Latest news with #CISD
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
What is the 'Chromebook Challenge'? Texas school district warns of dangerous TikTok trend
A dangerous TikTok trend spreading to school districts around the country has made its way into Texas schools. School officials are warning students against the challenge that risks serious injury and damage to school property. Known as the "Chromebook Challenge" or the "Chromebook Durability Test," the trend involves children and teens inserting paper clips or other metal items into the USB port of their school-issued laptops. The act is meant to create sparks and smoke from the Chromebook and may even cause the device to catch on fire. The issue has prompted concern in schools in several states. A 15-year-old New Jersey student has even been charged with third-degree arson and criminal mischief, after his smoking Chromebook forced the entire high school to evacuate. School districts in New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and now Texas are alerting parents of the trend and urging them to warn their children against participating. Hays Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) sent a warning to parents, informing them of the social media challenge responsible for the destruction of school property. According to the Central Texas school district, a total of five Chromebooks had been ruined in under two days. The incidents spanned three schools throughout the district: a high school, a middle school and an elementary school. "Please help us by taking a minute today to mention to your children that if they see this social media challenge that they shouldn't participate," the district's spokesperson, Tim Savoy, said in an email. "Intentional damage to school district devices will lead to an expensive equipment replacement bill for the student, and possibly worse — having to explain to a judge what they were thinking." Students who jam school supplies into the USB ports of their school laptops are risking more than just a fire. Dr. Greg Sugalski, the Hackensack University Medical Center's acting chair of the emergency department, told Yahoo! that the melting plastic can release toxic chemicals into the air. These can irritate students' noses, eyes and lungs. Holding metal to electrical ports can also cause burns. "It can make the computer's lithium ion battery explode and cause a large fire, and there is a risk of smoke inhalation as this trend causes the computer to smoke, burning electrical equipment and plastic," Dr. Sugalski said. While each student can have unique motivations for participating in the "Chromebook Challenge" trend, many have speculated on several possibilities. The most obvious reason students may be hopping on the trend is for social media engagement. Videos of such incidents are flooding TikTok, despite the platform flagging the "#chromebookchallenge" tag and replacing search results with a safety warning. In the case of Connecticut schools forced to evacuate, students may be seeking to disrupt class or get out of doing work. Students may also be engaging in the challenge to get attention, whether from parents and teachers or from other students. They may also mistakenly see the trend as a "harmless" prank. — North Jersey's Kyle Morel contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 'Chromebook Challenge': Texas schools warn of dangerous TikTok trend
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Trans-Care releases statement on ambulance and bike accident
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — After a tragic accident involving a Trans-Care Ambulance and a bike, which resulted in the death of a 13-year-old girl, Trans-Care has released a statement regarding the incident. Below is a statement from Trans-Care sent to WTWO/WAWV: 'On April 15, 2025, Trans-Care Ambulance was involved in a tragic incident where many lives were disrupted when our unit with two EMS technicians and a motorized bike with two young girls collided. Immediately, the two technicians from the ambulance involved and shortly thereafter, an additional nine EMS technicians were on scene deploying the highest level of prehospital care. The company has worked transparently and cooperatively with local officials over the past two days, including giving up possession of the unit involved so that it can be moved to a lock up for examination by data experts, and has also provided other data points including onboard video recordings. Our Ambulance technicians involved were traveling emergently to an unrelated motor vehicle accident and used emergency lights consistent with common practice. Dispatch records indicate the unit was in route to a motor vehicle accident for Vigo County 911 unrelated to this accident. Moments into their emergency response, the incident happened at an intersection where the ambulance had no stop sign. As a provider to emergency services, we recognize and share the grief families are having. Other emergency services have reached out contributing to Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) for professionals who participated in this incident. Our prayers continue to be with all those affected by this tragedy especially to the family who lost their loved one. At the time of this release, we do not have official notice for the second bike rider condition but believe and pray for her continued recovery.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
CEF presents over $53 million in grants to CISD teachers
The Cleburne Education Foundation recently presented 16 grants — totalling over $53 million — to Cleburne ISD educators. The grants directly enhance student learning experiences across the district, providing new technology, hands-on resources and educational materials. "CEF's Impact grants would not be possible without the support of our donors — made up of local individuals, businesses and civic organizations,' CEF Executive Director Paige Harris said. 'We are grateful to be a part of a community that believes in funding classroom resources that go above and beyond the district's operating budget and enhance the learning opportunities for our students." Approved by the CEF board of directors at their Feb. 26 meeting, the grants were distributed March 14. In a celebratory fashion, the CEF team, along with CISD leaders, surprised the recipients with their awards. The grants, recommended by the CEF Grants Committee, will support various programs, ranging from STEM initiatives to fine arts enrichment. Allocations were awarded to: Cleburne High School — Empowering Fitness Program – iPads for weight training — Hoist System – Diesel Technology program enhancement — Numworks Calculators – Graphing calculators for Chemistry — Business Prototype Lab – Maker Space for business ideas — 3D Modeling for Architecture – Hands-on design tools — Multi-Camera Recording – Portable video production equipment — Woodturning Tools – Equipment for woodworking students Phoenix Campus — Character Education Curriculum – WhyTry program for social-emotional learning Wheat Middle School — Fiber Arts Studio – Hands-on textile arts exploration — Vocational Items for Life Skills – Tools for fine motor skill development Smith Intermediate School — Spanish & Bilingual Nonfiction Books – 125 new books for emerging bilingual students — Transform with Tuners – Tuners and caddies for band students Santa Fe Elementary School — Dramatic Play in PreK – Updated play centers for three pre-kindergarten classrooms — Piano Keyboards – Individual keyboards for music instruction Coleman Elementary School — Decodable Books – Phonics books to support early reading skills Gerard Elementary School — Moving & Grooving in Fine Arts – Music and art resources Also, a discretionary grant was awarded to support STiNG Week, an initiative that encourages student leadership and community engagement. The Cleburne Education Foundation continues its commitment to enriching education in CISD by funding projects that empower both teachers and students. With the grants, educators can bring innovative teaching methods and new resources into their classrooms, ultimately enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. For information about the Cleburne Education Foundation, visit
