Miriam Manary, the lead research engineer at the University of Michigan, provided Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs (TSD) Conference attendees an overview of crash-testing standards for wheelchairs in motor vehicles.

The Nov. 8 session emphasized why proper securement, crashworthy equipment and correct belt usage use are essential for occupant safety. She explained that testing is based on WC19, voluntary industry standards that establish minimum design and performance requirements for wheelchairs used as passenger seats in moving vehicles. It requires the wheelchairs to withstand a 30-mph frontal impact (30 mph delta-V)—a severity greater than 96 percent of real-world crashes. She explained that frontal impacts are the priority because they account for nearly half of crash events. Although side-impact testing methods have been developed, they are not yet incorporated into the standards.

Manary explained that side-facing and rear-facing wheelchair transport consistently fails crash tests because wheelchairs lack structural strength in those directions. Early tests demonstrated catastrophic failures, including seatback collapse and occupant head strikes on the vehicle interior. Only forward-facing transport currently offers a predictable, test-validated protection environment.

Manary added that the vehicle mass matters. Larger vehicles, such as school buses, experience lower delta-V in similar crash scenarios, thus reducing injury risk for all occupants. Still, correct equipment use remains essential, she said.

WC19 wheelchairs provide crash-tested securement points, stronger frames and accessible hook paths designed to allow all four tie-downs to be attached in under 10 seconds. Yet, many school transportation issues arise from insufficient space within the vehicle.

She added that poor securement remains a major challenge. Common mistakes include attaching tie-downs to removable parts such as footrests, armrests and quick-release wheels, Manary said. A securement point must always be a strong, welded portion of the main frame. Plus, using fewer than four straps dramatically increases rotation and instability, she added, noting a significant portion of injuries stems not from wheelchair movement but from improper or absent occupant restraints.

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Related: Funding Among Potential Impacts of U.S. Education Department Dismantling on School Transportation
Related: BraunAbility Says New Wheelchair Lift Addresses Customer Needs
Related: Texas Team Takes Home Roadeo Award at TSD Conference
Related: School District Directors Share Strategies for Transporting Students with Disabilities

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Riders in wheelchairs must wear crash-tested seatbelts because they lack the protection of compartmentalized seating, Manary continued, adding that a good fit is essential.

Lap belts must rest low on the pelvis, “If it’s not on the thigh, it’s too high,” angled 30–70 degrees from vertical. Shoulder belts must cross mid-shoulder, avoiding the neck but staying far enough inboard to prevent sliding off, she said.

Additional hazards come from loose equipment such as ventilators, trays or oxygen tanks. In crash tests, even an 11-pound device can become a dangerous projectile at high speeds.

Emerging research focuses on future mobility, including universal docking systems that allow wheelchair users to independently secure their chairs in autonomous vehicles and, potentially, aircraft. Early prototypes show promise, offering independence while meeting crash performance comparable to four-point tie-downs, Manary said.

The post Breaking Down Wheelchair Crash Testing at TSD Conference appeared first on School Transportation News.

The student transportation landscape is evolving faster than ever. Amid the shift to integrated technology, persistent labor shortages, conflicting ZEV mandates, and the rise of AI, relying on outdated strategies leaves your fleet vulnerable to inefficiency and risk. Discover the four essential trends that will define operational excellence in 2026.

Join experts for an exclusive, forward-looking webinar on building a resilient, intelligent, and sustainable student transportation ecosystem for your fleet. We’ll move beyond simply reacting to challenges and show you how to leverage connected technology to drive efficiency, enhance recruitment, and meet future sustainability goals.

In this session, you’ll discover how to:

1. Unify Your Tech Ecosystem: Stop app-juggling and data silos. Connect all on-bus technologies (telematics, ridership, cameras) into a single, comprehensive platform to gain a 360-degree view of your entire operation. (Based on: On-bus technology consolidation)
2. Overcome the Labor Crisis: Use tech-driven incentivization and powerful, unified guidance tools to reward drivers, simplify shift coverage, and reduce the burden on your team, turning recruitment challenges into a retention advantage. (Based on: Driver shortage strategies)
3. Balance ZEV Mandates and Budget: Strategize your fleet’s future by using data to extend the longevity of current buses, test alternative fuels, and accurately measure the ROI of Zero-Emissions Vehicles (ZEVs) to navigate conflicting government priorities. (Based on: ZEV priorities balance)
4. Harness the Power of AI: Drive proactive safety and efficiency. Implement AI-enabled tools for predictive maintenance to prevent breakdowns and use collision probability forecasting to slash risk across your fleet. (Based on: AI adoption)
5. Your community depends on smart, sustainable operations. Equip your team with the knowledge to optimize your school bus operations for 2026 and beyond. Register for this essential trends webinar now.

Brought to you by Geotab

REGISTER BELOW:

 

Presenters:

Keba Baldwin
Director of Transportation and Central Garage
Prince George’s County Public Schools

Keba Baldwin serves as the Director of Transportation & Central Garage for Prince George’s County Public Schools, one of the nation’s largest school districts. He leads operations for more than 1,200 school buses and 700 fleet vehicles, ensuring safe and reliable service for over 85,000 students each day.

