I'm thrilled to share a profile of Saran Tugsjargal, who has been an advocate on behalf of the 850,000 TK-12 students with disabilities in California. It has meant a lot for her to stand up for students like her who felt stigmatized. “My heart was beaming,” she said. edsource.org/2025/student...

For any Alabama friends who still follow me, Dr. Pendleton was from Gadsden www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/09/25/a...

Undocumented preschoolers can stay in Head Start — for now. @jonapolitano.bsky.social reports

Head Start has never asked families about their immigration status. The Trump administration wants to change that, but its new rule is now on hold nationwide.

One shooting victim remains in critical condition at a Lakewood hospital. The other is in critical condition at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

I'm planning to follow up on this subject. If you're someone who works with girls in STEM fields, get in touch with me!

Across San Diego County, a push to move schools off fossil fuels is met with enthusiasm — and wariness www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/09/02/a...

A safe parking lot for homeless schoolchildren appears to be back on track www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/09/02/a...

🚨BREAKING: A federal district court has found that the Alabama state senate map runs afoul of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by failing to create an additional Black-majority district in the Montgomery area. drive.google.com/file/d/1ZVLd...

I and others at @calmatters.org are tracking all 39 lawsuits and counting here: calmatters.org/politics/202...

Today is my last day with the @alabamareflector.com. Starting Monday, I will be joining the team at the @georgiarecorder.com. I'll have more to share about my new role next week. For now, I'm feeling incredibly thankful for my time in Alabama.

wonder how much of the vocab i learned to translate the seafarer and beowulf comes up in medical records

Is your child’s school in a fire danger zone? 📍 Explore our interactive map to see if your local school is in a fire hazard zone: bit.ly/4l8GduT

Penny Schwinn founded the Sacramento-based charter Capitol Collegiate Academy and served on the Sacramento County Board of Education.

A DACA recipient accidentally drove into Mexico. Now he’s being fast-tracked for deportation. www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/07/29/a...

The ruling is a significant victory for charter advocates, after the district board declared hundreds of schools off limits to charters. Read more: bit.ly/4o3VKPe

Via @alander.bsky.social: A Georgia man accused of running a $140 million Ponzi scheme contributed a total of $132,000 to three elected Alabama GOP officials or their PACs, according to finance records. A PAC run by one of the recipients later made a $29,000 loan to one of the man's businesses.

The @washingtonpost.com assigned around 20 staffers to this account of the Texas flood, with one jawdropping anecdote after another One thing that becomes clear: The extraordinary courage of camp counselors, who evacuated their girls as older adults floundered and stalled Free link wapo.st/44N1cNI

Imperial County Superintendent of Schools Todd Finnell has been elected the 2025-2026 president of the California County Superintendents, an organization that represents and advocates on behalf of the 58 county superintendents of schools in the state.

They're a Marine captain, Navy officers in air control, nuclear propulsion, medical corps — people for whom the military was a life, a career, a purpose, an identity. One is so dedicated to serving she re-enlisted after being booted in Trump's first ban. www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/07/13/s...

If you have about $5-20 a month, I have this one weird trick to preserve democracy: subscribe!

Who's ICE arresting in San Diego? Mainly people with no criminal records, our analysis found. "While 20% of arrests in April were of individuals without criminal convictions or charges, it rose to 62% in May and 76% in early June, according to the data." www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/07/06/w...

Supreme Court ruling on LGBTQ+ books gives religious parents more say over what students learn 19thnews.org/2025/06/supr... via @19thnews.org

San Diego County supervisors plan $40K taxpayer-funded European trip organized by high-profile consultant www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/24/s...

Elite Academic Academy, which primarily pays parents and private vendors to homeschool its 1,800 students, came under scrutiny after former employees and government experts accused Meghan Freeman and school founder Brent Woodard of enriching themselves financially.

Nine months after taking helm, Fabiola Bagula named permanent San Diego Unified superintendent www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/18/n...

The Hague Abduction Convention was meant to reunite mothers and children. But in 2021, fathers filed about 73 percent of cases in the United States. Often, their wives and children had good reason to run, The 19th and @typeinvestigations.org found in a 16-month investigation.

