Tag: District

  • PBLWorks Announces its 2025 Award Winners

    PBLWorks Announces its 2025 Award Winners

    Novato, CA – The Buck Institute for Education (dba PBLWorks), a national provider of professional development and curriculum for high-quality Project Based Learning (PBL), has announced the recipients of its 2025 PBL Champions and John Larmer “JL” Lifelong Learning Awards.

    The recipients were honored during the organization’s 2025 PBL World conference in Napa Valley, California.

    The 2025 PBL Champions

    The PBL Champions program recognizes an individual, a school, and a school district that have demonstrated a commitment to PBL; have done quality, lasting work; and have shown evidence of impact on students. The 2025 recipients are:

    • District PBL Champion: Lynn Public Schools in Lynn, Massachusetts

    This 16,000-student district is transforming teaching and learning through its implementation of PBL. In a little over a year, the team at Lynn established high-functioning district and school leadership teams and trained a cadre of educators who have designed more than 70 projects for students. The district has implemented PBL at all seven of its secondary schools with a goal of having all students participate in two or more high-quality PBL experiences per year by the end of the 2029-30 school year.

    • School PBL Champion: University Prep Academy (UPA) High School in Detroit, Michigan

    University Prep Schools (UPrep) stands among Detroit’s earliest and longest-running charter school networks. Known for its unwavering commitment to student success, UPrep (UPA) has proudly upheld its signature “90/90 promise”—ensuring that at least 90% of students graduate from high school and 90% of those graduates go on to enroll in college. UPA teachers and leaders have leveraged PBL as a way that empowers students to be a part of the future of their city – from working on keeping their unhoused population warm in the winter through a physics project on heat transfer, to urban gardens that allowed students to provide farm-to-table food to local food pantries and shelters. PBL has opened their eyes to the challenges students face, encouraged them to see and explore those challenges through the lens of solutionists, and has brought UPA closer to the community it serves.

    • Individual PBL Champion: Kim Mishkin, Head of School at the Hudson Lab School (HLS) in Hastings, New York

    Kim Mishkin has been instrumental in embedding Project Based Learning as the foundation of the school’s curriculum. As both an educator and school leader, she has built structures, cultivated partnerships, and championed interdisciplinary, real-world learning experiences that empower students and educators alike. Through her leadership, HLS has become a model for how schools can integrate PBL at every level, ensuring that learning is not just about content, it is about empowering students to be problem-solvers, leaders, and changemakers.

    The John Larmer “JL” Lifelong Learning Award

    The John Larmer “JL” Lifelong Learning Award, named after PBLWorks’ Senior Fellow John “JL” Larmer, recognizes educators who are impacting and expanding the work of Project Based Learning. A significant advocate and thought leader in the field, JL has dedicated decades to advancing high-quality PBL and is the author of several foundational books that have shaped how educators design and facilitate high-quality PBL. This award celebrates those who carry forward that legacy with passion, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to deeper learning. The 2025 recipients are:

    • Rue Graham, Project Based Learning lead advisor and coach at the Pagosa Peak Open School, Archuleta County School District in Pagosa Springs, Colorado
    • Stephanie Tuttle, fourth grade teacher at Fairfield Elementary School, Rockbridge County Public Schools in Rockbridge, Virginia

    “Project Based Learning is an incredibly powerful way to engage students and ignite their passion for learning – and it all starts with having administrators and teachers who are committed to its success,” said PBLWorks CEO Bob Lenz. “Our awards programs recognize the incredible passion and hard work demonstrated by schools, districts, and individuals in implementing PBL. Congratulations to our 2025 award recipients!”

    About PBLWorks

    The Buck Institute for Education/ PBLWorks believes that all students, especially Black and Brown students, should have access to high-quality Project Based Learning to deepen their learning and achieve success in college, career, and life. Its focus is on building the capacity of teachers to design and facilitate high-quality Project Based Learning, and on supporting school and system leaders in creating the conditions for these teachers to succeed with all students.

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  • Centralized IT governance helps improve learning outcomes

    Centralized IT governance helps improve learning outcomes

    Key points:

    As school districts continue to seek new ways to enhance learning outcomes, Madison County School District represents an outstanding case study of the next-level success that may be attained by centralizing IT governance and formalizing procedures.

    When Isaac Goyette joined MCSD approximately seven years ago, he saw an opportunity to use his role as Coordinator of Information Technology to make a positive impact on the most important mission of any district: student learning. The district, located in northern Florida and serving approximately 2,700 students, had made strides towards achieving a 1:1 device ratio, but there was a need for centralized IT governance to fully realize its vision.

    Goyette’s arrival is noted for marking the beginning of a new era, bringing innovation, uniformity, and central control to the district’s technology infrastructure.  His team aimed to ensure that every school was using the same systems and processes, thereby advancing the students’ access to technology.

    Every step of the way, Goyette counted on the support of district leadership, who recognized the need for optimizing IT governance. Major projects were funded through E-rate, grants, and COVID relief funds, enabling the district to replace outdated systems without burdening the general fund.  MCSD’s principals and staff have embraced the IT team’s efforts to standardize technology across the district, leading to a successful implementation. Auto rostering and single sign-on have made processes easier for everyone, and the benefits of a cohesive, cross-department approach are now widely recognized.

    To successfully support and enable centralization efforts, Goyette recognized the need to build a strong underlying infrastructure. One of the key milestones in MCSD’s technology journey was the complete overhaul of its network infrastructure. The existing network was unreliable and fragmented in design. Goyette and his team rebuilt the network from the ground up, addressing connectivity issues, upgrading equipment, and logically redoing district systems and processes, such as the district’s IP network addressing scheme. This transformation has had a positive impact on student learning and engagement. With reliable connectivity, students no longer face disruptions.

    The implementation of an enterprise-grade managed WAN solution has further transformed the educational experience for MCSD’s students and educators, serving as the backbone for all other technologies. Goyette’s innovative co-management approach, coupled with his deep understanding of network topology, has enabled him to optimize the resources of an experienced K-12 service provider while retaining control and visibility over the district’s network.