Baldwin brings a unique perspective that bridges the classroom and operations. His scientific background has shaped his analytical approach, while his educator’s mindset informs his commitment to equity, safety, and service. He has led initiatives in routing optimization, safety training for transporting students with disabilities, and the adoption of clean-energy fleets.

Craig Berndt
Business Segment Manager, People Transportation
Geotab

With 15 years in telematics, Craig Berndt brings to the table extensive experience in passenger transportation, public works and other public works and vehicle sharing. In his current role at Geotab as the Business Segment Manager for People Transportation, Berndt is responsible for leading a cross functional team to ensure success in this rapidly growing area of the business. He earned an MBA in 2020 and his community engagement includes volunteering with Scouting America (formerly BSA) and his non profit animal rescue.

Alfred Karam
Former Director of Transportation (Retired)
Shenendehowa Central School District

Al Karam is a Master Gunnery Sergeant of Marines (Retired), an award-winning Director of Transportation, and a published author. Following 25 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, he led transportation operations for two of New York’s largest school districts for 24 years. His leadership has been recognized with multiple top honors, including the School Bus Fleet Magazine Administrator of the Year (2013) and the National Association for Pupil Transportation Larson Quality Award (2017).

The post (Free Webinar) The 2026 Strategic Outlook: Building Resilience Across the Four Trends in Student Transportation appeared first on School Transportation News.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — BusPatrol, the leading school bus safety technology company in North America, last week convened the first-ever National School Bus Safety Summit, bringing together more than 400 national leaders in government, public safety, technology, law enforcement, education, and child advocacy for a landmark discussion on the escalating dangers children face around school buses. The Summit, supported by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and Safe Kids Worldwide, marked the first coordinated national effort to accelerate solutions that address the millions of illegal school bus stop-arm violations occurring each year.

In the months ahead, GHSA, in collaboration with BusPatrol, will develop a comprehensive national blueprint for action—a strategic framework for policymakers, law enforcement, educators, and transportation leaders to strengthen school bus safety nationwide and build on the momentum generated at the Summit.

Photos from the event can be found here.

Throughout the day, attendees heard from leading experts across a series of panel discussions that explored the multifaceted challenges confronting student transportation safety. Panel topics included Aboard the Bus: The Landscape of School Bus Safety; Enforcement Changing Behavior: The Role of Law Enforcement & Courts; Communities Working Together: On/Off the Bus; Public/Private Partnerships: Fueling a Mission, Changing Culture; and Advocacy in Action: Policies That Save Lives.

In addition, two keynote addresses were delivered by Justin Meyers, President and Chief Innovation Officer at BusPatrol, and Karoon Monfared, CEO of BusPatrol, who shared his own emotional story of witnessing a childhood friend struck by a vehicle while disembarking from a school bus—an experience that has shaped his lifelong commitment to student safety.

Featured speakers also included:

Jonathan Adkins, CEO of the Governors Highway Safety Association

Torine Creppy, President, SafeKids Worldwide

Frederick S. Humphries, Jr., Corporate Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs, Microsoft

Michael Hanson, Director, MN Office of Traffic Safety/Chair, GHSA

Kristin Poland, Ph.D., Acting Director, Office of Highway Safety, NTSB

Molly McGee Hewitt, Ph.D., CEO & Executive Director, National Association for Pupil Transportation

Russ Rador, Chief Communications Officer, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Sharon Bryson, Director, Delaware Highway Safety Office

Emily Davidson, Director, Ohio Traffic Safety Office

Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

Kelly Browning,Ph.D. Executive Director, Impact Teen Drivers

Anthony Baldoni, VP of Strategic Initiatives, Axon

The Honorable Kate Huffman, National Judicial Fellow, ABA

Adam Youssi, Supervisor of Automated Enforcement Howard County (MD) Police Department

Marisa Jones, Managing Director, Safe Routes to School Partnership

Erin Inman, Director, National Traffic Law Center, NDAA

Leah Walton, Transportation Safety Specialist, National Transportation Safety Board

Prisha Shah, National President, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)

Sutton Sherrard, FCCLA National Student VP of Programs

Steve Randazzo, Chief Growth Officer, BusPatrol

Ryan Monell, Executive Vice President, Government Operations, BusPatrol

Rick Birt, Vice President of Government Operations and Safety, BusPatrol

Every day across the United States, thousands of drivers illegally pass stopped school buses—even when red lights are flashing and stop-arms are deployed. With almost 500,000 school buses operating daily, this results in millions of violations each year, placing children in immediate danger. A recent survey by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services found that in a single day, school bus drivers reported over 67,000 illegal passes. When projected over an academic year, that equates to more than 39 million unsafe encounters.

To confront this issue, officials emphasized the importance of implementing the safety roadmap outlined by the National Transportation Safety Board following the 2018 fatal crash in Rochester, Indiana. Those recommendations call for a three-pronged strategy combining education, traditional law enforcement, and automated enforcement technology. Since the release of that report, at least 30 states have passed laws enabling the deployment of camera-based stop-arm enforcement tools, paving the way for companies like BusPatrol and others to assist communities nationwide.

The summit also highlighted how school districts across the country are increasingly adopting AI-powered enforcement tools to monitor and document dangerous driver behavior. BusPatrol, which launched in 2017, has become the largest school bus safety technology provider in North America, with high-definition cameras and AI models installed on more than 40,000 buses across nearly two dozen states. This technology has supplied districts and law enforcement agencies with unprecedented visibility into the magnitude of the danger children face on their way to and from school.