According to the study, preschool participation lags behind pre-pandemic levels, reading and math scores dropped further and chronic absenteeism worsened across the country.

Vulture lands on Park Boulevard with vintage vibes and vegan decadence www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/13/v...

Grossmont trustees regularly talked board business (& griped about perceived political enemies) in private messages, raising questions of open meetings law violations, per records Kristen Taketa & @jemmakstephenson.bsky.social obtained. Hell of a story: www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/13/g...

NEW: Alabama has filed its appeal with the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the ruling striking down its 2023 congressional map. (The appeal goes directly to SCOTUS because the ruling below was from a three-judge panel.) drive.google.com/file/d/1Ysse...

The price tag is leaving some superintendents conflicted. Do they send teachers and other staff to celebrate their school’s success, or do they use the money to pay for other needs, such as professional development, tutors or supplies?

South Bay Union trustees OK plan to close at least one school www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/05/28/s...

Congratulations to the 2024 winners of the National Awards for Education Reporting! Category winners received recognition during #ewa25 today. See which categories these enterprising journalists won: ewa.org/members-news...

Alabama has spent over $39 million defending its Corrections Department in a handful of complex lawsuits, including one filed by the DOJ, since 2020. But those cases are only a fraction of the litigation. We’ve got stories about the others in this investigative series.

(ICYMI) My friend and former colleague @friedmanadam5.bsky.social teamed up w/ @propublica.org to expose TN-based flex loan-lender Advance Financial's predatory practices (high interest, suing borrowers) and how elected officials (state and federal) enabled them. tennesseelookout.com/2025/05/05/t...

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: An attempt to expand Alabama’s “Don’t Say Gay” law — banning classroom discussions of gender and sexuality — from K-5 to K-12 grades failed this year. But the sponsor of the bill says he will bring it back next year.

How to help San Diegans affected by the plane crash in Murphy Canyon neighborhood www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/05/22/h...

Even as the prison population has declined, use of force incidents in Alabama’s prisons soared, and corrections officers involved have not only held onto jobs, but been promoted. Part 2 of Blood Money, from Beth Shelburne:

Regarding the surge in excessive force lawsuits and settlements, an Alabama Corrections spokesperson replied: “Most are piggybacking off the allegations contained in the DOJ findings letters, which ADOC adamantly denies." From “Blood Money” Part 1.

We are continuing to report on flex loans. Have you been sued by Advance Financial, Harpeth Financial or another flex loan lender? To share your experience, call or text reporter Adam Friedman (@friedmanadam5.bsky.social) at 615-249-8509.

Advance Financial’s Flex Loan charges 279.5% interest, trapping thousands of borrowers in debts that end up in court, where the company has won over $200 million in judgments since 2015. By @friedmanadam5.bsky.social, w/ @tennesseelookout.com

Years before Grossmont hired him as a top administrator, he was disciplined for racial slurs, sexism www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/05/13/y...

The new Chinese levies could cost an importer roughly $150 a car, said estimates from the Port of San Diego and others. In 2024, 296,569 vehicles were imported into #SanDiego, so the new levies could equal more than $44 million in fees. www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/05/08/u...

That latter finding is important because it sets the stage for a request by the Black plaintiffs that Alabama be bailed back into preclearance coverage using Section 3(c) of the Voting Rights Act.

NEW: A 3-judge panel in Alabama has ruled that the 2023 congressional map adopted by the legislature both violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and is intentionally discriminatory in violation of the 14th Amendment. The 527-page unanimous opinion here: drive.google.com/file/d/1LVmp...

The Flex Loan was pioneered by Advance Financial in Tennessee with the approval of the Tennessee Legislature. These loans have 279% interest -- couched not as interest but a "customary fee." Other states have banned these loans. Great work by @friedmanadam5.bsky.social.

I’m in tears. Berry Elementary in Fayette County loaded up the school buses and drove to their principal’s house - a full parade - to show their love for Mr. Thomas, who’s been out with mantle cell lymphoma. This is what schools do. This is community. ❤️ www.tiktok.com/t/ZTjSagrdA/

‘Just bodies of animals everywhere’: Toxic algae bloom taking a toll on marine life www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/05/01/j...