Western States

As Los Angeles students headed back to school after Christmas break, a new sight greeted them – the presence of additional police officers in schools throughout the city. In response to the Sandy Hook tragedy in Connecticut, the Los Angeles Unified School District has beefed up patrols and police presence to ensure the safety of the students and faculty inside Los Angeles classrooms. While the decision has been a welcome addition by many, some are voicing concern about the presence of additional armed security inside school buildings.

This video looks at some of the security measures commonly found in public schools.

The New Plan

NBC Los Angeles reports that the police are adding patrols to around 700 elementary and middle schools in the Los Angeles school district. In addition, Los Angeles police officers have been instructed to “adopt” a school, which means the officer will make regular beat checks to that school throughout his or her shift. The hope is that this new procedure will give schools throughout Los Angeles a larger police presence that will discourage those who might be thinking about committing violent acts against a school and the students inside.

“We won’t be there all the time, but nobody will know when we will be there,” Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck told CBS Local. “I don’t want anyone to think they can walk into

Student truancy is a problem for many school districts across the country, impacting student performance and even the amount of funding schools receive. Some schools in Texas think they have found a way to address the problem directly, by requiring students to wear special badges that allow school administrators to monitor their whereabouts. While school officials call the new tracking cards a boon to student safety and attendance, some parents and students have voiced concern over whether schools are going too far in violating student privacy.

Monitoring Programs Introduced in San Antonio, Austin

The Huffington Post reports that the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio has distributed the special ID cards to all of its students as part of a pilot program dubbed the “Student Locator Project.” The identification cards contain a microchip that allows teachers and staff to track students while they are on school property. Currently, the project is underway at two Northside schools: Jay High School and Jones Middle School. The program impacts around 4,200 students between the two schools.

The new tags use radio frequency identification technology (RFID) for the tracking mechanism. In a notice sent out to parents, district officials stated the RFID tags would be used to make schools safer, identify the location of students, and increase school revenue. The cards are to be used as general student identification cards as well. ID cards must be presented for various functions on school campuses, such

Education is one of the most important components to breaking the cycle of poverty across the United States. In Colorado, one school district is taking that theory to heart by providing its own students with basic supplies to ensure a successful education experience. Whether the family needs food, clothing, or even a home of their own, Denver Public Schools is available to provide much-needed assistance to students and their families within the district. In some cases, the school system is the first line of assistance to struggling families moving into the city come in contact with.

The Need Grows

According to a report at CBS Local, Denver Public Schools has around 2,000 homeless students this year, which translates to about one homeless child in every classroom. That number marks a 30 percent increase for the current school year alone – an alarming statistic that has left homeless shelters filled to capacity and required some families to live out of their cars because there is no more room for them at city shelters. Filling the needs of these families is no easy task, but the Education Outreach Program through Denver Public Schools has been doing its best to help those struggling families find relief.

Still, homeless students have more than their share of challenges. According to Bridges 4 Kids, 14 percent of homeless students have to repeat a grade due to moving to a new school, as opposed to only five percent

The public school system for the Islands of Hawaii is unique in many different respects. First, it is the largest school district west of the Mississippi River. Second, it is the only district that encompasses the entire state, rather than representing a single, defined area of that state. The Hawaii Department of Education is also one of the oldest public school systems west of the Mississippi, with an establishment date that goes all the way back to the middle of the 19^th century.

This video looks at the state of Hawaii's public schools.

Facts and Figures in the Aloha State

Wikipedia states that the Hawaii public school system was first established in 1840, under the monarchy of Kamehameha III. The system grew throughout many decades, and today, the Hawaii Department of Education oversees 286 schools. The department employs approximately 13,000 teachers to instruct more than 180,000 students each year. The majority of the schools are located on Oahu, with the rest spread throughout Maui, Big Island, and Kauai. The district headquarters is also located in Honolulu, on the Island of Oahu.

The Hawaii Department of Education includes 32 charter schools in its total number of public schools. The district has a per-pupil expenditure of more than $11,000, which is relatively high compared to many of the school districts throughout the United States. The Department of Education’s website states that

As the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh-largest school district in the country, Houston Independent School District faces a monumental task. The district serves a widely diverse student population of more than 203,000 in the district’s 279 schools. To meet the needs of so many students, the district provides a range of educational opportunities, including an alternative learning center and online learning options. The district also boasts charter schools, college prep high schools, and a school for the visual and performing arts.

History of Houston Independent School District

Wikipedia states the Houston Independent School District was first established in the 1920s, during a time of exponential growth and change in the state’s school system. Houston ISD replaced the Harrisburg School System after the state legislature voted to separate governance of schools from municipal government responsibilities. The school district boasted a student population of just over 1,800 in 1899 to more than 8,800 by 1927.

During the middle years of the 20^th century, discrimination became an issue for Houston schools. In addition to the separation of African-Americans from white students that was common in southern schools at this time, Mexican Americans that resided in the Houston area also complained of discrimination. The Mexican American community launched a series of protests and boycotts to voice their displeasure with the discrimination practices, particularly in light of the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Eventually, the district successfully