“When a child loses their life, it’s more than any community can bear, it’s more than any of us can bear. And so what do we do when an unspeakable tragedy occurs? We respond and we take action,” said Justin Meyers, President and Chief Innovation Officer at BusPatrol. “Today cannot be the end of the conversation but must be the beginning of a coordinated, relentless push to accelerate school bus safety in every state, every district, and every community. Our commitment to you at BusPatrol is that however you want to show up for this fight we will be there with you — we will team up, we will share data, we will push policy, and we will build partnerships to protect our children and make our communities safer.”

“The data show that even around our most vulnerable population, young kids, people are driving in risky and unsafe ways,” said Jonathan Adkins, CEO of the Governors Highway Safety Association. “We look forward to supporting the State Highway Safety Offices as they implement recommendations that emerge from this important safety conversation.”

“The safety of children as they make their way to and from school should be one of our nation’s top priorities,” said Torine Creppy, President of Safe Kids Worldwide. “No matter how kids travel—riding on buses, in cars, on bikes or walking — we must keep them safe from preventable injuries. We look forward to working with our partners to identify innovative and effective ways to keep kids safe at home, at school, at play, and on the way.”

“School Bus Safety is a crisis on our roadway,” said Jessica Hugdahl, Acting Chief Executive Officer of SADD. “The National School Bus Safety Summit elevated the youth voice in this issue, as millions of students board the bus every day. We thank BusPatrol for their leadership in this space, as SADD is proud to work with this coalition of partners to make our roadways safer for us.”

“The inaugural National Bus Safety Summit created a vital platform for meaningful dialogue and partnership,” said Dr. Kelly Browning, Executive Director, Impact Teen Drivers. “I appreciate BusPatrol’s leadership in bringing national stakeholders together, and I look forward to continuing our work to strengthen school bus safety.”

“Children are our most precious passengers and families rely on school buses to safely transport them to and from school,” said Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway Safety. “To address critical safety vulnerabilities, we support actions aimed at implementing safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) like ensuring each seat has a three-point safety belt and that buses are equipped with technologies like automatic emergency braking. We must do all we can to protect the future of these young people, and we look forward to working with our safety partners to do so.”

About BUSPATROL:
BusPatrol is the most deployed school bus stop-arm safety technology solution in the nation, protecting nearly two million students across 40,000 buses. Using advanced AI, machine learning, and telematics, BusPatrol helps communities reduce illegal passings and make roads safer for every child.

The post BusPatrol, GHSA, and Safe Kids Worldwide Host Inaugural National School Bus Safety Summit, Bringing Together Nation’s Top Safety Leaders to Confront Growing Crisis on America’s Roads appeared first on School Transportation News.

These days there are a lot of questions and institutions, state regulations, and in federal funding. The constructive focus will always be on the “half-full” glass because that is what we can control. However, in my opinion, too much airtime is spent focusing on the “what we don’t have” and “what we don’t know.” This seems to be a preoccupation that serves no purpose and has me continually asking “to what end?”

As leaders within our organizations, we are tasked with vision casting, strategic planning and daily implementation, irrespective of the questions and the challenges that (we know) will arise. People look to us for support and reassurance that corrective measures are available and will be deployed when necessary. Therefore, it is our responsibility to acknowledge and promote the success stories within our organizations or external examples that can help our journey.

Record Setting Examples
Within the last six years, I have helped two different school districts go from breaking ground to charging electric school buses in less than a year. Prior to these projects, electric charging infrastructure was thought to be at least a two- to three-year process because of COVID-19 shutdowns, supply chain issues, the procurement process, the complexity of utility coordination, and normal construction schedules.

Both districts are in California’s Central Valley. The first was Stockton Unified School District, and the most recent was Modesto City Schools. I realize that everyone is busy and rarely do we have time to add one more project, especially something as complex as EV charging. But I can tell you firsthand that every district that helps to reduce harmful emissions makes their city better for their students, their staff and everyone in their community.

Every successful accomplishment is a building block that generates momentum, creates more opportunities and inspires others. It is important for district leadership to attend workshops and conferences like STN’s to hear positive lessons from other districts. Collaboration with our peers is always valuable. Finding examples with similar fleet size, terrain, weather conditions and funding strategies are most useful.

Transportation Leading the Way
Transportation can (and should) be the leader for innovative efforts at your school district. We get up earlier than most and many times a bus driver is the first district staff that students see and interact with. In January 2022, the board of trustees for Modesto City Schools voted to convert half of its school bus fleet to battery electric with the purchase of 30 Blue Bird buses. The success of our electric school bus conversion was the fulcrum that allowed us to develop and expand sustainability initiatives.

Since then, Modesto City Schools has:

•Started a new Sustainability & Adaptation Department (2022).

•Created sustainability webpages.

•Contracted $61 million in solar carports and sustainability initiatives.

•Secured almost $24 million in state and federal grant funding.

•Received $5.3 million in elective pay for 2024 Investment Tax Credit

•Paid stipend to teachers for environmental club support at all 34 schools.

•Installed Purple Air Monitors at every school site.