    New School Safety Resources

    Another significant milestone MCSD has achieved is the successful deployment of the district’s voice system. This reliable phone system is crucial for ensuring that MCSD’s schools, staff, and parents remain seamlessly connected, enhancing communication and safety across the district.

    Goyette’s innovative leadership extends to his strategies for integrating technology in the district. He and his team work closely with the district’s curriculum team to ensure that technology initiatives align with educational goals. By acting as facilitators for educational technology, his team prevents app sprawl and ensures that new tools are truly needed and effective.

    “Having ongoing conversations with our principals and curriculum team regarding digital learning tools has been critical for us, ensuring we all remain aligned and on the same page,” said Goyette. “There are so many new apps available, and many of them are great. However, we must ask ourselves: If we already have two apps that accomplish the same goal or objective, why do we need a third? Asking those questions and fostering that interdepartmental dialogue ensures everyone has a voice, while preventing the headaches and consequences of everyone doing their own thing.”   

    MCSD’s IT transformation has had a profound impact on student learning and engagement. With reliable connectivity and ample bandwidth, students no longer face disruptions, and processes like single sign-on and auto account provisioning have streamlined their access to educational resources. The district’s centralization efforts have not only improved the educational experience for students and educators but have also positioned Madison County School District as a model of success and innovation.

                                                                                                                ###

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  • This New Jersey district tackled chronic absenteeism despite COVID

    This New Jersey district tackled chronic absenteeism despite COVID

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    SEATTLE — For almost a decade, Hamilton Township Public Schools in New Jersey has seen major gains in chronic absenteeism — despite the bumps that came with the COVID-19 pandemic.

    During the 2016-17 school year, 21 of the district’s 23 schools exceeded the state’s average chronic absenteeism rates, said Mary Beth Currie, coordinator of special projects at the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association. 

    With the help of a grant-funded initiative at the association’s Foundation for Educational Administration, Hamilton Township Public Schools eventually changed course. As of June 2025, only two of its 23 schools surpass the statewide average for chronic absenteeism, Currie said.

    Currie and Kisthardt Elementary School Principal Diana Vasil shared how the FEA’s partnership with Hamilton Township Public Schools contributed to a long-term drop in chronic absenteeism rates during a Friday session at UNITED, the National Conference on School Leadership in Seattle. 

    A team-based approach to boosting attendance

    In 2018, FEA received a $10,000 grant from the Princeton Area Community Foundation to create a plan to combat chronic absenteeism in the district, Currie said. Later on that year, FEA received an additional five-year $30,000 grant from the foundation to carry out the plan across all 23 schools at Hamilton Township. 

    FEA hired coaches to meet monthly with every school to help address their chronic absenteeism rates, Currie said. FEA trained the coaches beforehand on best practices in English language arts and math, legal knowledge on attendance, climate and culture, and data analysis, she added. 

    Then, FEA helped each school identify members for their own “Be There Team,” a group focused on school climate and attendance. The teams often included school leaders, nurses, counselors and teachers, Currie said. The FEA coaches met with these teams to identify student target groups and develop action plans based on Attendance Works’ tiered approach for combatting chronic absenteeism.

    During the first school year of the program’s implementation in 2018-19, Currie said, attendance soared while chronic absenteeism fell significantly. That trend continued into the first semester of the 2019-20 school year until the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. Once the pandemic hit, FEA modified its plan and shifted all of its meetings to be virtual gatherings with coaches and central office administrators.

    When students returned to in-person classes in 2021-22, attendance dropped in line with national trends, Currie said. But as the in-person coaching and team meetings picked back up, attendance began to rebound again in 2023-24 as did the district’s climate and culture, she added.

    In fact the district’s chronic absenteeism rate fell by 3.9% between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 school years — a decline from 18.4% to 15.2%, said Vasil. RAND Corp. and the Center on Reinventing Public Education estimated that 19% of students were chronically absent nationwide during the 2023-24 school year. 

    One elementary school’s approach

    Vasil, who was principal at Sayen Elementary School from 2019 to 2025, said her previous school’s Be There Team was already established before she was hired into the role. 

    As Vasil’s team explored how to address the school’s chronic absenteeism rates, she said, it was important to remember that fixing attendance isn’t just about getting students in the door. “It’s getting them to want to come tomorrow.”

    To better understand the root of the school’s attendance problem, Vasil’s team did a deep dive scoring their school’s climate using a rubric and found there was a lot of work needed to improve school culture. In 2019-20, the team identified three areas they needed to address: the school’s mission statement, its social-emotional learning programs and professional norms for staff, she said. 

    Vasil said that the team was able to meet their goals during the pandemic by revisiting and tightening the school’s mission statement, consolidating the school’s many scattered SEL programs, and establishing a set of professional norms for staff meetings to ensure everyone has a voice. 

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  • Common Sense Media releases AI toolkit for school districts

    Common Sense Media releases AI toolkit for school districts

    Key points:

    Common Sense Media has released its first AI Toolkit for School Districts, which gives districts of all sizes a structured, action-oriented guide for implementing AI safely, responsibly, and effectively.

    Common Sense Media research shows that 7 in 10 teens have used AI. As kids and teens increasingly use the technology for schoolwork, teachers and school district leaders have made it clear that they need practical, easy-to-use tools that support thoughtful AI planning, decision-making, and implementation.

    Common Sense Media developed the AI Toolkit, which is available to educators free of charge, in direct response to district needs.

    “As more and more kids use AI for everything from math homework to essays, they’re often doing so without clear expectations, safeguards, or support from educators,” said Yvette Renteria, Chief Program Officer of Common Sense Media.

    “Our research shows that schools are struggling to keep up with the rise of AI–6 in 10 kids say their schools either lack clear AI rules or are unsure what those rules are. But schools shouldn’t have to navigate the AI paradigm shift on their own. Our AI Toolkit for School Districts will make sure every district has the guidance it needs to implement AI in a way that works best for its schools.”