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Council accepts easements from Cleburne ISD
The Cleburne City Council accepted a donation of 4.6 acres of right-of-way easements from Cleburne ISD during the council's March 25 meeting. 'I want to thank CISD for dedicating this land to the city,' Cleburne Councilman Blake Jones said. 'This is a big deal and I look forward to our continued partnerships with the district.' The easement dedication affects the city's planned extension and improvements to University Drive. Plans, targeted under the city's master thoroughfare plan, call for increasing University Drive into a four-lane, divided roadway, Cleburne Director of Public Works Jeremy Hutt said. A portion of the new roadway will parallel CISD-owned property at the northeast corner of Surry Place and University Drive. The CISD board voted to dedicate the right-of-way parcels, which consist of five separate easements, to the city, Hutt said. The parcels include a 90-foot right-of-way for University Drive plus additional property west of University Drive, which will become stranded parcels once the right-of-way becomes established. The portion of University Drive to be enlarged is part of the Legado subdivision and is part of a development agreement with Forestar Development. The construction is expected to take about 18 months, Hutt said. }The agreement helps coordinate the interests and participation of multiple developments and property owners with the city's participation costs to total $3,169,897. 'This plan has been on our thoroughfare masterplan as a critical and key gateway toward the southern part of our community for a long time,' Mayor Scott Cain said in 2023. 'It will bring desperately needed relief around the Smith Middle School area.' Through partnership between the city and developers, construction of the roadway will come in a timely manner at significant saving, Cleburne Public Works Director Jeremy Hutt said. }Forestar Development is developing the Legado subdivision, a 147-acre subdivision of about 500 single family lots located south of West Henderson Street and east of Mayfield Drive. Council members during the March 25 meeting also approved a resolution requiring a license agreement with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and also approved payment of license fees and any costs associated with the project. The project, Hutt said, involves installation of a 16-inch water main loop. '[The water main] will provide a more reliable and robust means of water distribution for the eastern half of the city and the northern industrial park,' Hutt said. The new system will improve water quality and improve system pressure, Hutt said. 'And add redundancy to the water supply system, ensuring the city can continue to serve its residents and businesses effectively, even during maintenance or unexpected failures in other parts of the water distribution network.' Construction of the project involves crossing a portion of BNSF's right-of-way, something requires planning and approval from the railroad company. Hutt said the council's approval of the resolution addressing and authorizing the matter represent critical steps necessary before construction can begin and ensure necessary regulatory requirement are in place before construction begins. The agreement will also help prevent delays during the construction phase, Hutt said. Council members also amended ordinances addressing fire lane access easements in subdivisions. 'This streamlines the process without sacrificing safety,' Jones said. Current ordinance mandates that fire lane access easements — at least 24 feet in width — be included on plats for all subdivisions. Doing so ensures that fire lanes are established early in the development process, Community Development Director Marcos Narvaez said. 'However, it poses challenges when properties are later redeveloped,' Narvaez said. 'In many cases, redevelopment requires a replat to adjust fire lanes, even though thes requirement could be more efficiently addressed during the site plan review process.' To those ends, the council's amendments removes the requirement to establish fire lanes during the platting process and now requires that fire lanes be established during the site plan review process for individual developments. Doing so, Narvaez said, renders the process more efficient and flexible especially in relation to redevelopments.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Canutillo ISD moves forward with staff layoffs, program cuts
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Board of Trustees for Canutillo Independent School District voted to make district-wide staff and program cuts during Tuesday night's board meeting to address its multi-million-dollar budget deficit. In a statement, CISD's superintendent Dr. Pedro Galaviz said in part: 'Due to years of inadequate state funding, inflation and rising operational costs, Canutillo ISD is experiencing a budget deficit of $5.8 million. Over the past two years, we have implemented multiple cost-saving measures, including administrative reductions and operational cutbacks, in an effort to avoid directly impacting our schools. Unfortunately, we have reached a point where further reductions are necessary, and this includes a Reduction in Force (RIF) that will affect some of our dedicated employees.' The District Administration was tasked with identifying cost-saving solutions and returned to trustees to present 11 areas to discuss and act on to soften CISD's financial burden. Those include: Central Office Department restructuring Career and Technical Education Department restructuring Library program redesign Counseling program redesign Secondary program offerings redesign Campus reorganization and restructuring for elementary and secondary campuses Elementary music program redesign Nursing and health services district wide program chance Deanna Davenport Elementary campus closure and consolidation Pre-K program elimination Montessori program elimination The board opted to preserve the counseling, pre-K, and Montessori programs along with Deanna Davenport Elementary. 'These campus-based decisions will create a surplus in staffing, which the district hopes to address through attrition,' Gustavo Reveles, CISD's communication director, said. District officials said the decision to make cuts was difficult, but necessary to address the current financial standing of CISD. 'The options presented for consideration were selected based on the level of impact they would have on instruction. While we did not want to present any of these options because they all represent a positive impact to our students and staff, we had to make a decision based on the financial burden the state has placed on us,' Reveles said. Reveles said other factors impacting CISD's financial situation include rising healthcare premium costs, a decrease in enrollment, and a shift in state funding formulas. These program changes will go into effect next school year. The district is unable to say how many employees will be affected at this time, but estimates the number is a couple of dozen. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