•Contracted with Climate Action Pathways forSchools (CAPS) for paid student internships promoting Green Career Path education.

•Achieved the Green Ribbon Schools District Award in 2024, Gold Level, from the California Department of Education.

Everyone’s path is unique but learning how successful districts chose their team and decreasing timelines helps. Understanding the strengths and roles of specific project partners can save you time (and a lot of headaches).

Strategies that Make a Difference
Zig Ziglar said that “success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.” In my last six years, my greatest results have come from innovative “out-of-the-box ideas.” I think we must dream big and strive for the ideas that make the
most impact.

We should trust our project partners and be willing to try good ideas regardless of where they come from. Many people say, “We are doing projects for the kids,”
but the end goal should be doing sustainability projects with our students.

An example would be having student reporters attending press events, interviewing administrators, and working alongside the local news stations. (That happened at Modesto.)

I would encourage you to include student voices in transportation messaging, professional development videos and instructional notifications. As a sustainability director, I would love nothing more than to break my job into eight semester modules and create a sustainability certificate program for students.
Visit the Modesto City Transportation page at stnonline.com/go/nw.

Focusing Forward
I was an interim transportation director at Stockton Unified for two months in 2021. That means that I have a special appreciation for all that you do for students and the districts you serve. The complexity of this responsibility requires the ability to spin 13 plates at once, be able to put out any situational fires, and make sure all students get to (and from) school safely (and on time!!)
All of you are talented, seasoned professionals. You are good at what you do (that’s why you are in charge).

It doesn’t matter what tomorrow brings, we will always show up and we will always do our best. In this month of November, I am thankful that transportation continues to lead the way and I wish you all the best

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Gilbert Blue Feather Rosas is the director II of sustainability and adaptation at Modesto City Schools in California. He is a 2022 STN Rising SuperStar and serves
on several boards such as the World Resource Institute, Generation180 (Solar), School Energy Coalition and the California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI). Gilbert can be reached at gr122mmlt@gmail.com.

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Related: Education Leader Challenges Transportation Professionals to Reimagine Compliance and Student Access
Related: (STN Podcast E277) Make the System Better: Safety Leadership Training & D.C. Insider on Disability Supports
Related: Giving Birth to Proper Leadership
Related: School Bus Safety Company Unveils New Leadership Training Course to Elevate Safety Leadership

The post Transportation (Success) Leads the Way to Sustainability appeared first on School Transportation News.

On Dec. 10, I attended a unique event held in Washington, D.C., hosted by school bus stop-arm camera and automated enforcement supplier Bus Patrol. The one-day National School Bus Safety Summit assimilated a wide range of child and school transportation safety stakeholders. The event received support from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and Safe Kids Worldwide.

Those of us in the school bus business were by no means a large percentage of attendees. Far different from “our” conferences, where attendees share a common “yellow bus” point of view, this summit included non-profit safety advocate organizations and sectors of government not usually associated with school transportation. In fact, more than one speaker noted that they had never been to a school transportation event.

Attendees included representatives of governors highway safety offices, safe kids and Safe Routes to Schools organizations, law enforcement, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), researchers and more. They even included a few dozen students local to the D.C. area. NASDPTS Executive Director Ronna Weber and NAPT Executive Director and CEO Molly McGee Hewitt (a panelist) were also a part of the school bus audience, along with a handful of school transportation directors and NTSB staff that are well acquainted with school transportation safety issues. (I was disappointed NHTSA was not on the program or in attendance.)

The event format featured information shared by panels of experts followed by interactive tabletop discussions designed to capture takeaways from participants.

I already mentioned that the event was unique and, as such, I’m not sure anyone knew what to expect. I am conditioned to think that events sponsored by vendors and suppliers may be focused on product education or sales. It was a pleasant surprise to see that the 2025 School Bus Safety Summit indeed lived up to its name. With a possible exception of pre-summit activities I was not able to attend, there were no software demos or marketing materials, and my interactions with the Bus Patrol team had nothing to do with sales. It was all about how to improve safety and how best to deal with infractions of highway safety laws.

Kudos to Bus Patrol for delivering on the focus of school bus safety. They made a good effort at getting attendees out of their silos by spreading people out with assigned seating, designed to mix up the crowd.

In his opening remarks, Justin Meyers, Bus Patrol president and chief innovation officer, stated, “We called this summit as a cry for help.” Suggesting the need for a nationwide response, he cited the NASDPTS annual survey as evidence of a large illegal passing problem and implored attendees to brainstorm solutions around the table during the day.

While it’s not realistic to expect a solution to evolve from a one-day discussion, this could be a great first step if the conversation is able to continue.

I’ve been to the annual Lifesavers Conference on Road Safety, where the state highway safety office folks hang out, along with other safety advocates, researchers and law enforcement. School transportation is typically not a part of the focus. A review of a recent conference program confirms that, showing emphasis on occupant protection, distracted driving, law enforcement, pedestrian safety, vehicle technology, driver training and more.

But wait! Aren’t those topics relevant to school transportation, too? Absolutely!

I’m not suggesting that school bus safety should be a core topic of discussions at Lifesavers. (Or am I?) What I am suggesting is that there is a lot to be learned from the knowledge and energy of safety professionals working in similar safety areas. It seems that’s why they were brought together to discuss school bus safety.