    The toolkit emphasizes practical tools, including templates, implementation guides, and customizable resources to support districts at various stages of AI exploration and adoption. These resources are designed to be flexible to ensure that each district can develop AI strategies that align with their unique missions, visions, and priorities.

    In addition, the toolkit stresses the importance of a community-driven approach, recognizing that AI exploration and decision-making require input from all of the stakeholders in a school community.

    By encouraging districts to give teachers, students, parents, and more a seat at the table, Common Sense Media’s new resources ensure that schools’ AI plans meet the needs of families and educators alike.

    This press release originally appeared online.

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  • Michigan district agrees to reform seclusion and restraint policies

    Michigan district agrees to reform seclusion and restraint policies

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    Dive Brief:

    • Michigan’s Montcalm Area Intermediate School District is ending the practice of secluding students, reforming its restraint policies and making other improvements to special education services, according to an agreement between the school system and the U.S. Department of Justice.
    • DOJ, in a July 3 statement, said the district “used seclusion and restraint improperly, including using emergency crisis responses as punishment for normal classroom discipline issues,” leading to a violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The district, in a June 27 statement, said it had begun taking steps to improve its restraint and seclusion practices prior to the agreement.  
    • Federal investigations into schools’ restraint and seclusion practices over the past few years have led to reforms across the country as school systems work to balance student safety with their civil rights protections.

    Dive Insight:

    Montcalm Area ISD is an educational service agency that includes seven local districts, a public school academy and one virtual school. It serves about 12,000 students collectively, including about 1,800 students with disabilities.

    DOJ’s investigation found that students with disabilities in the district were restrained or secluded more than 2,400 times between the 2020-21 and 2022-23 school years.

    Under the agreement, the district will:

    • End seclusion for addressing student behaviors.
    • Halt the use of school rooms or other facilities for seclusion purposes.
    • Appoint a district-level intervention coordinator as a liaison between school principals and the superintendent, among other duties.
    • Create classroomwide behavior management plans for all classrooms in the district’s special education program to document consistent and developmentally appropriate rules, routines and techniques.
    • Ensure that restraint is only used to protect staff and students and only after all appropriate de-escalation techniques have failed.
    • Review whether students who were restrained or secluded are eligible for compensatory services and counseling.

    “Students with disabilities should never be discriminated against by experiencing the trauma of seclusion or improper restraint,” said Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, in the July 3 statement.

    The week before, in a June 27 statement, Katie Flynn, superintendent of Montcalm Area ISD, said the district is “committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and welcoming learning environment.”

    According to the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection, about 105,700 public school students were physically restrained, mechanically restrained or placed in seclusion at schools across the country during the 2021-22 school year, the most recent year for which national data is available.

    Nationally, students with disabilities are disproportionally restrained and secluded in schools. Although students who qualify for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act comprised 14% of the K-12 student enrollment in 2021-22, they represent 28% of students who were mechanically restrained, 68% of those who were secluded, and 76% who were physically restrained, according to the CRDC.

    Guidance issued in 2016 by the Education Department emphasizes that schools should never use restraint or seclusion for disciplinary purposes and that the practices should only be used if there is “imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others.”

    The guidance also said if a student’s behavioral challenges lead to an emergency use of restraint or seclusion, it could be a sign of a disability that is interfering with the student’s progress in school, and therefore they should be evaluated to see if they qualify for special education services.

    Additional guidance issued earlier this year by the Education Department urged districts to take a more proactive approach to student behaviors by supporting students’ social, emotional, physical and mental health needs through multi-tiered systems of support that provide individualized interventions based on students’ needs for students with and without disabilities.

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  • Los Angeles Community College District Claims to Be Facing State Takeover Amid Allegations of Fraud and Censorship in LAVC Media Arts Department (LACCD Whistleblower)

    Los Angeles Community College District Claims to Be Facing State Takeover Amid Allegations of Fraud and Censorship in LAVC Media Arts Department (LACCD Whistleblower)

    The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) may be facing state takeover within two years due to overextended hiring and budget mismanagement, as discussed during a May 2025 meeting of the Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) Academic Senate. Faculty warned that the looming financial crisis could result in mass layoffs—including tenured staff—and sweeping program cuts.

    Start Minutes LAVC Academic Senate

    “R. Christian-Brougham: other campuses have brand new presidents doing strange things. If we don’t do things differently as a district, from the mouth of the president in two years we’ll be bankrupt and go into negative.
     Chancellor has responsibility
    C. Sustin  asks for confirmation that it is the Chancellor that can and should step in to curb campus budgets and hirings.
    R. Christian-Brougham: the Chancellor bears responsibility, but in the takeover scenario, the Board of Trustees – all of them – would get fired
    E. Perez: which happened in San Francisco
    C. Sustin: hiring is in the purview of campuses, so they can’t directly determine job positions that move forward?
    R. Christian-Brougham: Chancellor and BoT could step in and fire the Campus Presidents, though.
    E. Perez: in next consultation with Chancellor, bringing this up.
    C. Maddren: Gribbons is not sitting back; he’s acting laterally and going upward
    E. Thornton: looping back to the example of City College of San Francisco: when the takeover happened there the reductions in force extended to multiple long-since-tenured members of a number of disciplines, including English. For this and so many other reasons, it was a reign of terror sort of situation. So we really need to push the Chancellor.”

    End Minutes Academic Senate

    https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/laccd/Board.nsf/vpublic?open#

    The dire financial outlook comes as new scrutiny falls on LAVC’s Media Arts Department, already under fire for years of alleged fraud, resume fabrication, and manipulation of public perception. Central to these concerns is the department’s chair, Eric Swelstad, who also oversees a $40,000 Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globe) grant for LAVC students—a role now drawing sharp criticism in light of mounting questions about his credentials and conduct.

    Over the past two months, a troubling wave of digital censorship has quietly erased years of documented allegations. In May 2025, nearly two years’ worth of investigative reporting—comprising emails, legal filings, and accreditation complaints—were scrubbed from the independent news site IndyBay. The removed content accused Swelstad of deceiving students and the public for over two decades about the quality and viability of the Media Arts program, as well as about his own professional qualifications.

