DCPS students have a say in the district’s direction, thanks to newly resurrected group
Elijah Melendez-Eyster is a senior at Mandarin High School and part of the Jacksonville Association of Governing Students, or “JAGS,” a recently-rebooted initiative by Duval County Public Schools, aimed at providing students with a direct conduit to the highest offices in the district.
Who are officers charged in Ronald Greene's deadly arrest?
Five Louisiana law enforcement officers have been charged with state crimes for their roles in the 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene, whose death authorities initially blamed on a car crash until The Associated Press published long-withheld body-camera video showing the Black motorist being stunned, beaten and dragged.
Louisiana officers charged in Black motorist’s deadly arrest
Facing the most serious charges from a state grand jury was Master Trooper Kory York, who was seen on the body-camera footage dragging Greene by his ankle shackles, putting his foot on his back to force him down and leaving the heavyset man face down in the dirt with his hands and feet restrained for more than nine minutes. Use-of-force experts say these actions could have dangerously restricted Greene’s breathing, and the state police’s own force instructor called the troopers’ actions “torture and murder.”
news.yahoo.com'No excuse' to withhold deadly arrest video, governor says
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said there was “no excuse” for a video he watched of the deadly arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene failing to reach prosecutors for another six months. Edwards said there isn't a good explanation for the key video not being promptly turned over but emphasized that he didn't know in October 2020 that he was seeing evidence that wasn't available to the authorities with the power to charge the troopers seen beating, stunning and dragging Greene. “There’s no excuse for it,” Edwards said.
news.yahoo.comTrevor Reed says it's 'embarrassing' Marjorie Taylor Greene delayed vote on a resolution asking to free him from Russian detention: 'I better not ever see that happen again to any other American'
"How do you justify that? That's embarrassing to me that anyone who represents the United States would vote against something … like that," Reed said.
news.yahoo.comMarjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie have voted against almost every single bill passed by the House to counter Russia's invasion of Ukraine
The House has passed 19 bipartisan bills to aid Ukraine and counter Russia since the war began. Greene voted for just one, and Massie voted for none.
news.yahoo.comFormer police boss denies cover-up in Ronald Greene death
Gov. John Bel Edwards trusted Louisiana State Police to “do the right thing” and took a hands-off approach in police matters, even after Black motorist Ronald Greene died in a violent confrontation with troopers following a high-speed chase, the former head of the agency told state lawmakers Tuesday. Kevin Reeves distanced himself — and the Democratic governor — from the investigation of Greene’s 2019 death during a three-hour bipartisan grilling that included accusations of racism and gross negligence by the state's premier law enforcement agency. The hearing became heated at times as lawmakers expressed incredulity and frustration in Reeves' demurrals and refusal to condemn the white troopers captured on body camera video punching, stunning and dragging Greene during his fatal arrest on a rural roadside in northeast Louisiana.
news.yahoo.comGovernor kept mum amid conflicting accounts of deadly arrest
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat in a deep-red state, was immersed in a difficult reelection campaign when he received a text message from the head of the state police: Troopers had engaged in “a violent, lengthy struggle” with a Black motorist, ending with the man’s death. Edwards was notified of the circumstances of Ronald Greene’s death within hours of his May 2019 arrest, according to text messages The Associated Press obtained through a public records request.
news.yahoo.comMarjorie Taylor Greene, in feud with Nancy Mace on Islamophobia, launches personal attack over abortion
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, who has been criticized by former president Donald Trump, is a rape survivor who supports restrictions on abortion but champions exemptions for victims of sexual abuse.
washingtonpost.comRep. Greene introduces bill to award Congress’s highest honor to Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two men
Greene was one of 21 Republicans who voted against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to all the police officers who responded to the attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6.
washingtonpost.comAP: Body cam prompts new look at what killed Black motorist
The FBI is taking the unusual step of ordering a new look at the autopsy of Black motorist Ronald Greene to consider evidence not provided after his 2019 death, including body camera video of Louisiana state troopers stunning, punching and dragging him during his arrest.
AP: Body cam prompts new look at what killed Black motorist
The FBI is taking the unusual step of ordering a new look at the autopsy of Black motorist Ronald Greene to consider evidence not provided after his 2019 death, including graphic body camera video of Louisiana state troopers stunning, punching and dragging him after a high-speed chase. “No cause of death is carved in stone,” Peretti told the AP.
news.yahoo.comLouisiana State Police release all footage related to Ronald Greene's violent arrest
Louisiana State Police have released all body camera footage related to the 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene, a Black man who died in custody after a high-speed chase following a traffic violation, Superintendent Col. Lamar Davis said Friday. The videos have been uploaded to the department's YouTube page. The Associated Press earlier this week obtained and published some recordings of the incident, which showed officers tasing, punching, and placing Greene in a chokehold as he pleaded with them. In another video, obtained by CNN before its release by state police, a trooper, seemingly a supervisor, appears to praise the other troopers for how the handled they arrest. The officers' treatment of Greene has been described as "torture" and "sadistic" by a former police officer and a use-of-force expert. An autopsy report obtained by CNN was uncertain about the cause of death, but said lacerations of Greene's head were "most consistent with multiple impacts from a blunt object." On Friday, Davis offered his "sincere condolences" to Greene's family and said the department has and will continue to make "significant change." Read more at The Washington Post and CNN. More stories from theweek.com5 riotously funny cartoons about GOP resistance to the January 6 CommissionWhy Emily Wilder got fired and Chris Cuomo didn'tAngelina Jolie stands perfectly still, unshowered, covered in bees for World Bee Day
news.yahoo.comLouisiana police release video from violent arrest of Black man who died amid outcry over leaked footage
The Black man's death in custody triggered fresh outrage this week after leaked footage showed Greene pleading with troopers who repeatedly stunned him and dragged him while he was handcuffed.