The experiences and lessons are not that different. Here are a couple of points made from the podium that resonated with me.

Judge Kate Huffman of the Ohio 2nd District Court of Appeals noted that research indicates fines do not change behavior, and that judges want to change behavior. She noted there are resources for judges in dealing with drunk driving offenders such as curriculum aimed at changing behavior. But there is nothing out there for illegal passing.

“School bus safety is pedestrian safety.” That point was made by Marisa Jones, managing director of the Safe Routes to School Partnership. This is a core concept in NHTSA’s Planning Safer Stops and Routes Toolkit, which notes that every student is a pedestrian before they board the bus or after the disembark, and they need to learn to be safe pedestrians.

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Related: WATCH: West Virginia Releases Illegal Passing Awareness Video
Related: Parents Speak Out After Motorists Target Son with Disabilities at School Bus Stop
Related: Combatting Illegal Passing with Awareness, Technology

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An unexpected piece of advice was shared by Anthony Baldoni of AXON, a public safety technology company. “Don’t lead with the tech. Lead with the objective.” This advice really resonated with me, having spent a lot of time with technology through the years. Whether the topic is using cameras to prosecute stop arm violators or GPS to let parents know where their child’s bus is, gaining support for an initiative comes first by getting support for the objective and then applying the technology.

These are just a few of the points made through the course of the six-plus hour summit. But the points were made by speakers and audience members that don’t typically operate in the school transportation space. (NTSB, NAPT and, of course, Bus Patrol are the exceptions to that statement.) Bus Patrol and GHSA brought this group together to have important conversations and my hope is that this can serve as a model for other collaborations at the national, state or local level to bring school bus safety to the table when other highway safety issues are being discussed, or at least foster relationships that allow for collaboration aimed at improving safety for students as they travel to and from school.

Closing the summit and implying that it would be an annual event, Justin Meyers, said that GHSA will be “memorializing” the events of the day, preparing a national blueprint, moving the attendees from awareness to action. GHSA CEO Jonathan Adkins noted a historical emphasis on “drunk, drugged and distracted driving” but stated that there is now support to add school bus safety to the list, and GHSA will make it a priority going forward.

I’m looking forward to seeing the blueprint derived from the collective thoughts of the attendees that we can use to improve school transportation safety.

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Derek Graham is the retired state director of student transportation for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and is currently an industry consultant. He will present on the topic illegal school bus passing at STN EXPO East in Concord, North Carolina, on March 27.

The post A Unique Gathering and a Cry for Help appeared first on School Transportation News.

Voters walk to a polling place at a school gym in New Orleans. Republicans could gain scores of state legislative seats if the U.S. Supreme Court weakens a federal voting rights law, a new analysis finds. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Republicans could gain nearly 200 state legislative seats across the South if the U.S. Supreme Court guts a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act, a new analysis finds.

The bulk of the gains would be concentrated in 10 GOP-controlled state legislatures in Southern states, according to the analysis, produced by Fair Fight Action, a Georgia-based progressive voting rights group, in partnership with Black Voters Matter Fund, which advocates on behalf of Black voters.

The analysis, featured in a report released by the groups on Monday, underscores the alarm among progressives over the potential consequences of the Supreme Court’s looming decision in a case known as Louisiana v. Callais. While the case centers on the constitutionality of Louisiana’s congressional map, the effects of the decision could extend into statehouses across the country.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appears likely to severely weaken Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark 1965 civil rights law that bans racial discrimination in voting access. Section 2 restricts racial gerrymandering, and until now has limited the power of lawmakers to draw districts that dilute the voting power of racial minority voters.

A sweeping decision by the court could give state lawmakers a freer hand to draw congressional and state legislative districts that dilute the power of minority voters — as well as districts for local governments, such as county commissions, city councils and school boards. The justices held oral arguments in October; a decision could come at any time.

At the state legislative level, a court ruling that strikes down Section 2 could lead to Democrats losing about 191 seats, according to the analysis, which examined how state legislative districts could be redrawn if Section 2 is no longer in place. Most of those seats are currently held by Black lawmakers in districts where minority voters make up a majority of residents.

“What that is doing is providing a fatal blow to Black representation in the South,” Fair Fight Action CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo said in an interview.

The total number of state legislative districts in 10 Southern states where Black or Hispanic voters comprise a majority could fall from 342 to 202. Those states are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Some Republican states argue that courts have interpreted Section 2’s protections too broadly and in the process wrongly restrained the ability of lawmakers to draw favorable maps.

Alabama and 13 other GOP states said in a brief filed with the Supreme Court earlier this year that Section 2 has been turned into “the proverbial golden hammer, wielded by plaintiffs and courts in a never-ending search for a nail.”

If the Supreme Court weakens the Voting Rights Act, it’s unclear whether state legislatures would pursue mid-decade redraws of state legislative districts. Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years following the census.

At the federal level, a previous analysis by Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter Fund projected Republicans could draw an additional 19 U.S. House seats if Section 2 protections were removed.

While a few states have passed new congressional maps already this year, those efforts have proven highly controversial. Some states, such as Indiana and Kansas, have abandoned or rejected them for now.

Stateline reporter Jonathan Shorman can be reached at jshorman@stateline.org.

