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Dan Carsen

  • The decision by a suburban Birmingham school district to eliminate its busing program has erupted into a controversy over race and class. Officials in the Hoover school district say they were forced to drop the buses because of a severe budget shortfall. Many community members believe the decision was designed to force out the growing numbers of minority and low-income students who are lowering average test scores in Hoover schools.
  • Most kids look forward to their school's winter break. But millions of students in the U.S. get free or reduced-price meals at school, and when school is closed, many of those children eat less until classes are back in session.
  • Many schools and colleges train students and staff to lock doors, call police and stay put during shooting threats. But a growing number of schools are adopting the advice of security experts who say students should be taught when and how to fight back when confronted by a gunman.
  • As a handful of middle-class, white families send their kids to Birmingham's public schools, where students are predominantly black and poor, the uncommon trend raises issues about diversity, integration and gentrification.
  • Alabama is near the bottom of the country's academic rankings. The state has problems with test scores, school improvement ratings and dropouts. But the district in Birmingham has a different kind of issue. The state recently took over the school board because of infighting on the board. The move has triggered cries of racism.
  • Activists and educators are reaching out to Hispanic families in Alabama who are worried about what the tough new law will mean for them. The measure requires schools to record the immigration status of all newly enrolled students, prompting more than 2,000 Hispanic children to vanish from schools early last week.
  • Alabama schools are struggling to deal with the fallout after a tough immigration law went into effect last week. While the law is not supposed to lead to children being denied an education or their parents' deportation, immigrants are fearful.