Education

Briefs

September 01, 2004 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Cleaning Up

Scraping gum off floors is no fun, but it improved retirement for some Texas educators. After nearly every district opted to stop paying into Social Security in favor of a state-run teacher retirement system several years ago, more than 16,000 educators made use of a loophole: They resigned from their own districts, performed one day of janitorial temp work at a district still paying into Social Security, then retired—claiming additional benefits, according to the Dallas Morning News. That loophole was closed this past summer.


Summer Rerun

Imitation may be a form of flattery, but it also violates anti-plagiarism policies. Keith Cook, former chairman of the Orange County School Board in North Carolina, found that out in June after cribbing a graduation address from a 1998 speech by former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala. Cook resigned as chairman after admitting to a Herald-Sun reporter that he had copied the speech from the Internet.


Sorry, Ken

Barbie is a lesbian. At least, it’s OK to wear a T-shirt saying so in New York City schools. After being suspended for refusing to change her shirt while at Middle School 210 in Queens two years ago, Natalie Young, now 15, won a $30,000 settlement from the city this past spring. As part of the agreement, a new dress code allowing clothing with some provocative messages will be implemented, Newsday reports.


Cease Fire

For a while, it appeared that Michigan science teacher and naval reservist Barry Bernhardt was going to get stiffed. After he left for a two-week stint overseas in March, superintendent Jim Gillette tried to explain the complicated salary arrangement. One detail struck a nerve: Bernhardt would give the Kenowa Hills district some of his military salary to pay for a substitute. Public outrage and death threats ensued, but Gillette made clear in later interviews that Bernhardt actually came out ahead, writes the Associated Press.

Events

English-Language Learners Webinar AI and English Learners: What Teachers Need to Know
Explore the role of AI in multilingual education and its potential limitations.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar
Pave the Path to Excellence in Math
Empower your students' math journey with Sue O'Connell, author of “Math in Practice” and “Navigating Numeracy.”
Content provided by hand2mind
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Combatting Teacher Shortages: Strategies for Classroom Balance and Learning Success
Learn from leaders in education as they share insights and strategies to support teachers and students.
Content provided by DreamBox Learning

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: September 20, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education From Our Research Center What's on the Minds of Educators, in Charts
Politics, gender equity, and technology—how teachers and administrators say these issues are affecting the field.
1 min read
Stylized illustration of a pie chart
Traci Daberko for Education Week
Education Briefly Stated: August 30, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: August 23, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read