    In June 2025, a negative student review about Swelstad—posted by a disabled student—disappeared from Rate My Professor. These incidents form part of what appears to be a years-long campaign of online reputation management and public deception.

    An AI-driven analysis of Rate My Professor entries for long-serving Media Arts faculty—including Swelstad, Arantxa Rodriguez, Chad Sustin, Dan Watanabe, and Jason Beaton—suggests that the majority of positive reviews were written by a single individual or a small group. The analysis cited “Identical Phrasing Across Profiles,” “Unusually Consistent Tag Patterns,” and a “Homogeneous Tone and Style” as evidence:

    “It is very likely that many (possibly a majority) of the positive reviews across these faculty pages were written by one person or a small group using similar templates, tone, and strategy… The presence of clearly distinct voices, especially in the negative reviews, shows that not all content comes from the same source.”

    A now-deleted IndyBay article also revealed emails dating back to 2016 between LAVC students and Los Angeles Daily News journalist Dana Bartholomew, who reportedly received detailed complaints from at least a dozen students—but failed to publish the story. Instead, Bartholomew later authored two glowing articles featuring Swelstad and celebrating the approval of LAVC’s $78.5 million Valley Academic and Cultural Center:

    * *”L.A. Valley College’s new performing arts center may be put on hold as costs rise,”* Dana Bartholomew, August 28, 2017.

      [https://www.dailynews.com/2016/08/09/la-valley-colleges-new-performing-arts-center-may-be-put-on-hold-as-costs-rise/amp/](https://www.dailynews.com/2016/08/09/la-valley-colleges-new-performing-arts-center-may-be-put-on-hold-as-costs-rise/amp/)

    * *”L.A. Valley College’s $78.5-million arts complex approved in dramatic downtown vote,”* Dana Bartholomew, August 11, 2016.
      [https://www.dailynews.com/2016/08/11/la-valley-colleges-785-million-arts-complex-approved-in-dramatic-downtown-vote/](https://www.dailynews.com/2016/08/11/la-valley-colleges-785-million-arts-complex-approved-in-dramatic-downtown-vote/)

    Among the most explosive allegations is that Swelstad misrepresented himself as a member of the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA), a claim contradicted by official WGA-West membership records, according to another redacted IndyBay report.

    This appears to be the tip of the iceberg according to other also scrubbed IndyBay articles

    Other questionable appointments, payments, and student ‘success stories’ in the Los Angeles Valley College Media Arts Department include:

    * **Jo Ann Rivas**, a YouTube personality and former Building Oversight Committee member, was paid as a trainer and presenter despite reportedly only working as a casting assistant on the LAVC student-produced film *Canaan Land*.

    (https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2018/los-angeles-district/jo-ann-rivas/)

    * **Robert Reber**, a student filmmaker, was paid as a cinematography expert.

    (https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2017/los-angeles-district/robert-reber/)

    * **Diana Deville**, a radio host and LAVC alumna with media credits, served as Unit Production Manager on *Canaan Land*, but her resume claims high-profile studio affiliations including DreamWorks, MGM, and OWN.

    (https://www.tnentertainment.com/directory/view/diana-deville-13338)

    The film *Canaan Land*, made by LAVC Media Arts students, has itself raised eyebrows. Filmmaker Richard Rossi claimed that both it and his earlier student film *Clemente* had received personal endorsements from the late Pope Francis. These assertions were echoed on *Canaan Land*’s GoFundMe page, prompting public denials and clarifications from the Vatican in *The Washington Post* and *New York Post*:

    [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/08/17/after-july-miracle-pope-francis-reportedly-moves-roberto-clemente-closer-to-sainthood/]
    * [https://nypost.com/2017/08/17/the-complicated-battle-over-roberto-clementes-sainthood/]

    Censorship efforts appear to have intensified following the publication of a now-removed article advising students how to apply for student loan discharge based on misleading or fraudulent education at LAVC’s Media Arts Department. If successful, such filings could expose the department—and the district—to financial liability.

    But the highest-profile financial concern is the 2020 establishment of the **Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s $40,000 grant** for LAVC Media Arts students, administered by Swelstad:

    * [HFPA Endowed Scholarship Announcement (PDF)](https://www.lavc.edu/sites/lavc.edu/files/2022-08/lavc_press_release-hfpa-endowed-scholarship-for-lavc-film-tv-students.pdf)
    * [LAVC Grant History Document](https://services.laccd.edu/districtsite/Accreditation/lavc/Standard%20IVA/IVA1-02_Grants_History.pdf)

    As a disreputable academic administrator with a documented history of professional fraud spanning two decades and multiple student success stories that aren’t, future grant donors may reconsider supporting the Department programs – further pushing the Los Angeles Valley College and by extension the district as a whole towards financial insolvency. 

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  • Counslr Launches in Texas to Increase Access to Mental Health Support for Staff and Students

    Counslr Launches in Texas to Increase Access to Mental Health Support for Staff and Students

    New York, NY –  Counslr, a leading B2B mental health and wellness platform, announced today that it has expanded its footprint into the State of Texas starting with a partnership with Colorado Independent School District (ISD) in Colorado City, TX. This partnership will empower students and staff to prioritize their mental health by enabling them to access unlimited live texting sessions with Counslr’s licensed and vetted mental health support professionals, who are available on-demand, 24/7/365 and also utilize the app’s robust and curated wellness resources. By increasing accessibility to Counslr’s round-the-clock support, Colorado ISD aims to empower those silent sufferers who previously did not or could not access care, whether due to cost, inconvenience, or stigma.

    Texas is facing a critical mental health care crisis, with over 95% of its counties officially designated as Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas. This alarming statistic underscores the severe lack of access to mental health services across the state, particularly in rural, border, and frontier communities. This resource scarcity underscores the urgent need for additional resources and innovative solutions to bridge this critical care gap for school communities.

