Latest news with #PittsburghPublicSchools
CBS News
22-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Pittsburgh Public Schools holds first of several state-mandated public hearings to discuss proposed school closures
The first of several state-mandated public hearings on planned school closures for Pittsburgh Public Schools was held on Monday night. The district wants to close as many as a dozen schools and the hearings are giving parents, families, and faculty members the chance to weigh in on each proposed closure specifically. Monday night's hearing focused on the Baxter School. It's known as the Student Achievement Center, providing credit recovery and other alternative education programming. "This program and staff has helped so many students, and I really hope it can continue to help these students, but that won't be possible if this plan is passed," said Lily Allman. "Please do not give up on our most vulnerable students like so many others have," said Donnese Tyler. Not only in this district, but in their lives in general. They deserve to be believed in and they deserve to have the tools necessary to enable them to succeed." A hearing on the Friendship Montessori School is scheduled for Tuesday evening at 5 p.m. and following that, there will be a hearing on the Morrow School at 7 p.m. All of the public hearings are being held at the district's administration building on South Bellefield Avenue in Oakland and will also be streamed virtually. Those wishing to speak must register online. The proposed closures are part of the district's Future-Ready Facilities Plan, which aims to address declining enrollment, aging infrastructure, and underutilized buildings, saving more than $100 million in the coming years. If you're not able to attend the hearings in person or virtually, written testimonies will be accepted through email.
CBS News
21-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
First of several public hearings being held tonight on proposed PPS school closures
The first of several public hearings on the proposed closure of several Pittsburgh Public schools is being held tonight. The public hearings will give parents and families a chance to weigh in on the proposed school closures and reconfigurations expected to be coming for Pittsburgh Public Schools. Tonight at 5 p.m., the Student Achievement Center, formerly known as the Baxter School, will be up for discussion and following that hearing, a general public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Public comment registration for this evening has been closed, but another hearing will be held tomorrow on the Montessori School in Friendship at 5 p.m. and the Morrow School at 7 p.m. The hearings are being held in person at the Pittsburgh Public Schools administration building on South Bellefield Avenue and will also be streamed virtually. Those wishing to speak must register online. The district's proposed plans include closing nine school facilities and reconfiguring a number of others. The changes could come next June. The proposed closures are part of the district's Future-Ready Facilities Plan, which aims to address declining enrollment, aging infrastructure, and underutilized buildings, saving more than $100 million in the coming years. If you're not able to attend the hearings in person or virtually, written testimonies will be accepted through email.
CBS News
18-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Pittsburgh students can still get free daily meals this summer
As the summer begins for students around the city of Pittsburgh, local leaders are working together to make sure every student has the opportunity to stay active and eat healthy outside of school. Anti-hunger advocates gathered in Allegheny Commons Park-East on Tuesday morning to kick off the Free Summer Meals program, an initiative backed by Mayor Ed Gainey's office and a number of local organizations, including Pittsburgh Public Schools, Citiparks, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and the American Dairy Association. All summer long, children 18 and under can receive daily meals free of charge with no restrictions at one of hundreds of sites across Allegheny County. The list of free summer meal sites can be found on the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank website. "Helping to eliminate food insecurity and feeding our children is very necessary because no child — no child — should go hungry," said Gainey. "Getting good food, nutritious food, should always be an objective that we want to acquire. That means that regardless of where you come from, everybody has a right to be able to eat morning, noon and night, which is why I think this program is a great one, especially since it picks up where the after-school program has left off." In Pennsylvania, 1.2 million people and one in eight children struggle with food insecurity, according to Feeding America. "Kids shouldn't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, and last summer our partners served more than 400,000 meals to kids," said Val Morgan, child nutrition partnership specialist for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. "We hope to beat that this summer." That may be a modest goal, considering of the 20 million students eligible nationwide for free and reduced-price lunches during the school year, less than 5 million participated in last summer's program, leaving more than 75 percent of potential eligible students unserved. "There's one emergency that we have: that's a child not being fed," said Malik Hamilton, director of food services for Pittsburgh