Wisconsin Supreme Court chambers. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

The Wisconsin Supreme Court declined Monday to throw out Wisconsin’s religious exemption from the state’s unemployment insurance system and affirmed that Catholic Charities organizations in Wisconsin are exempt.

The state’s highest court acted in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June reversing the Wisconsin Court’s decision in 2024, which found the organizations didn’t qualify for the state law’s UI religious exemption.

Monday’s unsigned order made no statements for or against any of the numerous briefs that were filed with the Wisconsin Court after the Supreme Court ruling.

In a 4-3 ruling in March 2024, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held that Catholic Charities’ work was secular rather than religious, and that the organization therefore was not entitled to an exemption in Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance law.

The religious exemption is reserved for employees of churches, their parent organizations, employees of organizations “operated primarily for religious purposes” and controlled by churches or church associations, church ministers or members of a religious order.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously June 5, 2025, that the Wisconsin Court’s ruling “grants a denominational preference by explicitly differentiating between religions based on theological practices” and therefore violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution’s religious freedom provision.

After that ruling, both Catholic Charities and the Wisconsin Department of Justice filed proposed remedies with the Wisconsin Court. The Wisconsin DOJ called on the court to throw out the state law’s religious exemption to restore “equal treatment.”

Catholic Charities rejected that proposal, declaring it showed “animus” toward the charity, and urged the court instead to affirm the exemption.

In the decision Monday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court sent the case back to Douglas County Circuit Court. The order directs the lower court to vacate earlier Labor and Industry Review Commission decisions denying the religious exemption and to direct LIRC to declare Catholic Charities “eligible for the religious purposes exemption to unemployment taxation.”

Victor Forberger, a Wisconsin unemployment lawyer who has written about the case on his blog, told the Wisconsin Examiner that the state high court’s action Monday was not a surprise in light of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

The federal ruling, however, did not address calls by outside groups seeking a more sweeping religious exemption, Forberger said. “How this is going to play out with other entities and their claim for religious exemptions are all to be determined,” he added.

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Holstein milking cows at an Idaho dairy on July 20, 2012. (Photo by Kirsten Strough/U.S. Department of Agriculture.)

WASHINGTON — School cafeterias got a step closer to seeing whole milk again after the U.S. House passed a measure Monday to restore the dairy staple to school lunches. 

The bill unanimously passed the Senate back in November, and now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk. 

The bipartisan effort — which passed the House by voice vote — came after whole milk was barred from school meal programs for more than a decade amid a broader push to curb childhood obesity. 

Under the bill, schools that participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch Program would be allowed to offer “flavored and unflavored organic or nonorganic whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free fluid milk and lactose free fluid milk” as well as “nondairy beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk and meet the nutritional standards established by the Secretary.” 

The bill also would exempt milk fat from being considered saturated fat as it applies to schools’ “allowable average saturated fat content of a meal.” 

The measure allows parents and guardians, on top of physicians, to offer a written statement for their student to receive a nondairy milk substitute.  

GOP Sens. Roger Marshall of Kansas and Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, along with Democratic Sens. Peter Welch of Vermont and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, introduced the measure in the Senate in January. 

Republican Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania and Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier of Washington state brought corresponding legislation in the House.

‘An essential building block’

During floor debate Monday, Thompson, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, said the bill’s purpose is to “restore students’ access to a wide variety of milk options, ensuring students have the necessary nutrients to learn and to grow.” 

Thompson said “milk is an essential building block for a well-rounded and balanced diet, offering 13 essential nutrients and numerous health benefits,” but that “unfortunately, out-of-touch and outdated federal regulations have imposed restrictions on the types of milk students have access to in school meals.” 

Thompson pointed out that the bill “does not require any student to drink or any school to serve whole milk” and instead “simply gives schools the flexibility to serve a broader variety of milk in the school lunchroom.” 

But Rep. Bobby Scott, ranking member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, voiced his opposition, saying that while the bill “does make some improvements to the whole milk debate with its inclusion of better options for students seeking non-dairy alternatives,” he remains “disappointed that the bill overall would make school meals less healthy.”

The Virginia Democrat said the bill “goes against the dairy industry’s stated commitment to ensure that students have access to the healthiest dairy options” consistent with USDA’s and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Milk industry praise

The top five milk-producing states in 2023 were California, Wisconsin, Idaho, Texas and New York, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service.

Michael Dykes, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, celebrated House passage of the bill, which he dubbed a “defining victory for children’s health and for the dairy community that has fought for more than a decade to restore whole and 2% milk for our nation’s students.” 

Dykes urged Trump to sign the bill into law so that USDA “can begin working with state governments and school districts across the country to make this law a reality.” 

A small cannabis plant. (Photo by Getty Images)

President Donald Trump’s administration is looking “very strongly” at reclassifying cannabis from the strictest category of controlled substances, Trump said Monday.

In a brief affirmative response to a reporter’s question in the Oval Office, the president confirmed he is considering a reclassification of marijuana to unlock research funding.

“A lot of people want to see it — the reclassification — because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify,” Trump said. “So we are looking at that very strongly.”