    “We’re excited to partner with Counslr to bring innovative, accessible mental health resources to our school community,” said Alison Alvarez, Family and Community Engagement Coordinator, of Colorado ISD. “This partnership empowers our 6-12 grade students and staff with the support they need to thrive—both in and out of the classroom.”

    As factors such as academic pressures, social media influence, burnout and world events contribute to an increase in mental health challenges for young people, schools throughout the country are recognizing the growing need to offer more accessible, prevention-focused resources. A recent study found that digital mental health apps like Counslr can play an important role in expanding access to mental health support, especially for school communities. Most users turned to Counslr through on-demand sessions, showing just how valuable it is to have someone available in the moment when support is needed most. Interestingly, more than 80% of sessions happened between 7 PM and 5 AM, a time when traditional counseling services are usually unavailable. This suggests that Counslr helps fill a critical gap, offering students and school community members a reliable way to talk to licensed counselors around the clock. The app was also used for a wide range of concerns, highlighting its potential to meet diverse mental health needs through both immediate and scheduled support.

    “As we expand across the country, we’re proud to partner with new school communities to ensure that every student, regardless of location or background, has access to the mental health support they deserve,” said Josh Liss, Counslr CEO. Adding that, “With most of Counslr’s users being first-time care seekers, we’re excited to help reach those traditionally unreachable, who need help but do not or cannot access it, no matter where they are located.”

    ABOUT COUNSLR

    Counslr is a text-based mental health support application that provides unlimited access to robust wellness resources and live texting sessions with licensed professionals, 24/7/365. Users can access support on-demand within two minutes of opening the app, or by scheduled appointment. Through real-time texting, users enjoy one-on-one, private communication with a licensed counselor that can be conducted anytime, anywhere. Counslr was designed to help individuals deal with life’s day-to-day issues, empowering individuals to address concerns while they are “small” to help ensure that they stay “small”. Counslr partners with organizations of all shapes and sizes (companies, unions, nonprofits, universities/colleges, high schools, etc) so that these entities can provide Counslr’s services to their employees/members/students at no direct cost. For more information, please visit www.counslr.com.

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  • Corruption, Fraud and Scandal at Los Angeles Community College District, Part 2 (LACCD Whistleblower)

    Corruption, Fraud and Scandal at Los Angeles Community College District, Part 2 (LACCD Whistleblower)

    [Editor’s note: The first installment of Corruption, Fraud and Scandal at Los Angeles Community College District is here.]

    “HR has been weaponized against our faculty for speaking out and complaining about
    discrimination.” This was a public comment made by Los Angeles Community College District
    Academic Senate President Angela Echeverri at the March 2025 Meeting of the LACCD Board
    of Trustees.

    Echeverri’s remarks were not isolated either and were echoed by Deborah Harrington (California
    Community Colleges’ Success Network Executive Director), “Our HR leadership is not living up
    to the standards that we deserve. Our members remain quite frustrated.” More reporting can be
    read in Pierce College student newspaper ‘The RoundUp’ and LACCD Youtube Live-Streamed
    meetings.

    These accusations come three years after longtime administrator Annie G. Reed (Annie Goldman
    Reed) left her position as Omsbudsman/Associate Dean of Students at Los Angeles Valley
    College was promoted to Interim Dean of Employee and Labor Relations collecting an annual
    salary of $284,935.00 in pay and benefits in 2022 according to Transparent California last year of
    reporting.

    A survey of public records including news articles, lawsuits, accreditation complaints, and emails
    to show that Annie G. Reed has a long history of this sort of behavior across multiple LACCD
    campuses – going back to the 2000s. 

    In an October 27, 2010 article ‘Grade Grievances Give Students Voice’ by Lucas Thompson in
    ‘The Los Angeles Valley Star’ Annie G. Reed is quoted as cautioning students against using their
    rights to challenge unfair grades stating, “It’s worthwhile if a student really thinks they have the
    proof to forward with the process . . . It’s their right to, [but] we don’t encourage frivolous
    [cases], because that’s a waste of college resources.” 

    The article further quoted disgraced ex-College President Sue Carleo who left the institution in
    2013, with the College finances in the red and on Warning Status with the Accreditation
    Commission of Junior and Community Colleges. Carleo warned that students should simply
    view mis-grading as “Human Error.” (https://archive.org/details/cavgchm_002210/mode/2up?
    q=Annie+Reed+LAVC)

    When the ACJCC placed Los Angeles Valley College on Accreditation Warning it cited multiple
    standards violations and specifically;

    College Recommendation 5:

    To fully meet the Standards, the college should ensure that records of complaints are
    routinely maintained as required by the Policy on Student and Public Complaints Against
    Institutions
    (Standards II.B.2, II.B.2.c, II.B.3.a, II.B.4)

    This came after Annie G. Reed failed to have student records or complaints available for
    inspection to the visiting Accreditation Team.

     Three years later Reed was again in hot water when a student filed an Accreditation Complaint in
    June 2016, specifically documenting multiple faculty members in the Los Angeles Valley
    College Media Arts Department engaging in fraud and deceptive practices – supported by sixty
    pages of documentation.

    The complaint further stated that Reed refused to facilitate student complaints as was her role
    and threatened action for ‘disrupting the peace of the campus’ by making complaints. This was
    followed by a second accreditation complaint by another student regarding the same issues and a
    student Facebook Group discussing issues.

    Reed’s response was to suspend the first student running a smear campaign that he was potential
    active shooter citing the complaints he brought, suspend a thirty-year old single mother in the
    Facebook Group for Academic dishonesty after she forgot to have a college transcript from when
    she was eighteen-years old sent to LAVC, and then threatened the second student who brought an
    Accreditation Complaint for vandalizing school property.

    [Below: Text exchange between LACCD students alleging that administrator Annie Reed created a smear campaign against them.]

