Caitlynn Peetz is a reporter for Education Week who covers school district leadership and management. Prior to working at Education Week, she covered local education in Maryland and South Dakota.
A memorial at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., honors victims of the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting in which two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed.
Flowers are placed at the foot of the welcome sign to Apalachee High School for a makeshift memorial Thursday morning, Sept. 5, 2024, in Winder, Ga. Police said an emergency alert system that was new to the school notified them to the emergency, allowing them to respond quickly and prevent the attack from becoming deadlier.
John Spink/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via TNS
Judah Boyle, of Des Moines, Iowa, splashes water as he runs on the beach at Gray's Lake Park, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa. Much of the Midwest is seeing extreme heat just as schools reopen.
York City School District police officer Britney Brooks walks one of her rounds on March 8, 2018, at William Penn Senior High School in York, Pa. School districts have had to get creative to fill school resource officer positions as police departments nationwide face recruiting challenges.
Special education teacher Chris Simley, left, places a coffee order at a table staffed by student Jon Hahn, volunteer Phil Tegeler, student Brianna Dewater, and student Mykala Robinson at Common Grounds coffee shop at Lincoln High in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 26, 2018. Policies regarding the maximum age at which students are eligible for special education services have changed quickly in recent years, providing a potential lifeline for families but a challenge for districts in keeping families abreast of the changes.
Art and technology teacher Jenny O'Sullivan, right, shows students a video they made on April 15, 2024, at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla. After districts equipped every student with a device early in the pandemic, they now face the challenge of recycling or disposing of the technology responsibly.