LAUSD

Sheyanne Jackson  |   OW College Intern
Jun 2 2011

Original club member

On May 24, Mark Dantzler, program director at Challengers Boys and Girls club, died of complications from lung cancer. He was the oldest son of the founder of Challengers, Lou Dantzler and also one of the organization’s original members.
 

May 25 2011

Girl hurt, suspect in custody

SAN PEDRO, Calif.—A bullet fired near San Pedro High School ricocheted off a wall and lodged in the leg of a 15-year-old girl today.

Police reportedly picked up a suspect in the shooting at 1001 W. 15th St. shortly after it occurred about 2:45 p.m.

The roughly 3,400 students at the school—the campus includes a middle school and high school—were held in classrooms until about 4 p.m.

Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Susan Cox said the shot was believed to have been fired from off campus.

May 24 2011

Public School Choice program

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Citing reports of voter intimidation and other election troubles, the LAUSD Board of Education eliminated advisory votes by parents and other stakeholders from the Public School Choice program that gives control of selected campuses to charter companies or other groups.

The Los Angeles Unified School District board voted 4-3 to eliminate the advisory votes, and called on Superintendent John Deasy to develop an alternative method for collecting input from the community on who should operate specific schools.

May 19 2011

June 3 deadline

Parents who want to transfer their offspring to another school in the Los Angeles Unified School District can submit an application to do so through June 3 during the “open enrollment” process for the 2011-12 school year.

In open enrollment, students’ names can be submitted to transfer to any school that has available space. The transferring pupils will not displace a youngster living in the attendance area of a school from the school.

May 17 2011

"Family Action Teams"

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa urged the Los Angeles Unified School District today to embrace his plan for getting parents involved in the education of their children.

"Parents play a critical role in motivating their children to learn and achieve,'' Villaraigosa said.

"Schools should play an equally critical role ... and do a better job of engaging and empowering them in their children's education.''

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.