
Harvard and the Trump administration are nearing a settlement including a $500 million payment
WASHINGTON — Harvard University and the Trump administration are getting close to an agreement that would require the Ivy League university to pay $500 million to regain access to federal funding and to end investigations, according to a person familiar with the matter. The framework is still being sorted out...
Point Park University partners with hotel to house 90 freshmen off campus
Point Park University has signed a contract with Wyndham Grand hotel in Downtown that will place up to 90 freshmen in off-campus housing at the start of the upcoming semester. “The location of the Wyndham is really advantageous for us, as it’s only a 5- to 6-minute walk to campus,”...
O’Hara resident has opened her home to 9 international students, seeks families to do the same
Carol Huff feels like she has seen far-flung parts of the world without ever leaving her O’Hara home. An AFS-USA volunteer, Huff has hosted international students for the past 25 years, including those from Germany, Iceland, Italy, Kuwait and Pakistan. “I’ve learned so much as a person from my students,”...
Proposed laws, school policies target cellphone use in schools
Tony Aquilio is all in favor of using technology as an educational tool. But even Aquilio, Penn-Trafford High School’s principal, admits access to personal cellphones can be bad for learning while in school. This year, Penn-Trafford School District heads into the academic year with a new cellphone policy in place,...
Penn State ramps up lobbying, but it’s difficult to tell who or what it’s trying to influence
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a daily newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Penn...
Greensburg Salem slated to host Back to School Bash
Greensburg Salem students and families attending the annual Back to School Bash next week will be able to meet the district’s first assistant superintendent and support the student-run Mini-THON fundraiser. The Back to School Bash is slated for 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at Offutt Field, 109 Laird St. in...
School district to turn over student records in criminal cases against special ed teacher, aides
The Greensburg Salem School District was ordered Monday to turn over sensitive student records to prosecutors and a defense attorney in the case of alleged mistreatment of three children in a special education classroom. Teacher Brooke Stanko, classroom aide Teri Kepchia and four other employees are awaiting trial on allegations...
Greensburg Salem launches expanded online learning program to ‘compete’ with cyber charters
Greensburg Salem is revamping its online learning program in the hopes of bringing its 185 cyber charter students into the district. Western Pennsylvania’s school districts have cited cyber charter tuition expenses as a pain point in their budgets for years, and the issue has caught the attention of state legislators....
Trump executive order gives politicians control over all federal grants, alarming researchers
NEW YORK — An executive order signed by President Donald Trump late Thursday aims to give political appointees power over the billions of dollars in grants awarded by federal agencies. Scientists say it threatens to undermine the process that has helped make the U.S. the world leader in research and...
Trump orders colleges to prove they don’t consider race in admissions
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order requiring colleges to submit data to prove they do not consider race in admissions. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions but said colleges may still consider how race has shaped students’...
Carnegie Mellon announces layoffs in computer science school
Eighteen employees were laid off this week from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science, officials said. In an email from Martial Hebert, the dean of the school, stated that staff positions in several departments, academic support function and administrative positions had been eliminated, “including marketing and communications, program support,...
Harvard scientists say research could be set back years after funding freeze
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard University professor Alberto Ascherio’s research is literally frozen. Collected from millions of U.S. soldiers over two decades using millions of dollars from taxpayers, the epidemiology and nutrition scientist has blood samples stored in liquid nitrogen freezers within the university’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The...
Carnegie Mellon students invent AI pet that merges virtual reality with the physical world
When Carnegie Mellon University graduate student Brian He proposed developing a fully virtual pet, the idea was rejected for lacking innovation. Despite the setback, the Physical Presence Pet team took the idea a step further and roughly 14 weeks later, He and five other Entertainment Technology Center students had created...
Students for Justice in Palestine fights suspension imposed by Pitt
Attorneys for Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Pittsburgh are urging a federal judge to find in their favor and lift a six-month suspension imposed on the club by Pitt officials before the start of the school year. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which represents...
Nicely Elementary fire alarm should be up and running for 1st day of school, superintendent says
Greensburg Salem aims to have a working fire alarm system at its Nicely Elementary School before students return to its halls Aug. 26. The school’s fire alarm stopped working in mid-April when a power surge — prompted by nearby line replacement work by West Penn Power — damaged the alarm...
What to know if you’re at risk of having your wages garnished over student loan debt
NEW YORK — Millions of student borrowers could begin having their wages garnished as soon as this summer, according to estimates from credit bureau TransUnion. The company predicts that by August roughly 3 million borrowers could move into default, meaning they’re 270 days past due on payments. At that point,...
Bethel Park students entering last school year in 6 district buildings
When students report to Bethel Park schools on Aug. 21 for the first day of classes, it will mark the end of an era as the final year for education at six of the district’s buildings. Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Memorial and William Penn elementary schools are scheduled...
Thomas Jefferson students receive iPads for start of school year
When classes start Aug. 26, Thomas Jefferson High School students will have new iPads. Over the past few years, the West Jefferson Hills School District has distributed Apple-branded tablet computers to its other academic buildings. Supplying ninth through 12th graders completes the transition from Google Chromebooks. Jennifer Kassimer, district director...