    Student 1 was suspended for a year (though not expelled by the Board of Trustees after
    investigation) a semester short of graduating. Student 1 would have earned six associate degrees
    and eight occupational certificates. Student 2, was ordered to pay a substantial amount of
    financial aid back to the college as “restitution.” Several months later, she was subjected to a
    reversal of hours by LAVC Grant Director Dan Watanabe in the Media Arts Department, for a
    campus job she worked and ordered to pay back several thousand dollars. Student 3 ended up
    going to Los Angeles City College to take final classes needed to graduate and was nearly
    refused graduation by Department Chair Eric Swelstad.

    These actions also happened right before and after LAVC Media Arts Faculty Eric Swelstad,
    Chad Sustin, Adrian Castillo, Dan Watanabe, and LAVC President Erika Endrijonas lobbied the
    LACCD Board of Trustees to approve construction of a new Media Arts Building that was later
    reported by The Los Angeles Times to be a massive racketeering scheme – Aug 4, 2022, Teresa
    Watanabe, ‘Corruption and fraud beset long-delayed L.A. Valley college theater project, lawsuit
    alleges.’ (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-04/corruption-alleged-in-long
    delayed-la-valley-college-theater-project) 

    These actions mirrored the treatment of a student who sued LAVC’s Media Arts Department in
    2009, alleging the same type of fraud and misconduct by nearly all the same Department Faculty.

    Enrique Caraveo vs Los Angeles Valley College, Eric Swelstad, Joseph D’Accurso, Arantxia
    Rodriguez, Dennis J. Reed among others. Filing Date: 05/18/2009 (https://unicourt.com/case/ca
    la2-enrique-caraveo-vs-los-angeles-valley-college-et-al-621337)

    In that case, Caraveo stated:

    46. When plaintiff complained about the above referenced matters, Swelstad and other Valley
    College officials retaliated against plaintiff by refusing to grant him a Certificate and creating a
    hostile learning environment for him in class.

    47. On or around June 2007 plaintiff satisfied the requirements to get a Cinema Arts Production
    Certificate (“Certificate”) at Valley College.

    54. On or about October 2008, Swelstad denied plaintiff the certificate via a letter even though
    plaintiff has fulfilled the requirements to get the Certificate.

    55. On or about October 13, 2008, plaintiff notified Delahoussaye and Reed that plaintiff had
    fulfilled all requirements for the Certificate and that they should take care of the matter as soon
    as possible. On or about October 13, 2008, Yasmin Delahoussaye and Dennis Reed denied
    request.”

    Dennis Reed, was at the time the Dean over the Media Arts Department and the husband of
    Annie G. Reed. Dennis Reed was later profiled in LAist Magazine on April 27, 2016 article ‘Jerk
    Driver Who Ran Cyclists Off Glendale Road Charged With Assault, Lying To Police’ (https://
    laist.com/news/justice-delivered-almost)

     More to the point – Dennis Reed also oversaw a grant program at Los Angeles Valley College
    Media Arts Department known as IDEAS – Institute for Developing Entertainment Arts and
    Studies at LAVC. The Grant was run by Dan Watanabe. (https://archive.org/details/
    cavgchm_002241/mode/2up?q=Annie+Reed+LAVC)

     Watanabe was also named in the Accreditation Complaint for Wage Theft, Improper use of funds
    and fraud in the successor grant ICT Doing What Matters, due to the college receiving Grant
    Money but immediately eliminating the curriculum the grant application said they would provide
    and like Caraveo’s complaint not providing in class training or labs. The complaints to
    Accreditation and the LACCD Personnel Commission by students also questioned the legitimacy
    of a number of professional experts, including Robert Reber – who was listed as both a ‘student
    worker’ and ‘professional expert’ in 2008. Student 1 further provided evidence to both that Dan
    Watanabe had asked him to falsify his resume claiming fictitious jobs and cited an employee in
    the LAVC Payroll office as being behind it (that employee immediately denied it and Student 1
    refused).

    Dennis Reed had also spent years lobbying for the approval of the VACC building –
    unsuccessfully.

    In short, Annie G. Reed’s retaliation and cover-up in 2016, may have been to help realize her
    husband’s failed building project as well as preemptively shutdown any investigations or audits
    that might trigger further scrutiny regarding how the IDEAS Grant was administered under his
    time as area Dean.

    Reed’s behavior of covering up abusive behavior towards members of the LACCD Community
    was also not limited to retaliation against students.

    In 2017, then LACCD Board President Andra Hoffman accused former Board President Scott
    Svonkin of abusive behavior and demanded sanctions. According to an article in the Los Angeles
    Daily News, ‘LA Community College board postpones sanction hearing vote against former
    4
    president’ August 28, 2017, Annie G. Reed again inserted herself into the matter to cover-up for
    Svonkin.

    “The allegations do not strike me as related to governing and seem best suited for mediation,”
    said Annie Reed, a district employee for 22 years and a representative of Teamsters Local 911. “I
    don’t ever recall a time, or a place, where he has treated his colleagues poorly.”

    Others disagreed, including two former women board members who did not speak at the
    downtown meeting.

    They said Hoffman’s critics — who they said weren’t present during the abuse — had a tendency
    to blame the victim, while ignoring Svonkin’s allegedly brusque treatment of employees.”
    (https://www.dailynews.com/2017/07/13/la-community-college-board-postpones-sanction
    hearing-vote-against-former-president/)

    Her behavior is further documented in a series of lawsuits against the LACCD District. 

    Filed October 03, 2024 Dr. Christiana Baskaran (Plaintiff), Linda Silva; Dr. Ruth Dela Cruz,
    Dr. Adriana Portugal, vs LACCD (including defendant Annie Reed). (https://trellis.law/doc/
    219882998/complaint-filed-by-dr-christiana-baskaran-plaintiff-linda-silva-plaintiff-dr-ruth-dela
    cruz-plaintiff-et-al-as-to-los-angeles-community-college-district-defendant-board-trustees-los
    angeles-community-college-district-defendant-los-angeles-c)

    “[other defendants] Annie Reed to discriminate against female faculty and staff, refused to
    investigate immediately or to take preventative action. Then Defendants and EMPLOYER
    DEFENDANTS retaliated against PLAINTIFFS and others to try and prevent them from
    complaining to authorities. When PLAINTIFFS opposed these illegal practices, they continued
    to retaliate against them.”

