skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Judge pauses deadline for federal workers to accept Trump's resignation offer; CA state lawmakers take action to enact safeguards against federal immigration enforcement; Study shows air quality disparities from industrial ag in NC.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

CA's K-12 schools prepare for possibility of immigration authorities on campus

play audio
Play

Monday, February 3, 2025   

California school districts are working to reassure parents who may be scared to bring their kids to school - since the Trump administration made it clear that immigration authorities will no longer be discouraged from conducting raids in sensitive places such as schools, churches, and health-care facilities.

Data show that one in ten children in California has an undocumented parent.

Laura Fisher - the assistant superintendent of student support services with Desert Sands Unified School District, about 2 1/2 hours north of the border - said while the district does have to comply with a judicial subpoena, student safety comes first.

"We'd be asking for the officers' credentials, contact information, the details of the request," said Fisher, "and ask to see a copy of any reason for them being on the school grounds, and any documentation that authorizes their school access - before we would allow anything."

DSUSD recently sent home a letter to all parents reassuring them that the district has protocols in place and will protect the confidentiality of student data if ICE shows up.

Fisher said schools will work to minimize any disruption on campus, and provide mental-health counseling upon request.

So far, she said, the district has not seen a significant drop in attendance since the inauguration.

Luis Valentino recently retired as superintendent at Coachella Valley Unified School District.

He said the Trump administration's new policy will hurt teacher retention, and place undue pressure on staff, students, and families.

"It is creating an environment of fear that will make it very difficult for school systems to recover from," said Valentino. "The amount of stress that is being placed on the students and on communities, it could be irreparable. It's going to be as bad if not worse than COVID was."




get more stories like this via email
more stories
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, Mississippi has the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation. (Katerina Holmes/Pexels)

Social Issues

play sound

Mississippi families struggling with food insecurity are bracing for another difficult summer after state officials declined millions in federal fundi…


Environment

play sound

Some experts predict arable land per person will shrink by two-thirds by 2050. To combat it, Michigan students are being trained in "smart" …

Environment

play sound

A new study by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality found nitrate levels have continued to rise across the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater …


Currently, insurance companies get to decide how much of a public ambulance service's rate to pay, which can lead to patients being charged the unpaid balance. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado lawmakers are working to ensure all Coloradans with health coverage for ambulance services are not hit with surprise bills or charged higher …

Environment

play sound

Conservation groups in Maine are calling on the state's congressional delegation to protect federal funding for clean energy technologies. A new …

Osprey, bluefish, red drum and cobia rely on menhaden populations for food. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

Atlantic menhaden weigh less than a pound and measure little more than a foot long but the small fish has big consequences for the Chesapeake Bay ecos…

Social Issues

play sound

Gov. Kay Ivey delivered her 2025 State of the State address this week, focusing on education, public safety, and economic growth in Alabama. She …

Social Issues

play sound

In rural states such as South and North Dakota and large urban centers around the U.S., protests were held Wednesday amid fears about the first wave …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021