Marijuana is considered a Schedule I drug under the Food and Drug Administration’s classification of controlled substances. The FDA defines drugs on the list, such as heroin and cocaine, as lacking any medicinal value and carrying a high likelihood of abuse.

The designation carries a host of consequences, including a virtual ban on funding research for medicinal or other uses of the drug.

While marijuana use, both medicinal and recreational, is legal in many states, it remains illegal to possess or use in any amount for any reason under federal law.

Advocates have sought for decades to legalize or decriminalize the drug, which many see as less harmful than other Schedule I substances.

The growing split in recent years among many states and federal law has ramped up pressure on federal policymakers to alter the drug’s legal status.

Marijuana businesses in states where it is legal lack access to financial institutions, which cannot lend to businesses considered illegal by federal authorities.

States, meanwhile, have had difficulty regulating the environmental and health aspects of their industries.

And lawmakers, especially Democrats, have increasingly highlighted the frequent injustice of marijuana prosecutions that disproportionately affect communities of color and poor communities, though the drug is widely used across race and economic status.

The suspected shooter is shown taking a right on Waterman Street after leaving the Barus and Holley engineering building Saturday. Police say they cannot tie this man to the man detained at a Coventry hotel. (Screenshot from Providence police video)

Providence police will release the man apprehended at a Coventry hotel early Sunday morning as part of their investigation of the mass shooting at Brown University’s engineering and physics building.

The surprising news came at a twice delayed press conference that began shortly after 11 p.m. at the Providence Public Safety Complex. The press conference was originally slated to begin at 10:30 p.m. and then 10:45 p.m.   

“I’ve been around long enough to know that sometimes you head in one direction and you have to regroup and go in another and that is what has happened over the last 24 hours or so,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said.

The press conference came hours after national news outlets had already named a 24-year-old Wisconsin man, citing law enforcement sources speaking on condition of anonymity. The Associated Press had reported that police had seized two handguns and two loaded 30-round magazines when the man was detained at the Hampton Inn in Coventry.

“What is really unfortunate is that this person’s name was leaked to the public,” Neronha went on. “It’s hard to put that back in the bottle.”

Neronha declined to say what eliminated him as a person of interest.

Meanwhile, officials are still not releasing the names of the victims in the shooting, which killed two students and wounded nine others. Eight students remain hospitalized at Rhode Island Hospital.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said that the search will continue for additional video evidence. Residents living near the Brown University campus, particularly along Hope and Waterman streets, who have doorbells that record motion, are asked to upload any videos recorded after the shooting happened Saturday around 4 p.m. to a designated page on the FBI website.

Smiley said residents and business owners in the area who have video from that time can also call police at (401) 272-3121.

When a reporter asked Neronha if the person of interest would be exonerated in writing, after having his name nationally broadcasted in relation to a mass shooting, Neronha opted to sketch “a clear picture” of case law and the duration of forensics.  

“We can detain someone for a reasonable period of time if there is evidence as such that points to that person being involved in criminal activity,” Neronha said. “So you know, evidence doesn’t appear on your doorstep and you have answers to it within the first 15 minutes.”

Evidence, Neronha added, takes time and testing to confirm. Some tests can take an entire day to perform. 

“So over the course of the day, while we’re following up leads elsewhere, those initial leads may come back positive or may come back negative,” Neronha said. “Here they came back negative.”

Neronha got testy once more when a reporter asked about the availability of any additional video evidence. Smiley was at the podium, but Neronha’s voice boomed forward in reply. 

“If we had that video, you’d have it,” Neronha said. “Obviously, if there was, if there was a piece of video [where] we can show you a face and say, ‘This is our person of interest, or suspect,’ you’d have it.”

Asked about the possibility of additional video — whether from cameras at Brown or in the surrounding area, like homes or businesses — the AG offered a more resigned reply. 

“We’re not holding back video,” Neronha said. “We’re not holding back video that we think would be useful, and I don’t think I should even have to say it.”

The Barus and Holley engineering building where the shooting occurred is an older building with few cameras, Neronha said.

Still, Neronha said, officials cannot divulge everything. “We have a murderer out there, frankly,” he said. “And so we’re not going to give away the game plan.”

Smiley said the individual would “shortly be released” from the Providence Police but did not give a specific time.  

Smiley pledged to provide additional updates as the investigation continues.

“The community deserves to know the progress we are making in this investigation,” Smiley said. “I imagine that the Providence community feels a little bit more anxious than they did an hour ago, and I understand that.”

At a press conference Sunday morning, Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez was cautious in choosing his words to describe the status of the person of interest as being detained and not in custody. Perez had stopped short of saying the man apprehended in Coventry was the same man wearing all black shown walking on Hope Street and taking a right on Waterman Street in the video police released Saturday night.

Asked by a reporter if the man detained was the same man in the video, Perez was clear. “We do not have enough evidence to corroborate that,” the chief said. 

WisconsinEye shut down its website on Monday due to a lack of funding. Emilie Amundson, secretary of the Department of Children and Families at the time, testifies during a hearing in the state Capitol in October 2023 as a WisEye microphone and camera record the session.(Screenshot/WisEye)

WisconsinEye, the independent, nonprofit service that provides video coverage of legislative hearings, floor sessions and Wisconsin state government business similar to C-Span, shut down its website on Monday due to a lack of funding. 

