“It is meant to break your spirit”
Groups call for end to solitary confinement in NC prisons By James Burrell July 1, 2022 In Courts & the Law A solitary cell in an NC prison. Image: Disability Rights NC Kerwin Pittman spent a total of 1,000 days alone, living in a drab prison cell the size of a small bathroom. He slept on a […]
Budget would expand sheriffs’ ability to challenge jail investigations — and delay fixing alleged violations
By Kelan Lyons NC POLICY WATCH – 7/1/2022 Photo: Adobe Stock County sheriffs and jailers could challenge violations uncovered during jail inspections conducted by the NC Department of Health and Human Services, according to a provision in the proposed state budget. Bill opponents say the measure undermines the state’s ability to regulate county jails and to enforce […]
Advice for the Class of 2022: Gratitude, integrity are key to life’s success (with video)
By Clayton Henkel NC POLICY WATCH May 9, 2022 In Higher Ed If you missed it over Mother’s Day, thousands of North Carolina college students donned their caps and gowns and celebrated graduation over the the weekend. At UNC-Chapel Hill, New York Times columnist and journalism professor Frank Bruni reflected on his loss of vision and the loss that students […]
Monday numbers: A closer look charter schools in North Carolina
By Greg Childress NC POLICY WATCH – 5/2/2022 – in Education, News, Top Story After 25 years, NC charter schools continue to provoke controversy – Image: AdobeStock Save for school vouchers and the state’s long-running Leandro school funding lawsuit, few issues spark debate in North Carolina’s education circles like charter schools. Supporters, many of whom are conservative voters, see charters as “school […]
State Board of Education terminates Torchlight Academy’s charter.
School will close for good June 30. By Greg Childress May 5, 2022 As was expected, the State Board of Education on Thursday unanimously agreed to terminate Torchlight Academy’s charter due to ongoing concerns about the school’s finances and governance. The board’s decision means more than 500 K-8 students from Wake and surrounding counties will be […]
Monday numbers: A closer look charter schools in North Carolina
By Greg Childress NC POLICY WATCH – 5/2/2022 – in Education, News, Top Story Print This Article Facebook27 Twitter Email After 25 years, NC charter schools continue to provoke controversy – Image: AdobeStock Save for school vouchers and the state’s long-running Leandro school funding lawsuit, few issues spark debate in North Carolina’s education circles like charter schools. Supporters, many of whom are […]
State audit finds numerous financial violations at former Bridges Academy in Wilkes County
By Greg Childress NC POLICY WATCH April 27, 2022 The Office of the State Auditor found that Bridges Academy in Wilkes County falsified student enrollment records, misused charter school money to support a preschool and failed to submit required tax forms in 2019. State Auditor Beth Wood released the audit of the K-8 school on Wednesday. The […]
Inflation: some facts you should know, and some steps policymakers should take
The author says childcare investments are a good tool for combating inflation. Photo: Flickr user familymwr, (CC BY 2.0) An economist explains why investments in childcare and eldercare could aid the U.S. economy This piece first appeared on the Economic Policy Institute’s Working Economics blog. Inflation is by far the biggest economic concern facing the U.S. economy […]
More than 1,500 books have been banned in public schools, and a U.S. House panel asks why
By Ariana Figueroa NC POLICY WATCH – 4/8/2022 – in Congress, Education, News, Top Story Print This Article Facebook101 Twitter Email Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” has been a target of school book bans. Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector WASHINGTON — A U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee panel on Thursday examined why thousands of books, predominantly written by marginalized authors, have […]
Hampered by opposition from doctors’ groups, nurse practitioners want to change state law to give them more freedom to treat patients
By Lynn Bonner – 4/7/2022 NC POLICY WATCH Michelle Skipper has a doctorate in nursing practice and diagnoses and treats patients in Laurinburg. Cindy Cross was diagnosed with breast cancer about 15 years ago and found compassionate medical care when she first visited Michelle Taylor Skipper’s office in Laurinburg. Cross has been a patient of Skipper’s ever […]