Looking to take a new path this spring? Come join the Okemos High School Theater Program on their journey along the Yellow Brick Road with their spring production of “The Wizard of Oz.”
Business & Economy
Schools adapt to free meals for all students
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SCHOOL MEALS: School districts are adapting to the mandate to offer free breakfasts and lunches to all students, regardless of income. The state is paying for the initiative. They say hungry students don’t learn well, and that students who can’t afford to pay for meals feel stigmatized. We talk to school lunch experts in Marquette, Oakland County and Traverse City. By Alex Walters. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, DETROIT, MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.
Education
MacDonald Middle School invests in restorative justice practices and reduces suspensions
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Restorative justice is not always widely used in a traditional classroom setting. However, MacDonald Middle School has seen significant improvements among its students since adopting this system. Restorative justice is an alternative to punishment and a more peaceful discipline approach used to repair harm that has been done, according to MacDonald Principal, Amy Martin.
“Restorative justice looks at all parties involved and gives the opportunity for all parties in the conflict to have a voice and to be heard,” Martin said. “Then we have to come to an agreement on how to peacefully coexist in the same place.”
Martin has been at MacDonald for nine years and said restorative practices were implemented at the school in 2000. She said the administration has encountered some system issues along the way.
“We didn’t really have a balance between restorative practices and traditional consequences for students,” Martin said.
East Lansing
Restorative Justice is on The Rise in Michigan Schools
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When it comes to school discipline in the United States, punishments such as detention, suspension and even expulsion are nothing new – but in recent years, proponents of restorative justice have become hopeful that for the most part, they may soon be left in the past. Restorative practices – which Michigan schools have been required to consider as disciplinary alternatives since the signing of Gov. Rick Snyder’s restorative justice law in 2016 – focus primarily on overall harm reduction, and encourage schools to consider the full context of a situation when deciding on disciplinary measures. “It’s an approach to addressing conflict and misconduct that focuses on healing the harm rather than punishment, and that values accountability over exclusion,” said MacDonald Middle School Assistant Principal John Atkinson, who spoke about his school’s use of restorative justice at an East Lansing School Board meeting on Jan 22. “Rather than relying on just punishment, restorative justice expects those who cause injuries to make things right.”
Source: MacDonal Middle School
However, when it comes to how these amends can be brought about, schools have found that there is no one right answer. “It looks different everywhere, and I think that’s because a lot of schools have been shifting more towards restorative practices in general,” said Adam Brandt, an assistant principal at Eaton Rapids Middle School.
Education
Admission guarantee for students with 3.0 GPA boosts applications to public universities
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GUARANTEED ADMISSION: Ten of Michigan’s 15 public universities now admit any in-state student graduating high school with a 3.0 or higher GPA, a change intended to make the application process easier that is already credited with an increase in applications at some campuses. The Michigan Assured Admission Pact, or MAAP is part of an effort to raise enrollments. We see the impact at Oakland and Wayne State and hear from the Michigan Association of State Universities. Opting out of the program are U-M, MSU, Grand Valley, Western and Michigan Tech. By Owen McCarthy. FOR DETROIT, BIG RAPIDS, IRON MOUNTAIN, SAULT STE. MARIE, MIDLAND, GREENVILLE, BAY MILLS, ST. IGNACE, HOLLAND AND ALL POINTS.
Education
Proposed homeschooling registration sparks protests
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HOME SCHOOL SAFETY: A state Education Department proposal to require homeschooling parents to register their children is sparking protests. The department says the change is intended to protect the safety of those students, but homeschool advocates counter that it’s a ploy to funnel more state aid to public schools and an intrusion on family privacy. We hear from homeschool promoters, including two from Grand Traverse County, and lawmakers from Plymouth and Livonia. By Liz Nass. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.
Education
Former Lansing School District employee speaks out on racism accusations
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Keys. Laptop. Badge. These were the three items Claude Hogan was unsuspectingly ordered to hand over the day he was placed on administrative leave.
This came as a shock to Hogan, who was the supervisor for a student athletic development program and has worked at the Lansing School District, or LSD, since 2015. All he was told was that he had breached a policy.
Greater Lansing Community News
High Schooler Lahari Raja Fights Food Insecurity in the Greater Lansing Area
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At age fifteen, Okemos High School Sophomore Lahari Raja has taken part in food drives in each of her hometowns. Her most recent is the annual Crunch the Hunger Food Drive, which is entering its second year. Her experience stems from her participation in her middle school’s food drive in Troy, Michigan, leaving her with the knowledge to implement one after moving to the Greater Lansing area. “I got to see what a difference one can of food makes. It left a huge mark on me and I think that’s what really got the gears moving,” Raja said.
Education
Districts seeing shortages in substitute teachers
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SUB SHORTAGE: Many school districts are experiencing a shortage of substitute teachers this fall, with office staff, principals and even superintendents, including the one in Alpena, filling classroom gaps. We hear from the Michigan Education Association and the Pinckney Community Schools superintendent. By Brandy Muz. FOR ALPENA, DETROIT, FOWLERVILLE AND ALL POINTS.
Education
Lansing School District Still Struggling with Transportation Issues Amidst Driver Shortage
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The Lansing Public School District has been working through transportation issues due to bus driver shortages and although improving, there is still much work to do. “If anyone wants to be a bus driver, please let us know,” Superintendent Benjamin Shuldiner said at a recent school board meeting. At the beginning of each board meeting, Shuldiner lists the amount of gas cards, Capital Area Transportation Authority passes and Dean Transportation sign ups as well as the number of people on the waitlist. This October meeting was no different. As of Oct.
Education
Former Lansing School District employee speaks out on racism accusations
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Keys. Laptop. Badge. These were the three items Claude Hogan was unsuspectingly ordered to hand over the day he was placed on administrative leave.
This came as a shock to Hogan, who was the supervisor for a student athletic development program and has worked at the Lansing School District, or LSD, since 2015. All he was told was that he had breached a policy.