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'It's almost like a coughing attack': Whooping cough cases on the rise

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'It's almost like a coughing attack': Whooping cough cases on the rise

www.youtube.com – WVTM 13 News – 2024-10-29 13:48:07

SUMMARY: A whooping cough outbreak is currently affecting students at a Jefferson County high school, with health experts noting similar cases nationwide. Dr. Wes Stubblefield from the Alabama Department of Public Health highlights that while such outbreaks are uncommon, they do happen. Symptoms initially resemble other respiratory illnesses but evolve into severe coughing attacks lasting 2-3 months. The reasons for the current surge are unclear, potentially linked to seasonal variations or vaccination gaps. Vaccination is emphasized as the best prevention method, particularly for protecting vulnerable populations like infants and individuals with compromised immune systems.

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‘It’s almost like a coughing attack’: Whooping cough cases on the rise

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Alabama Senate passes bill mandating weekly national anthem in schools

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alabamareflector.com – Alander Rocha – 2025-04-19 07:01:00

by Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
April 19, 2025

The Alabama Senate passed a bill Thursday that would require K-12 public schools to broadcast or perform the first stanza of  “The Star-Spangled Banner” at least once a week during school hours.

SB 13, sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, is a constitutional amendment that would need approval from state voters if passed by both chambers. The bill passed the Senate  25-6 and moved to the House for consideration.

“It’s important that all our children will have the opportunity to hear the national anthem at least once a week,” Allen said on the Senate floor.

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Allen, reading letters from students he said support the requirement, spoke at length as Senate Republicans were filibustering their own bills to keep Democrats from speaking. Democratic senators in a committee hearing in early April said that it would require students to be exposed to parts of the song, particularly the third stanza, which critics have said is an attack on Black Americans who escaped slavery by joining the British Army.

Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro (left) speaks with Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale on the floor of the Alabama Senate on April 15, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, said after the bill’s passage that it potentially violates children’s constitutional rights, particularly free speech.

“When you start talking about fundamental rights. I think that’s going to be something that’s going to be challenged in courts too, in terms of whether or not — the constitutionality of — can you make kids listen to that on a daily basis, who may not want to and refuse,” Singleton said.

He also opposed making it a constitutional amendment, saying it would be “a forever permanent piece of law,” which he said was unnecessary. He said lawmakers should instead be focused on creating jobs and improving education in the state.

“I, too, am America, but do I have to love something that talks about me and the history of my slavery, that degrades me and my people? No, I don’t. So why make children have to sing that in school?” Singleton asked.

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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

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Op-Ed: Colleges shouldn’t need remedial algebra classes: Five K-8 policy solutions to address math proficiency | Maryland

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Principals say the oppose student immigration bill | Tennessee

www.thecentersquare.com – By Lindsey Henderson | ExcelinEd – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-18 11:36:00

Harvard University recently announced a remedial algebra course to address some of the mathematical struggles its incoming students are facing. 

 

This isn’t a reflection on the nation’s oldest and most renowned institution of higher learning. Remedial courses aren’t new. Plenty of colleges and universities offer courses geared toward helping students with precalculus and calculus. 

 

The fact that students at a highly competitive school like Harvard may need help getting caught up in a core subject should be a bright red warning light that our K-12 system is falling behind when it comes to math education.  

 

Looking at the most recent scores from the Nation’s Report Card, we know there has been minimal progress for students catching up from COVID learning loss, and most fourth and eighth graders on last year’s exam still performed below pre-pandemic levels, with a widening gap between disadvantaged students and their more resourced peers.  

 

To ensure future generations are prepared for postsecondary success, we need to look for upstream solutions—state-level math policy that we know will help students build the foundation they need.  

 

State leaders can act now on five essential math policies designed to transform math achievement. 

 
First, we know that countries consistently performing above average on international math assessments spend an average of 60 minutes per day on instructional time. In America, Alabama is the only state actively requiring this instruction length, with Maryland recently passing a similar policy that will be implemented in 2026. If every state required 60 minutes of math instruction a day, students would see stronger outcomes.  
 
Second, the adoption of High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) would ensure students have access to grade level content. Surprisingly, this remains a significant challenge across the country, with some research indicating students spend more than 500 hours per school year on assignments not appropriate for their grade level and expectations. 

 

Next, we know that math coaches are an essential investment for all elementary and secondary schools and can be relied upon to lead professional development, facilitate lesson planning, teach model lessons and observe and provide immediate feedback. States like Alabama and Kentucky have implemented strong math coach programs.  

 

Just as we look to NAEP as a national assessment tool, teachers should be implementing regular assessments in their classrooms that provide valuable student progress information and inform future instruction tactics. When assessments are followed by timely interventions to get students back on track, student learning outcomes can dramatically improve. 

 

Finally, states should consider an automatic enrollment policy that ensures students who are mathematically proficient are promoted into higher-level courses in the next school year.  

 

Automatic enrollment policies have proven to lead to a larger number of students successfully taking higher level math courses, including a higher number of low-income and minority students.   

 

These policy essentials are not theoretical; we are seeing them in action in Alabama. Other states, including Indiana, Iowa and Maryland, are following suit.  

 

And that’s a smart move. Alabama’s comprehensive approach to math policy has resulted in remarkable progress in just two years: it remains one of the only states where fourth grade students are back to pre-pandemic levels of math proficiency on the Nation’s Report Card.  
 
By the time our students graduate from high school, they should be proficient in the math skills they need to succeed in higher education, the military or the workforce. We owe it to them to get them to that level in the K-12 system so they are not playing catch-up in subsequent years.  

 

States can help educators and schools achieve that goal by implementing proactive, research-backed policy solutions that ensure all students build a strong foundation in mathematics. 

 

Lindsey Henderson serves as the Math Policy Director at ExcelinEd.

The post Op-Ed: Colleges shouldn’t need remedial algebra classes: Five K-8 policy solutions to address math proficiency | Maryland appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

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Auburn says 15 international students, campus personnel had visas revoked

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alabamareflector.com – Anna Barrett – 2025-04-18 14:02:00

by Anna Barrett, Alabama Reflector
April 18, 2025

Fifteen Auburn University community members had their visas revoked this week, according to university officials.

Jennifer Wood Adams, executive director of public affairs at Auburn, said in a statement that the visas were revoked by the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Student and Exchange Visitor Program, not the university. 

She said the university immediately reached out to those with cancelled visas. The university did not identify the students. 

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“Auburn’s Office of International Programs immediately contacted each affected individual to provide assistance and support. Our international students and personnel are valued members of our campus community, and we recognize the significant impact that visa or status revocation will have on them,” the statement said. 

The statement also said the university will comply with all laws and cooperate with authorities. 

“This is a fluid situation, and the university will monitor it closely and assess its implications,” she said.

According to the Associated Press, at least 1,024 students at 160 colleges, universities and university systems have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated since late March. 

Alireza Doroudi, a University of Alabama graduate student from Iran, was detained in March by ICE. According to the Crimson White, UA’s student news outlet, Doroudi was denied bond on Thursday and now faces deportation.

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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

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