    24. As set forth herein, ALL Defendants were officers, agents. Defendants and directly or
    indirectly used or attempt to use their official authority or influence for the purpose of
    intimidating, threatening, coercing, commanding, or attempting to intimidate, threaten, coerce, or
    command PLAINTIFF and others for the purpose of interfering with the right of that person to
    disclose to an official agent matters within the scope of this article. EMPLOYER
    DEFENDANTS aided and abetted MARY GALLAGHER, ARMANDO RIVERA-FIGUEROA,
    ANN HAMILTON, JAMES LANCASTER, JOCELYN SIMPSON, JIM LANCASTER, ANNIE
    REED and Victoria Friedman District Complaince Officer, Genie-Sarceda-Magruder Interim
    Director Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Rick Von Kolen to violate this statute.

    28. . . .Dr Hamilton admitted to other illegal activity such as planting drugs on employees to
    destroy their reputation and get them fired. Dr Silva filed a grievance against Dean Hamilton to
    try and get her to stop the illegal activity, the union did nothing. 

    32. Ms. Silva complained to Human Resources filed a title IX complaint, made a report to the
    police and was retaliated against.

    Filed October 19, 2023 Sara Adams, An Individual VS California Institute of Technology,
    California Corporation. (https://trellis.law/case/23stcv25556/sara-adams-an-individual-vs
    california-institute-technology-california-corporation)

    “21. On April 7, 2023, Mr. Wu continued to report the pay disparity to Annie Reed, Upon
    information and belief, Annie Reed is Caltech’s Employee and Organizational Development
    Consultant (Human Resources Department). 

    22. Annie Reed spoke about the report of pay disparity to Ofelia Velazquez-Perez, Caltech’s
    Senior Director, Total Rewards and Director of Employee and Organizational Development
    (Employee Relations).”

    Filed March 08, 2021, Mitra Hoshiar, an individual, Plaintiff, v. Los Angeles Community
    College District, (https://trellis.law/case/21stcv08950/mitra-hoshiar-vs-los-angeles-community
    college-district-an-unknown-entity)

    “28. On December 3, 2015, PLAINTIFF then filed a discrimination complaint against Sheri
    Berger (“Berger”), VP of Academic Affairs, and Fernando Oleas (“Oleas”), Pierce Union
    President. During PLAINTIFF meeting with Dean Barbara Anderson (“Anderson”) at
    Anderson’s office on June 10, 2015, Berger and Oleas stopped by and started making remarks of
    PLAINTIFF’s accent for reading the graduates’ names on the ceremony with a non-American
    accent.

    29. Thereafter, On December 11, 2015, in meeting with Dean Annie Reed in conjunction with the
    non-collegiality investigation Walsh, Union Grievance Rep and Oleas stopped by at
    PLAINTIFF’s office in order to prevent PLAINTIFF from Union Representation. They made
    PLAINTIFF to Barbara Anderson, whom was PLANTIFF’s chosen union rep and request for
    Anderson to not join the meeting because Walsh and Oleas had to choose who could be the union
    representation in the meeting.

    30. Based on what had transpired on December 11, 2015, on December 14, 2015, Plaintiff filed a
    Whistleblower/Retaliation Complaint at the District’s Complaint at the District’s Compliance
    Office against Walsh, Oleas, and McKeever (department and union delegate), and other members
    of her department. No action was taken by the Compliance Office.

    Annie G. Reed’s, current interim Dean of Labor and Employee Relations, has been involved in
    covering up wrongdoing in the Los Angeles Community College District for decades. Her targets
    have involved employees, students, faculty, and even a trustee. And so far has never been held
    accountable.

    Multiple stories were published on newswire IndyBay, the news outlet branch of the San
    Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center between 2023 and 2024. They were then
    scrubbed (along with other stories) over the weekend of May 18, 2025.

    Recently, newly appointed Chancellor, Dr. Alberto J. Roman has been alerted to Ms. Reed’s
    disturbing history – it remains to be seen whether he will take corrective action, or continue to
    6
    keep around the same problematic individuals that resulted in his predecessor’s resignation after
    a vote of no-confidence by the LACCD Academic Senate.

    (To be continued…) 

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  • Corruption, Fraud and Scandal at Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD Whistleblower)

    Corruption, Fraud and Scandal at Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD Whistleblower)

    During the weekend of May 16-19, 2025, the San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center – IndyBay which operates as open platform news source against injustice, scrubbed two years of news articles ranging from May 2023 – May 2025.

    The focus of these articles was corruption, fraud and scandal in the Los Angeles Community College District, primarily at Los Angeles Valley College’s Media Arts Department.

    A few of these articles summarized.

    Erika Endrijonas faces new questions in LACCD fraud | May 2, 2023 |

    Pasadena City College President-Superintendent Erika Endrijonas being fired from the institution and trying to get a job at Santa Barbara City College, Mt. SAC, and Los Angeles City College. Endrijonas had been subjected to a vote of no confidence by the Pasadena Academic Senate, Pasadena Full-Time Faculty Union, protests by Part-Time Faculty, and finally the vote to reduce her contract by the newly elected board of trustees.

    The article dived into Endrijonas’s tenure at her previous institution – Los Angeles Valley College. Endrijonas was announced in her new role at PCC in December 2018, the same week that a jury in Van Nuys awarded a former LAVC employee $2.9 million jury award for illegal retaliation and abuse. A few months earlier, the Los Angeles Times published a major story about the Valley Academic and Cultural Center – a project meant to be Endrijonas’s crowning achievement – being an alleged massive racketeering scheme.

    Further it documented the Media Arts Department the VACC would house had a lengthy history of lawsuits and accreditation complaints against the faculty for not providing the education and training advertised – negating the need for the new building. The building’s approval vote happened in August 2016, the lawsuit happened in 2009, and the Accreditation Complaints happened in June 2016.

