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The debate over prayer in public schools has been raging for many years now, both in political arenas and courthouses across the country. The latest battle has been waged in Virginia, where two delegates in the state house introduced a bill to allow prayer on public property, including public schools. This bill has received plenty of attention across the state of Virginia and across the country, as other states have watched to see exactly how Virginia would handle such a controversial piece of legislation.

The Prayer on Campus Bill: HJ 593

The bill, HJ 593, would add the following to the Virginia constitution, according to a report on the Gazette Virginian:

"Amends current free exercise of religion provisions of the Virginia Constitution to permit prayer and the recognition of religious beliefs, heritage and traditions on public property, including public schools in order to secure further the people's right to acknowledge God. The amendment also prohibits (i) the composing of school prayers by the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions, and (ii) requiring persons to join in prayer or other religious activity. The current free exercise of religion provisions of the Virginia Constitution mirror those in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and provide for the free exercise of religion and prohibit compelling persons to participate in religious activity."

The bill was introduced by co-patrons Del. James E. Edmunds II and Del. Charles W. Carrico. Carrico has clearly stated that he intends for this amendment to allow for

Desegregation through busing has been a regular occurrence since 1954, when the Supreme Court declared racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. Today, many school districts across the country bus children across towns in hopes of maintaining racial and economic diversity and ensuring a higher quality of education for all students. However, one school district in North Carolina has recently come into the public spotlight because of their decision to stop the practice, leaving children to attend school in their own neighborhoods.

Wake School Board Supporting Student Reassignment

According to a report in the News and Observer, the Wake school board recently approved a plan to reassign around 3,500 students to schools closer to their homes. The proposal will have the biggest impact on Southeast Raleigh, where most students will switch to schools in their own neighborhoods, shaving up to 10 miles off bus rides in the mornings and afternoons. However, the plan will also send more students into higher poverty schools and could reduce the available spots for suburban students at the popular magnet schools in the district.

The plan is in response to a policy change that was set in motion last year, which stresses sending students to schools close to their homes, rather than using diversity as a factor in student school assignments. In addition to the students approved for the move this week, the district may move another nearly 200 students this coming fall. A public hearing is scheduled for

When kids are hungry, they can't learn, according to many education experts today. To combat the problem, many school districts offer free or reduced-costs meals to kids who might not get three square meals a day at home. Most schools across the country offer free lunches to low-income students and a few offer breakfast and dinner options as well. Now, Chicago plans to expand their free breakfast program to all students in the Windy City, offering options kids can munch during the first few minutes of their school day.

Expanding on a Current Program

Last week, Chicago's school board voted to allow a sweeping new program that would provide free breakfast to the city's 410,000 students in public schools, according to a report in the . The new state-run program would expand the current federally funded one that provides free breakfast to kids from low-income families. The current program, dubbed "Breakfast in the Classroom," is available to about 199 public schools in the district. The new plan hopes to expand the program to an additional 299 schools, most of which have at least 80 percent of their students qualifying for free or reduced price lunches.

Under the new program, students will be able to grab a bag of breakfast items before heading into their classrooms at the start of the day. Students will be given 10 minutes to eat their breakfasts before learning time begins. In the schools that currently use the program,

It is a high school student's worst nightmare: to have the secondary school he or she attends lose accreditation, directly impacting the student's ability to obtain scholarships or even get admitted to the college of his choice. However, that is exactly the situation facing students and parents in Atlanta 51����s, where an educational standards agency has placed the entire school district on probation and in danger of losing its accreditation before the end of 2011. We will take a look at just how Atlanta ended up in this situation, and what the school board plans to do to survive the probationary period and come out of it with their accreditation still intact.

Reason for Investigation

The accrediting agency AdvancED was notified of potential problems in the Atlanta school district last year, when bickering among school board members became a matter of public concern. AdvancED scheduled an onsite visit in December to review board documents and make necessary recommendations. At that visit, the accrediting agency found the Atlanta school system's board has failed to meet standards on governance and leadership, according to a report by the Associated Press at .

CEO of AdvancED, Mark Elgart, said at a news conference, "The reason for probation is the issues are serious. They not only affect the effective governance of the board but they affect the future direction of the school system and its ability to provide a quality education for all students." A report in