Ronn Nozoe, center, and the Principal Recovery Network meet with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, right. PHOTO COURTESY OF NASSP

NASSP CEO TO CHAIR FEDERAL ADVISORY BOARD ON SCHOOL SAFETY

NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe has been appointed to chair the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board, which will provide feedback on safety recommendations and research in the clearinghouse at SchoolSafety.gov. The clearinghouse was created after the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. “We want to try to do this in the most commonsense way, grounded by experts,” Nozoe told Education Week. “We want to [make recommendations] on the most salient things that need to be done, but also look at it from a holistic perspective.” Nozoe was selected in part because federal officials have taken note of NASSP’s Principal Recovery Network, which brings together school leaders who have experienced gun violence in their schools. Read more at bit.ly/3SZxujv.

WEST VIRGINIA ADDRESSES STUDENT EATING DISORDERS

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West Virginia has taken steps in recent years to address the issue of eating disorders among students. Gerardo Silva-Padron, a former policy researcher at the Education Commission of the States, writes about those efforts on the organization’s blog. In 2022, the West Virginia Legislature passed “Meghan’s Law,” named for a state delegate’s daughter who struggled with an eating disorder and acts of self-harm after a school cheer coach criticized her weight and her role on the team. The law requires all school employees and school district volunteers in the state to complete training every three years on how to recognize, prevent, and respond to students’ self-harm behaviors and eating disorders. The West Virginia Department of Education also has developed an educator guide and training with several important resources for educators and school employees. Read more at bit.ly/3AH0qGq.

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SCHOOL SEGREGATION PERSISTS

Seventy years after Brown v. Board of Education, the country still has not fulfilled the ruling’s pledge to establish racially integrated school systems, according to a report from New America titled “Segregation Between America’s School Districts in the Twenty-First Century.” As more students of color enroll in districts across the country, segregation has moved west. In 2000, the most segregated districts were in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast; now they also can be found in California, Nebraska, Texas, and Washington State. “It is clear that school district borders still serve to separate far too many students from peers of different races,” the report notes. “In fact, the average district border has only become more segregating since the beginning of this century.” Read the report at bit.ly/3WTIjoj.

CELL PHONES IN SCHOOLS

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A national survey of principals shows growing alarm about the negative impact of smartphones and social media in schools. NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe told NBC New York’s I Team, which conducted the survey, “We deal with the fallout from excessive smartphone and social media use, whether that’s an after-school brawl over a mean post or students falling behind because they can’t turn their attention away from the screen.” Among the top smartphone-related concerns cited by school leaders:

  • 87% say teens are more distracted or tired.
  • 85% say the technology leads to more conflict and/or bullying.
  • 74% say students are more depressed, anxious, or lonely.

Read more at bit.ly/3Mf8rF7.