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In the aftermath of the tragedy that struck Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last month, a stream of hoax threats was received by school districts across the country. District officials took those threats very seriously, however, launching investigations and school lockdowns nationwide with the intent of protecting students at all costs. In Florida, threats made by a bank employee and a student both resulted in action by school and district officials. However, the handling of those threats raised the eyebrows – and the ire – of some of the individuals involved.

Threats Circulate Social Networks

reports that a number of phony threats surfaced in Florida shortly after the Connecticut shootings. Many of those threats were circulated on social websites like Facebook, according to some of the students that reported the threats. However, officials were unable to verify the threats through this medium, since the posts appear to have been deleted before officers were alerted. At least a portion of those threats were posed against schools in Coral Springs, Pompano Beach and Davie.

also reported on threats received throughout the state, in the counties of Brevard, Seminole, Orange, and Volusia. At one prep school in Orlando, authorities were called when a woman carried a sword onto school property. Police departments across the state said that every threat received was taken very seriously in light of recent events in Connecticut. That meant several area

Education is one of the most important components to breaking the cycle of poverty across the United States. In Colorado, one school district is taking that theory to heart by providing its own students with basic supplies to ensure a successful education experience. Whether the family needs food, clothing, or even a home of their own, is available to provide much-needed assistance to students and their families within the district. In some cases, the school system is the first line of assistance to struggling families moving into the city come in contact with.

The Need Grows

According to a report at , Denver Public Schools has around 2,000 homeless students this year, which translates to about one homeless child in every classroom. That number marks a 30 percent increase for the current school year alone – an alarming statistic that has left homeless shelters filled to capacity and required some families to live out of their cars because there is no more room for them at city shelters. Filling the needs of these families is no easy task, but the Education Outreach Program through Denver Public Schools has been doing its best to help those struggling families find relief.

Still, homeless students have more than their share of challenges. According to , 14 percent of homeless students have to repeat a grade due to moving to a new school, as opposed to only five percent

Students returning to school after Christmas break may find new condom dispensers in their schools. The district is expanding the availability of free condoms to 22 high schools in the city, choosing schools based on their rates of sexually transmitted diseases. The move has been endorsed by city officials, including the mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter. The pilot program is designed to curb the “epidemic” of sexually transmitted diseases that has swept parts of the city, according to some officials.

This video reports on Philadelphia schools' installation of condom dispensers in 22 high schools.

Concern Leads to New Policy

The dispensers will be installed in the health offices of 22 high schools in the Philadelphia school district, according to the . The schools receiving the dispensers had the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases among students, including gonorrhea and chlamydia. Back in 2010, city officials saw a nearly 50 percent increase in confirmed gonorrhea cases among the city’s youth, which was closely followed by a similar rise in chlamydia cases.

Other reports showed that one in every four Philadelphia residents diagnosed with AIDs was between the ages of 13 and 24. At the same time, the city was reporting these concerning figures, condom use among teens in the city appeared to be on the decline. Dr. Donald Schwartz, the health commissioner for Philadelphia, told the New York Daily News that

As Common Core Standards take their place in public schools across the country, some are left wondering how these new standards will impact the education students have received in the past. Of particular concern is the shift the Common Core Standards seems to promote from the reading of classic fiction to nonfiction within the classroom. The worries over how the standards will change the standard English class have accelerated and snowballed into some wringing their hands over the disappearance of Shakespeare and other classic literary writers from the classroom. However, proponents of the new national education standards are adding their two cents to the discussion, saying the worries are unfounded and simply untrue in some cases.

This video explains the relevance of studying Shakespeare.

What are the Common Core Standards?

The Common Core Standards were developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, as an effort to find a viable alternative to the failed policies of No Child Left Behind. The first draft of the standards was released in 2009, according to the website for the ASCD. According to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the purpose of the Common Core Standards was to raise the bar on the education standards across the country, in order to prepare students for the rigors of higher education or the workforce after graduation.

The standards were created with input from