Each week, AAE brings its members a round-up of what’s happening in education. From big, eye-catching headlines to the stories most papers overlook, we find the news our members really want to see. This week, it’s back-to-school season, a potential rule change for school lunches, middle school stress, and more!

Back-to-School in a Season of Threats: Students are beginning to head back to school but it looks different this year than it has in years past. Districts, school boards, and parents are putting more of an emphasis on school safety than they have before. One sign of this is the surge of bulletproof backpacks as a back-to-school item. States across the country are passing new laws to try to protect students and sometimes these laws take opposite approaches. New York State is banning teachers bringing guns to school while Texas is loosening laws to allow guns on school grounds. Arkansas and Florida are both consolidating efforts to improve school safety in statewide agencies, however in Pennsylvania, individual school districts spent school safety money in a variety of ways. At least one state, New Jersey, has aims at taking their efforts national.

Free School Lunch Maybe at Risk for Some: A proposal by the Trump administration to tighten regulations around food stamps may have unintended consequences when it comes to school lunches. The rule is intended to keep already people from accessing food stamps if they don’t really need them, but since the free school lunch program is administered by the same agency as food stamps, it could result in up to 500,000 students who currently receive free school lunches being removed from the program. The proposed rule is getting attention because it comes at a time when schools have been criticized for “lunch shaming” students whose families won’t or can’t pay school lunch fees.

Reducing Stress in Middle School: New research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows the power of reducing stress for middle school students. The study traces the use of proactive stress-reduction measures given to students in their first year of middle school. The intervention included hearing from older students that while middle school was tough, they could handle the transition and that there was help available. Students were also given reading and writing assignments to help internalize the message. When compared to a control group, these students were more likely to receive passing grades and less likely to be absent or to need disciplinary action.

Happening Elsewhere:

Where 2020 Democrats stand on education

Cyberattacks find easy target in nation's schools

NC comes up with solution so virtual school teachers don’t face a layoff this fall

Divorced dads say they’re often left out of their kids’ school activities

Nonprofits, School Groups Pick up Fight Against Cyberbullying

Stressed at school? Art therapy reduces teenage girls' headaches

The other school funding divide: States with more poor students tend to spend less, creating hard-to-fix disparities

Black leaders in SF support saving controversial George Washington High School mural

Alabama teacher association sues charter school, alleges fraud

Around 100 New Jersey School Districts May Turn To Vape Detectors To Catch Students

‘Basically I’m their teacher’: Washington has big plans for its 25,500 school paraeducators

Gov. Bill Lee will move forward with earlier school voucher launch, despite House concerns

'In God we Trust' to be displayed in Kentucky schools

Kansas schools: Help wanted

Michigan schools to operate under two different accountability systems

Nevada students’ information exposed in data breach

Why teachers unions are trying to block outside intervention in Colorado schools

Toms River school board member who made anti-Muslim posts won't seek re-election

Nevada School district implements non-gender restrooms

A Georgia elementary school was criticized for a poster dictating hairstyles for black students

What’s going on where you are?

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