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NY Ranked Top 10 Nationally For School Quality, Safety In New Study: Here's Why NY Ranked Top 10 Nationally For School Quality, Safety In New Study: Here's Why
NY Ranked Top 10 Nationally For School Quality, Safety In New Study: Here's Why Many public school systems in the Northeast are outperforming the rest of the country in quality and safety, according to a new study. WalletHub released its 2025 list of States with the Best & Worst School Systems on Monday, July 21. The study ranked every state's public schools based on academic performance, safety, funding, and teacher credentials. Massachusetts ranked No. 1 in the country, earning top scores in both fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading. The Bay State also had the highest share of students scoring a three or better on Advanced Placement (AP) exams and …

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by Chris Spiker
Schools
Bell-To-Bell Ban: NY Schools Have Days Left To Finalize Smartphone Restrictions Bell-To-Bell Ban: NY Schools Have Days Left To Finalize Smartphone Restrictions
Bell-To-Bell Ban: NY Schools Have Days Left To Finalize Smartphone Restrictions “More learning, less scrolling:” That’s the message behind New York’s new Distraction-Free Schools Law, which will restrict smartphone use from the first bell to the last across K-12 public schools starting this fall. Gov. Kathy Hochul hosted a roundtable on Monday, July 14, with Capital Region school leaders and the state teachers union to discuss how the statewide ban will be implemented when the 2025-2026 school year begins. The new law — signed earlier this year — requires all public school districts to publish their distraction-free device policies by Friday, August 1. Nearly 150 distr…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
UVA President Resigns Amid DOJ Pressure: ‘I Cannot Fight The Government To Save My Job’ UVA President Resigns Amid DOJ Pressure: ‘I Cannot Fight The Government To Save My Job’
UVA President Resigns Amid DOJ Pressure: ‘I Cannot Fight The Government To Save My Job’ The University of Virginia President James "Jim" Ryan announced his resignation on Friday amid pressure from the Justice Department, according to multiple reports. For months, the university has been under investigation by President Donald Trump's administration regarding its handling of the dissolution of DEI programs.  The New York Times reported on Thursday that the Justice Department was demanding Ryan step down, which he did on Friday, June 27. Ten days earlier, the Justice Department reportedly issued a stern warning to the board overseeing the University of Virginia that the sc…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Penn State Professor Accused Of Stalking Family, Watching 4-Year-Old Through Window: Affidavit Penn State Professor Accused Of Stalking Family, Watching 4-Year-Old Through Window: Affidavit
Penn State Professor Accused Of Stalking Family, Watching 4-Year-Old Through Window: Affidavit A Penn State biology professor is accused of stalking a State College family—including their 4-year-old child—by repeatedly lurking outside their apartment and watching them through their windows, Patton Township police said in court documents obtained by Daily Voice on Wednesday, June 25. Anoop Narayanan, 50, was arrested on Saturday night, June 15, after the family caught him crouching outside their Toftrees Avenue home just before 10 p.m., according to the affidavit of probable cause. The victim told police he'd installed a surveillance camera specifically to capture Narayanan’s behavior…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
NY Teaching Assistant Sent Naked Photos To 14-Year-Old, Police Say NY Teaching Assistant Sent Naked Photos To 14-Year-Old, Police Say
NY Teaching Assistant Sent Naked Photos To 14-Year-Old, Police Say A New York school employee is facing felony charges after sending nude photos to a teenage student over a period of several months, police said. Anamaria Milazzo, 22, of Elmira, was arrested Monday, June 16, a week after a school resource officer at the Greater Southern Tier BOCES received a complaint alleging she sent inappropriate material to a minor, according to the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office. An investigation found that Milazzo, who has worked as a teaching assistant since December 2024, sent nude photos of herself to a 14-year-old boy over a three-month period, deputies said. M…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Loaded Gun Found In Student's Backpack At Area High School Loaded Gun Found In Student's Backpack At Area High School
Loaded Gun Found In Student's Backpack At Area High School A Schenectady High School student is in police custody after a loaded handgun was discovered in her bag during a routine security screening Friday afternoon, June 13, police said. The alarming incident unfolded just after noon, when school staff were alerted by the building’s weapon screening system that a potential weapon had been detected in a student’s backpack at the entrance, according to Schenectady Police. The agency’s Community Engagement Officers, who were already on-site, immediately intervened and confiscated what appeared to be a loaded handgun, police said. The student, an 18-…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