    Dozen LAVC Cinema Students Narratives challenge Erika Endrijonas’s LACCD Success Story | May 5, 2023 |

    This article covered a release of an email thread from a dozen students in 2016 that was ultimately sent to the Accreditation Commission for Junior and Community Colleges in 2016, substantiating that there was widespread fraud in the department. Classes were not scheduled by Department Chair Eric Swelstad, training was not provided, labs were not held, etc . . .

    Van Nuys/Los Angeles College Screenwriting Professor Faked Writer’s Guild Membership | May 17, 2023 |

    Revealed that LAVC Media Arts Department Chair Eric Swelstad faked his membership in the Writer’s Guild of America – West, and then used it in multiple professional bios.

    Los Angeles Valley College perpetuated wage theft against students on Julie Su’s watch | May 19, 2023 |

    Documented how Grant Director Dan Watanabe engaged in wage theft against students for two years from 2013 – 2016.

    Two Los Angeles Film Professors Bilked Taxpayers Over $3.5 Million Dollars | May 21, 2023 |

    Described how LAVC Media Arts Department Founder Joseph Dacursso’s retirement first as Department Chair, then as a full-time faculty in 2012, left Department Chair Eric Swelstad and Arantxa Rodriguez to engage in petty infighting and squabbling that spilled over into scheduling decisions. In short, two faculty members collected six-figure-salaries while putting students in the middle of department in-fighting.

    LAVC Omsbudsman Stalked Whistleblowers | August 8, 2023 |

    Described how LAVC’s Dean of Students, Annie G. Reed (Goldman) retaliated and stalked students that went to Accreditation, going as far as running a smear campaign that one of them was a potential school shooter. Worse, she began stalking him after he left school – including on social media.

    [Image: Annie G. Reed Goldman, Dean of Labor and HR at LACCD]

    Further articles questioned where Academic Degrees were given out to students who had not completed Academic classes and criteria, the role of Jo Ann Rivas turned YouTube Personality ‘AuditLA’ who was on the Los Angeles Valley College Citizen’s Building Oversight Committee, whether a number of students with falsified resumes received payments from a Grant as ‘Professional Experts’ etc . . .

    The scrubbing of these articles coincided with the formal appointment of Alberto J. Roman as the new Chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, following the retirement of disgraced administrator Francisco Rodriguez.

    It also came with the publication of two final articles. One about Annie G. Reed’s being named as a Defendant in a lawsuit by former faculty at Los Angeles City College, who came to her about an administrator engaging in illegal behavior – including planting drugs on employees to get them fired.

    The second article, probed Los Angeles Valley College Department Chair, Eric Swelstad’s professional bio again and provided evidence that he repeatedly lied and engaged in deceptive advertising and practices for two decades. It provided students who held loans with information about student borrower defenses.

    The censorship also came months after Jo Ann Rivas aka AuditLA, herself probed by the articles, launched a barrage of attacks for about a week in January about a former student who had grievance’s against the school. Rivas had previously engaged in a similar barrage in July 2020.

    This was not the first time that an attempt was made to censor this news stream.

    In 2020, an attempt was made to hack the community news feed account on Twitter/X.com @LACCDW. Then a week before the LACCD Board of Trustees election in November 2020, Twitter suspended the community newsfeed altogether. It was only restored two years later after Twitter’s sale and the re-evaluation of previous suspended accounts.

    In a final update – The Valley Academic and Cultural Center, despite having a 2018 completion date, remains unfinished. According to minutes of the LAVC Work Environment Committee Minutes from 2025-05-08;

    “The Valley Academic and Cultural Center (VACC) is as of Friday, May 8th, about 80% complete. They are still patching the roof. There are still some critical items like stage protection net.”

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  • Alliant Credit Union Foundation Grants $108K to Boost AI and Digital Programs at Ridgewood High School

    Alliant Credit Union Foundation Grants $108K to Boost AI and Digital Programs at Ridgewood High School

    The Alliant Credit Union Foundation has awarded a $108,000 grant to Digital Leaders Now, the nonprofit that powers the Digital Leaders Academy at Ridgewood Community High School District 234, to support the implementation of innovative digital opportunity programs.

    The initiative will begin rolling out in Spring 2025, with full program implementation for the 2025-2026 school year. The grant will help students gain critical digital skills, enhance career preparation opportunities at Ridgewood and beyond, and ensure teachers have the necessary resources to integrate technology into the classroom effectively.

    “The Alliant Credit Union Foundation is committed to fostering educational opportunities that prepare students for the future,” said Meredith Ritchie, President of The Alliant Credit Union Foundation. “By partnering with the Digital Leaders Academy, we are helping to bridge the digital divide and ensure that students in Ridgewood Community High School District 234 are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the evolving workforce.”

    The grant will support key initiatives, including:

    • Integration of AI Tools: Students will gain hands-on experience using AI and emerging technologies to enhance their learning and problem-solving skills.
    • Teacher Training & Development: Supporting professional development programs that empower educators with the tools and knowledge to incorporate digital learning strategies into their curriculum.
    • Digital Fluency Expansion: Enhancing student digital literacy and technology-based learning experiences to build a foundation for future careers.
    • Career Readiness Programs: Preparing students for high-demand technology roles by connecting them with industry experts, mentorship opportunities, and real-world applications of digital skills.

    Through this initiative, the Alliant Credit Union Foundation continues its mission of driving positive change in education by expanding access to technology and professional development resources.

    “The Digital Leaders Academy is a testament to the power of partnership and community. With the support of Alliant, we’re equipping students, teachers, and parents with the tools to thrive in the digital age, because when we invest in digital fluency, we unlock limitless potential,” said Caroline Sanchez Crozier, Founder of Digital Leaders Now, an Illinois-based nonprofit, and creator of Digital Leaders Academy.

    Ridgewood Community High School District 234 students will benefit from enhanced learning experiences, giving them a competitive edge in today’s digital economy.

    Kevin Hogan
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