Latest news with #ScottPribble
Axios
09-05-2025
- Axios
Colorado students are setting Chromebooks on fire thanks to TikTok trend
The hottest trend in Colorado schools right now is actually hot. The latest: Colorado schools are warning of a new TikTok craze in which students try to set their school-issued Chromebooks on fire by sticking metal or pencils into the charging port. Why it matters: The "Chromebook Challenge" is the latest social media stunt putting kids at risk, with more than two dozen incidents reported in Colorado's biggest school district. (Remember the Tide Pod saga or cinnamon challenge?) State of play: As of late Thursday, Denver Public Schools received more than 30 reports of students attempting to roast their laptops, spokesperson Scott Pribble tells Axios Denver. Reports "range from unsuccessful attempts to events which resulted in smoke, sparks or fire," he said, noting no injuries have been reported. In a memo to parents obtained by Axios Denver, DPS called the trend "dangerous," warning that tampering with lithium batteries can lead to explosions, burns or full-blown building fires. Students caught trying it, the district said, could face discipline or even legal charges. Zoom out: The Colorado Springs Fire Department has reported at least 16 similar incidents and says it's now working with schools to educate students — presumably on both fire safety and common sense.
Axios
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Some DPS immigrant families told to "self-deport" by Trump admin
Some immigrant families with children in Denver Public Schools have been told by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to "self-deport" within seven days — and use a newly launched DHS app to report their departure, according to the district. Why it matters: It's the latest example of how President Trump's push for mass deportations is hitting home in Denver schools. State of play: DHS started sending termination notices electronically last week to thousands of immigrants nationwide — including Venezuelan families with children at DPS schools — who had entered the country using the CBP One app, a Biden-era platform that helped facilitate legal border crossings. The Trump administration shut down the CBP One app and created the new DHS system that allows immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally to report when they leave. Trump says the new self-deporting system is about efficiency and safety. Critics call it a fear tactic designed to drive up voluntary departures. Driving the news: In response to the notices, DPS is hosting a bilingual webinar today with local immigration attorneys to help families understand their rights. A recording will be posted online Wednesday. DPS spokesperson Scott Pribble tells Axios Denver the district isn't endorsing any legal advice shared but wants to "support our community in any way possible" amid growing concerns. What they're saying: Morgain Sanchez, a Denver middle school teacher, told the New York Times that many of her students' families had received notices and were terrified. "They don't know what they will do," Sanchez said. By the numbers: Although DPS does not track immigration status, Pribble said approximately 4,100 students without prior U.S. schooling — a likely sign of recent migration — were enrolled across the district last year. Between the lines: This isn't the first time DPS has been caught in the crosshairs of Trump's immigration crackdown this year. In January, the district reaffirmed its policy banning federal immigration enforcement at schools, on buses, and during school activities — and laid out protocols in case of ICE raids. What we're watching: A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking a Biden -era migration program for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
USA Today
30-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Department of Education launches investigation into Denver school's all gender bathroom
Department of Education launches investigation into Denver school's all gender bathroom The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that it is investigating Denver Public Schools for allowing a restroom in a high school to be used by all genders. The Department said in a press release Wednesday that its Office of Civil Rights is investigating the district for what it claims are violations of Title IX protections when the district converted a girl's restroom at East High School into a multi-stall all gender bathroom. The bathroom opened when classes resumed earlier this month, according to NBC affiliate KUSA, and district officials said that the changes were made for students' convenience. "It was becoming a problem for kids that were trying to go to the bathroom during passing period," Scott Pribble, Denver Public Schools director of external communication, told the station. "They were running out of time, being late to the next class because the one or two single stall bathrooms that they had to accommodate this just wasn't enough for the need that was out there." Denver Public Schools did not immediately return a request for comment from USA TODAY. The Department of Education cited one parent's complaint at a work session for the project in a letter sent to the school district, but did not provide any other evidence of the community objecting to the change. 'Let me be clear: it is a new day in America, and under President Trump, OCR will not tolerate discrimination of any kind. I have directed OCR's Denver regional office to investigate this matter fully," Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in the press release. Investigation amid Trump administration's focus on rollback of transgender protections The Department of Education's action is the latest in the second Trump administration's focus on current protections in place for transgender people that began with an executive order making it government policy to only recognize two genders. The investigation in Denver was announced on the same day Trump issued an executive order stopping the federal government from aiding gender transitions for transgender youth. The order applies to health care plans for federal employees and plans that are administered through Medicaid, Medicare and TRICARE, the health care program for members of the military and their families. Trump also told the Department of Justice to prioritize investigations and take action against states that help to strip custody from parents who try to prevent their child's transgender care. Trump issued an executive order on Monday that likely sets the stage for a ban on transgender people in the military. The order directs Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to update military medical standards, end "invented and identification-based pronoun usage" and stops people assigned male at birth from using facilities designated for women. "We are going back to the bad old days when LGBTQ+ people were investigated and hounded out of the military," Heidi Beirich, co-founder of Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said in a press release Tuesday. "This is an authoritarian attack on inclusion, equality, and the very fabric of a democratic military.' Contributing: Francesca Chambers and Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY
Reuters
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US Education Department investigating Denver schools over all-gender bathroom
Jan 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Education said on Tuesday it is investigating the Denver schools system for allegedly discriminating against women and girls by converting a female bathroom to all-gender. The department said in a written statement that "as a result, East High School now has an exclusive restroom for male students and no restroom for female students on its second floor." The department also said it had received reports of all-gender restrooms in at least two other Denver schools. A spokesperson for Denver Public Schools said the district had not yet been notified of the investigation and could not comment. Scott Pribble, a spokesperson for the school district, told NBC affiliate 9News earlier this month that the change was aimed at allowing more kids to use the same bathroom for the sake of convenience. The Department of Education's Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in the statement: "Let me be clear: it is a new day in America, and under President Trump, (the Education Department's Office of Civil Rights) will not tolerate discrimination of any kind." In a Tuesday letter sent to Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero, Trainor cited Title IX as the basis for the investigation, saying it prohibits "discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity operated by a recipient of federal financial assistance from the Department." Gender and schools was a key issue of U.S. President Donald Trump's successful campaign for a second term and has been a hot-button topic around the country. Since Trump took office on Jan. 20, he has taken aim at transgender rights issues, saying that the U.S. would only recognize two sexes - male and female - and at transgender members of the military, which was the target of a lawsuit filed on Tuesday. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Kentucky struck down an initiative of former President Joe Biden that barred discrimination by schools and colleges, ruling that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 permits sex-specific bathrooms, dorms and other facilities.