Public Schools, who serves more than 5 million meals to students per school year. "As soon as we hear that there might be somebody not getting fed, all work stops until we know that every child that is hungry has a meal in their hand to put in their belly." "During the summer months, access to healthy meals can make all the difference," said Dr. Wayne Walters, Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent. "It helps keep children strong, focused and ready to learn when they return to the classroom in the fall." Among those present to lend their support was Pittsburgh Steelers' long snapper Christian Kuntz, a Chartiers Valley High School and Duquesne University alum. Kuntz helped pass out free lunches to the students at the park. "As a professional football player, nutrition has played a huge part in my life and career to this point, whether that was in high school, college and into the pros," said Kuntz. "I've had countless amounts of nutritionists, strength coaches, health teachers, advisors, parents that have guided me in the right direction to make the right choices in what I'm fueling my body with, and our kids are fueling their body with the same." Marburger Farm Dairy, based in Evans City, will provide cartons of milk for the free summer lunches, and they brought a calf, Miss Peanut, to meet the children. "As a first grade teacher and a mother of four, I know how important it is for students to have access to healthy school meals, packed with dairy so that we can be at our best throughout the day," said Nicole Ansell, a dairy farmer with Marburger. "Because of this, I also know how important access to meals in the summertime is for many students." Walters called the program "a vital initiative that ensures our students remain healthy, nourished and cared for, even when school is out." "For many of our students, school meals are more than just nourishment; they are a lifeline."
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Student-led Peace Summit confronts gun violence in Pittsburgh-area schools
Inside the school halls, students are facing more than just academics. Social pressures, physical fights and the emotional weight of life outside the classroom are daily realities, and for many, gun violence hits especially close to home. That's why high school students from across Allegheny County gathered for the first-ever regional Peace Summit, a student-led initiative aimed at addressing the trauma and violence affecting their lives. 'Every single one of you just told me the common denominator that brings us all together is pain,' one speaker told the crowd. In a packed gymnasium, the stories were deeply personal. 'My brother was shot in 2016,' said Deahmi Mobley, who's a junior at Perry High School. Students from Clairton City, Woodland Hills, Pittsburgh Public Schools and others stood together in solidarity, sharing lived experiences and discussing solutions. 'It's scary,' said Troy Akins, a senior at Woodland Hills High School. 'You never know when someone might get shot, when some incident may happen where someone risks their life. There could be a call one day where your friend was shot, your mom was shot.' The summit brought together student leaders, peace groups, and educators to find common ground and collaborate on how to build safer school environments. 'There's a lot of gun violence going on with young teenagers,' Mobley said. 'It comes from teenagers from neighborhood to neighborhood.' Mobley said witnessing violence in his own school hallways pushed him to join Perry's peace group, which eventually brought him to the summit. There, he connected with students from across the region to share ideas and strategies. 'We talked about different ways to bring students into the building without them feeling like it isn't safe,' he said. Kemi Makinde, a senior at University Prep, emphasized the shared experiences among students, even if their individual circumstances differ. 'We might not all be going through the same things, but we all have been in the same things,' Makinde said. 'You might be sitting next to someone who has been through something similar.' The daylong summit featured group discussions, performances, and sports activities, all designed to open dialogue and foster healing. 'Later, we'll be adults and grow up in age,' Akins said. 'So, I think we start now and grow a foundation that will grow as we get older and older. It will be a tradition of stopping gun violence and building peace in our communities.' As the event wrapped up, students were tasked with taking the lessons and plans back to their schools to implement change during the next academic year. 'Maybe now when you are out, there's a conflict maybe you are that person that says wait didn't we meet at that event, maybe they will think twice before they engage,' said Dr. Tamara Allen-Thomas, who's the Clairton City superintendent. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Students at Pittsburgh Dilworth PreK-5 found with heroin stamp bags
Pittsburgh Public Schools is asking parents to check their children's belongings after they learned about several students being in possession of stamp bags of heroin. The bags are stamped with the words 'Take Off' and were found in the possession of several Pittsburgh Dilworth PreK-5 students. PPS said Pittsburgh Police are trying to find out where the heroin came from and how students ended up with it. Pittsburgh Dilworth families are asked to check their children's belongings and to contact 911 if they find the illegal substance in their items. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