HV Softball Coach Avoids Title IX Claims, But Investigation Continues (UPDATE) HV Softball Coach Avoids Title IX Claims, But Investigation Continues (UPDATE)
HV Softball Coach Avoids Title IX Claims, But Investigation Continues (Update) A Hudson Valley high school softball coach removed from team activities last month remains under investigation, but the case has not risen to the level of a federal Title IX complaint, district officials confirmed.   Bruce Guyette, the longtime varsity softball coach at Minisink Valley High School and one of the most successful in New York State history, has been under review since early May following unspecified allegations, as Daily Voice previously reported.   In a statement to Daily Voice on Thursday, June 12, Minisink Valley Central School District communications di…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
School Worker's ICE Outfit On 'Hero Day' Sparks Outrage, Reassignment At NY Campus School Worker's ICE Outfit On 'Hero Day' Sparks Outrage, Reassignment At NY Campus
School Worker's ICE Outfit On 'Hero Day' Sparks Outrage, Reassignment At NY Campus An elementary school event meant to celebrate everyday heroes has sparked controversy after a staff member reportedly dressed up an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. The incident occurred Wednesday, June 11, at Northwest Elementary School during the Amityville Union Free School District’s “Hero Day,” when students and staff were encouraged to dress as role models or public servants. One employee showed up wearing a hat and jacket identifying them as an ICE agent, parents claimed on social media. The move was deemed especially offensive in a district where more than 58 pe…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Showdown At Massapequa: McMahon Says NY Mascot Ban Violates Civil Rights Law In Campus Visit Showdown At Massapequa: McMahon Says NY Mascot Ban Violates Civil Rights Law In Campus Visit
Showdown At Massapequa: McMahon Says NY Mascot Ban Violates Civil Rights Law In Campus Visit Federal officials are siding with the Massapequa Chiefs — and threatening action against New York over its ban on Native American school mascots. In a dramatic visit to Massapequa High School on Friday, May 30, US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced that New York’s statewide mascot policy violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits race-based discrimination in federally funded education programs. The US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) determined that state officials illegally targeted Native American imagery while allowing other race- and et…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
VIDEO: NY Dad Keeps Promise To Son—And Degree—In Viral Commencement Chase VIDEO: NY Dad Keeps Promise To Son—And Degree—In Viral Commencement Chase
Video: NY Dad Keeps Promise To Son—And Degree—In Viral Commencement Chase A University at Buffalo graduate turned his commencement into a viral family affair. Jean-Paul Al-Arab made headlines when he sprinted across the stage while carrying his infant son–and while being chased by campus police–at UB’s College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 18. Al-Arab, who immigrated to the United States from Lebanon in 2022, earned his bachelor or arts degree in criminology all while working overnight restaurant shifts and being the primary caretaker for his son during the day while his wife worked, he told NPR. “I promised myself and I promised him …

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Judge Halts Trump Administration's Block On Harvard Foreign Students (UPDATE) Judge Halts Trump Administration's Block On Harvard Foreign Students (UPDATE)
Judge Halts Trump Administration's Block On Harvard Foreign Students (Update) A federal judge has temporarily stopped the Trump administration's attempt to block Harvard University from hosting international students in the President's latest political attack on the Ivy League school. Massachusetts District Court Judge Allison Burroughs issued the ruling on Friday, May 23. The pause came just hours after Harvard announced the lawsuit over the Department of Homeland Security's decision to revoke the university's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification. The suit claims the move was meant to punish Harvard for rejecting Pr…

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by Chris Spiker
Schools
Trump Administration Bans Harvard From Enrolling International Students Trump Administration Bans Harvard From Enrolling International Students
Trump Administration Bans Harvard From Enrolling International Students The Department of Homeland Security has taken away Harvard University's ability to host international students in President Donald Trump's latest political attack on the Ivy League college. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem revoked Harvard's certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), the department announced on Thursday, May 22. The Trump administration has accused the Cambridge, Massachusetts, university of allowing "anti-American, pro-terrorist" foreign students to disrupt campus life. The decision puts the legal status in doubt for Harvard's nearly 6,80…

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by Chris Spiker