washingtonpost.comCDC changes school guidance, allowing desks to be closer
These big changes are likely to have little impact in Duval County Public Schools, according to the district and teachers News4Jax spoke to. In recent months, schools in some states have been disregarding the CDC guidelines, using 3 feet as their standard. Teachers and other adults should continue to stay 6 feet from one another and from students, the CDC said. AdThe CDC guidance was problematic for many schools that traditionally had 25, 30 or more children per classroom in closely grouped desks. Ad“I will not send my child to a school that's distancing at 3 feet,” said Kleinman, who has a 4-year-old daughter.
AP: Trooper kicked, dragged Black man who died in custody
A Louisiana State Police trooper has been suspended without pay for kicking and dragging Greene, a handcuffed Black man whose in-custody death remains unexplained and the subject of a federal civil rights investigation. Body camera footage shows Master Trooper Kory York dragging Greene on his stomach by the leg shackles following a violent arrest and high-speed pursuit, according to internal State Police records obtained by The Associated Press. (Courtesy of the Greene family via AP)A Louisiana State Police trooper has been suspended without pay for kicking and dragging a handcuffed Black man whose in-custody death remains unexplained and the subject of a federal civil rights investigation. The video shows troopers choking and beating the man, repeatedly jolting him with stun guns and dragging him face-down across the pavement, the attorney told AP. AdState Police have repeatedly refused to publicly release the body camera footage.
Grand jury blasts Duval County School Police crime reporting as ‘chicanery’
In an interim report released Thursday, a statewide grand jury studying school safety pointed sharply to the Duval County school district as an example of how not to handle crime reporting. The grand jury report accused the district of underreporting crimes and gang activity happening inside its schools. “The findings presented are being taken seriously and will be thoroughly reviewed by the Duval School Board,” School Board Chair Elizabeth Andersen said. The grand jury said it had seen testimony and documentation of “widespread gang activity on school premises” in Duval County, which has an active Gang Liasion detective. To assure the School Board and the public, Duval County Schools will pursue an external review of district and school reporting practices to determine if further improvements are needed.
Duval County superintendent named Florida’s Superintendent of the Year
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS) on Wednesday named Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene as the 2021 Superintendent of the Year. She becomes just the second Black woman to win the honor since the award began in 1988. Very proud of @DuvalSchools Supt @DrDianaGreene for being named Florida’s Superintendent of the year. We are grateful for your leadership, hard work and commitment to the children in our community. pic.twitter.com/ngI3EOdqXV — Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) December 2, 2020During her 33 years as an educator, Greene has spent time as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and curriculum development.
Man faces kidnapping charge after deputies say he lured girl
ORLANDO, Fla. – A 26-year-old man is accused of arranging to kidnap an 11-year-old central Florida girl he met over social media, sheriff’s officials said. The girl was reported missing from her home in Apopka on Saturday, prompting a statewide Amber alert. She was found with Ronald Greene hours later in Florida’s Panhandle, Orange County Sheriff’s Office said. A photo posted to the girl’s Instagram account helped deputies identify Greene, the warrant said. Green remained in the Santa Rosa County Jail while awaiting transfer back to Orange County, officials said.
How St. Johns County plans to report COVID-19 cases in schools
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson said the school district working on a way to report COVID-19 cases in schools. One of the options is developing a dashboard similar to the one being created for Duval County schools. Thats the caution.Duval County schools said its dashboard will display confirmed cases on school campuses among students and staff and that it will be updated regularly. Our community seems to be really well committed to doing the right thing.The new positive test rate for COVID-19 averaged over a 14-day period for St. Johns County is 6.21%, the district said. Forson also addressed other COVID-19 related issues discussed by the school board as students prepare for a return to classrooms on Monday.
Parent group calls for Duval public schools to require masks & postpone school year
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A newly formed group is calling on Duval County Public Schools to require masks in buildings, postpone the school year until after the Republican National Convention and many other changes to the district’s reopening plan. The congregation of parents and stakeholders from around the Duval County School District formed the Duval Schools Pandemic Solutions Team on Friday and brought a litany of concerns to the school board during its special meeting Tuesday morning. On Tuesday, the School Board agreed to spend more than $4 million through the district’s COVID-19 fund to purchase and install 120,000 desk partitions. RELATED: Duval school board approves plan to buy desk barriers for studentsThe congregation believes every grade level, including middle and high school, should have the full-time option to keep learning virtually. Additionally, the group believes middle and high school students should also have an option to be at school full-time, saying that school is a safe haven for many students in troubled homes.