* UPDATED A man volunteering as a poll worker at a Van Nuys elementary school was a registered sex offender, according to a report this week. Although the election activity provided limited access to any students, LA Unified confirmed Wednesday that the district was notified of the potential violation and no incident occurred nor arrests made....

*UPDATED Although the LA Unified Charter Division staff and school board approved last-minute wording that saves about a dozen other charter schools, three charters were rejected at Tuesday’s board meeting by unanimous votes. A military institute that shares space at Sun Valley High School, a 6-12 school that has a higher-than-average enrollment of special education students,...

A late-breaking deal between LA Unified officials and charter school leaders may result in staff reversing their recommendations of denial for 11 independent charter schools. KPCC reported late Monday that three unidentified sources confirmed the deal prior to Tuesday morning’s school board meeting where board members are to vote on the petitions of 34 charter schools. The...

In its quest to decide what to do about daily weapons searches, LA Unified is preparing an expansive survey for the entire school community for December to explore whether changes are needed to one of the most rigorous search mandates of any school district in the country. After an information session last week, acting Superintendent...

*UPDATED It took a series of violent crimes on and near school campuses to spur LA Unified’s strict policy requiring every secondary school conduct random daily metal detector searches. Daily searches have been required for more than six years, but the policy is now being reevaluated as the district called this year for principals to...

LA Unified’s daily random weapons searches get mixed reviews from the students themselves. Saisha Smith from Dorsey High says it’s a violation of her civil rights that “wastes valuable teaching time when all they’re doing is taking away my hand sanitizer and cough drops.” But student school board member Benjamin Holtzman from Hamilton High says,...

Weapons found on or near LA Unified school campuses increased by 2.7 percent last year, to 568. The number of rifles and shotguns more than doubled. Those numbers for the 2016-17 school year were revealed last Tuesday at a special meeting of the school board to review the district’s policy of mandatory daily random searches...

With temperatures skirting the 100-degree mark for much of this week, LA Unified remains on top of air conditioning repairs in the school district and has not called for shortened days like neighboring Southern California school districts. “LA Unified does not have shortened days planned,” said Elvia Perez Caño, of LAUSD’s Communications and Media Relations for...

Demand for LA Unified’s dual language programs is so high that the district plans to expand from 16 schools offering the programs to as many as 35 schools next year. Meanwhile, the nation’s second-largest school district — where students speak 94 languages — is closing in on meeting its goals for improving test scores for...

* UPDATE For the first time since LA Unified began authorizing independent charter schools, a charter school coalition is asking for major revisions in language and restrictions in their school petitions. And the school district seems more open than ever to making those compromises. Both sides say the changes are not aimed at increasing the...