WEATHER ALERT
Louisiana trooper avoids jail time in deadly arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene
Read full article: Louisiana trooper avoids jail time in deadly arrest of Black motorist Ronald GreeneA Louisiana trooper has pleaded no contest to significantly reduced charges for his role in the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene.
Judge upholds most serious charges in deadly arrest of Black driver Ronald Greene
Read full article: Judge upholds most serious charges in deadly arrest of Black driver Ronald GreeneA judge has delivered a victory to the state prosecution of white Louisiana lawmen in the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene.
Former Duval superintendent lands new job with national anti-racist literacy nonprofit
Read full article: Former Duval superintendent lands new job with national anti-racist literacy nonprofitIt didn’t take long for former Duval County Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene to find a new job after officially stepping down on Monday.
Louisiana judge tosses some charges against officers in deadly arrest of Black driver Ronald Greene
Read full article: Louisiana judge tosses some charges against officers in deadly arrest of Black driver Ronald GreeneA state judge has thrown out obstruction of justice charges against two of the five Louisiana lawmen indicted in the fatal 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene, a death authorities initially blamed on a car crash before long suppressed body-camera video showed the white officers beating, stunning and dragging the Black motorist.
DCPS students have a say in the district’s direction, thanks to newly resurrected group
Read full article: DCPS students have a say in the district’s direction, thanks to newly resurrected groupElijah Melendez-Eyster is a senior at Mandarin High School and part of the Jacksonville Association of Governing Students, or “JAGS,” a recently-rebooted initiative by Duval County Public Schools, aimed at providing students with a direct conduit to the highest offices in the district.
Who are officers charged in Ronald Greene's deadly arrest?
Read full article: Who are officers charged in Ronald Greene's deadly arrest?Five Louisiana law enforcement officers have been charged with state crimes for their roles in the 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene, whose death authorities initially blamed on a car crash until The Associated Press published long-withheld body-camera video showing the Black motorist being stunned, beaten and dragged.
Elon Musk's Twitter reinstates Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
Read full article: Elon Musk's Twitter reinstates Rep. Marjorie Taylor GreeneElon Musk's Twitter has reinstated the personal account of far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was banned in January for violating the platform's COVID misinformation policies.
AP: Body cam prompts new look at what killed Black motorist
Read full article: AP: Body cam prompts new look at what killed Black motoristThe FBI is taking the unusual step of ordering a new look at the autopsy of Black motorist Ronald Greene to consider evidence not provided after his 2019 death, including body camera video of Louisiana state troopers stunning, punching and dragging him during his arrest.
CDC changes school guidance, allowing desks to be closer
Read full article: CDC changes school guidance, allowing desks to be closerThese big changes are likely to have little impact in Duval County Public Schools, according to the district and teachers News4Jax spoke to. In recent months, schools in some states have been disregarding the CDC guidelines, using 3 feet as their standard. Teachers and other adults should continue to stay 6 feet from one another and from students, the CDC said. AdThe CDC guidance was problematic for many schools that traditionally had 25, 30 or more children per classroom in closely grouped desks. Ad“I will not send my child to a school that's distancing at 3 feet,” said Kleinman, who has a 4-year-old daughter.
AP: Trooper kicked, dragged Black man who died in custody
Read full article: AP: Trooper kicked, dragged Black man who died in custodyA Louisiana State Police trooper has been suspended without pay for kicking and dragging Greene, a handcuffed Black man whose in-custody death remains unexplained and the subject of a federal civil rights investigation. Body camera footage shows Master Trooper Kory York dragging Greene on his stomach by the leg shackles following a violent arrest and high-speed pursuit, according to internal State Police records obtained by The Associated Press. (Courtesy of the Greene family via AP)A Louisiana State Police trooper has been suspended without pay for kicking and dragging a handcuffed Black man whose in-custody death remains unexplained and the subject of a federal civil rights investigation. The video shows troopers choking and beating the man, repeatedly jolting him with stun guns and dragging him face-down across the pavement, the attorney told AP. AdState Police have repeatedly refused to publicly release the body camera footage.
Grand jury blasts Duval County School Police crime reporting as ‘chicanery’
Read full article: Grand jury blasts Duval County School Police crime reporting as ‘chicanery’In an interim report released Thursday, a statewide grand jury studying school safety pointed sharply to the Duval County school district as an example of how not to handle crime reporting. The grand jury report accused the district of underreporting crimes and gang activity happening inside its schools. “The findings presented are being taken seriously and will be thoroughly reviewed by the Duval School Board,” School Board Chair Elizabeth Andersen said. The grand jury said it had seen testimony and documentation of “widespread gang activity on school premises” in Duval County, which has an active Gang Liasion detective. To assure the School Board and the public, Duval County Schools will pursue an external review of district and school reporting practices to determine if further improvements are needed.
Duval County superintendent named Florida’s Superintendent of the Year
Read full article: Duval County superintendent named Florida’s Superintendent of the YearJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS) on Wednesday named Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene as the 2021 Superintendent of the Year. She becomes just the second Black woman to win the honor since the award began in 1988. Very proud of @DuvalSchools Supt @DrDianaGreene for being named Florida’s Superintendent of the year. We are grateful for your leadership, hard work and commitment to the children in our community. pic.twitter.com/ngI3EOdqXV — Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) December 2, 2020During her 33 years as an educator, Greene has spent time as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and curriculum development.
Man faces kidnapping charge after deputies say he lured girl
Read full article: Man faces kidnapping charge after deputies say he lured girlORLANDO, Fla. – A 26-year-old man is accused of arranging to kidnap an 11-year-old central Florida girl he met over social media, sheriff’s officials said. The girl was reported missing from her home in Apopka on Saturday, prompting a statewide Amber alert. She was found with Ronald Greene hours later in Florida’s Panhandle, Orange County Sheriff’s Office said. A photo posted to the girl’s Instagram account helped deputies identify Greene, the warrant said. Green remained in the Santa Rosa County Jail while awaiting transfer back to Orange County, officials said.
How St. Johns County plans to report COVID-19 cases in schools
Read full article: How St. Johns County plans to report COVID-19 cases in schoolsST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson said the school district working on a way to report COVID-19 cases in schools. One of the options is developing a dashboard similar to the one being created for Duval County schools. Thats the caution.Duval County schools said its dashboard will display confirmed cases on school campuses among students and staff and that it will be updated regularly. Our community seems to be really well committed to doing the right thing.The new positive test rate for COVID-19 averaged over a 14-day period for St. Johns County is 6.21%, the district said. Forson also addressed other COVID-19 related issues discussed by the school board as students prepare for a return to classrooms on Monday.
Parent group calls for Duval public schools to require masks & postpone school year
Read full article: Parent group calls for Duval public schools to require masks & postpone school yearJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A newly formed group is calling on Duval County Public Schools to require masks in buildings, postpone the school year until after the Republican National Convention and many other changes to the district’s reopening plan. The congregation of parents and stakeholders from around the Duval County School District formed the Duval Schools Pandemic Solutions Team on Friday and brought a litany of concerns to the school board during its special meeting Tuesday morning. On Tuesday, the School Board agreed to spend more than $4 million through the district’s COVID-19 fund to purchase and install 120,000 desk partitions. RELATED: Duval school board approves plan to buy desk barriers for studentsThe congregation believes every grade level, including middle and high school, should have the full-time option to keep learning virtually. Additionally, the group believes middle and high school students should also have an option to be at school full-time, saying that school is a safe haven for many students in troubled homes.