The organization, which launched in 2007, first warned in November it was at risk of halting live coverage as well as pulling its video archive of more than 30,000 hours of state government proceedings, candidate interviews and other programming offline. 

“Due to extreme competition and a complete collapse in private funding — marked by donor fatigue, competing nonprofit campaigns, record-breaking political fundraising and economic uncertainty — WisconsinEye’s website is unavailable,” a message on the WisEye website states. “Without consistent annual funding…. citizens, legislators, legislative staff, the governor’s administration, agency leadership and staff, trade associations, attorneys and the courts, local government officials, journalists and all print, cable, television and radio news outlets, businesses, nonprofit organizations — all lose the only reliable and proven source of unfiltered State Capitol news and state government proceedings.”

Jon Henkes, the president of WisconsinEye, told the Examiner last month that, similar to other nonprofits, the organization has faced a tough fundraising environment since the COVID-19 pandemic. He said then that the organization has made “well qualified, well cultivated” donation requests totaling more than $9 million with none of those requests leading to donations.

Henkes said that the organization was still making donor inquiries and that raising at least $250,000 could get the organization through the first quarter of 2026. 

WisconsinEye has also turned its attention to the state Legislature for help, sending a letter to lawmakers in November asking them to make state funds available for its operational costs. 

The Wisconsin Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers set aside $10 million in matching funds in the 2023-25 state budget to help WisconsinEye build a permanent endowment. After the organization failed to raise sufficient funds to access that money, the current state budget changed provisions so that $250,000 of the $10 million was available with no match, which helped cover expenses through Dec. 15. The rest of the funding was made to be available on a dollar-by-dollar match basis, meaning as WisconsinEye raises its own funds it would be able to get an equivalent amount of state funds. The opportunity for the organization to access the funds expires in June 2026.

The organization is asking for the state to modify the match requirement and make funds available.

“We’re simply asking for release of those funds, or part of those funds, in a way different from the endowment,” Henkes told the Examiner in November. “The best case scenario would be if the Legislature would release a minimum of one year, so $1 million, essentially to carry us forward, and we can focus 100% over the next several months through June, to really hammer down and see if we can’t raise some endowment dollars. We think that’s a very viable option, and we’re hopeful.”

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People gather to sing and show support for Judge Hannah Dugan ahead of her federal trial. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)

A federal jury will begin hearing the case against Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, 66, on Monday in a lawsuit that has drawn national attention, weighing how far the Trump administration can go in squashing resistance to its nationwide crackdown on immigrants. 

The case revolves around events in  April, when Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a 30-year-old Mexican immigrant who had  been charged with battery, appeared in Dugan’s courtroom. Federal agents also arrived at the courtroom that day, seeking Flores-Ruiz, whom they said entered the country illegally over a decade ago. 

Dugan confronted  the federal agents as they waited outside her courtroom. Later, she led Flores-Ruiz  and his attorney out of her courtroom through a side door which led  into the same hallway where the federal agents were waiting. Flores-Ruiz was followed into the elevator and outside by the agents, who chased and then arrested him. 

Days later, Dugan was arrested and handcuffed by FBI agents and charged with obstruction and concealing an individual. FBI Director Kash Patel posted photographs of Dugan in handcuffs and celebrated her arrest, writing on X, “No one is above the law.” 

In early April, prior to Flores-Ruiz, ICE arrested two other people at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Officials expressed concerns that the arrests were causing defendants, witnesses and victims to avoid coming to court or cooperating with law enforcement. 

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley objected to what he characterized as intimidation tactics in enforcing its immigration crackdown and wielding the power of the state against  “anyone who opposes these policies.” In a statement, Crowley said, “we have an obligation to administer our courts in a safe, efficient manner that delivers due process for anyone.” 

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of the immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera, said that the Trump officials  “basically want to be unleashed to do whatever they want to commit these raids in courtrooms across the country.” Milwaukee-area Democratic Sens. Chris Larson and Tim Carpenter and Reps. Christine Sinicki, Darrin Madison, Supreme Moore Omokunde, Angelito Tenorio, and Sequanna Taylor issued a joint statement calling the county courthouse “a sanctuary for justice and peace where the accused come forward willingly in a fair an unbiased process”, and warned that “arresting people out of a courtroom will lead to a breakdown of civil society.” 

At the end of April, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan with pay. Her case catalyzed protests outside the Milwaukee FBI Office, and was repeatedly mentioned at the summer’s No Kings protests. In July, Republican lawmakers introduced a bill to withhold pay for suspended judges. 

“In these rare circumstances, these judges’ actions and alleged misconduct rose to such a level that suspension was warranted,” the bill’s authors, Sen. Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee), Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August (R-Walworth) and Rep. Shae Sortwell (R-Two Rivers) wrote in a memo.  “Simply put, Wisconsin taxpayers must be protected from the misconduct and/or commission of a crime by rogue judges.”

If convicted, Dugan, who has pleaded not guilty, faces six years in prison. Her legal team initially attempted to have the case thrown out,  t arguing that Dugan is covered by  judicial immunity. That argument was rejected by U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, who wrote that judges have civil immunity for official actions, but not criminal immunity, and that the case should go forward.

“As she said after her unnecessary arrest, Judge Dugan asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court,” Dugan’s defense attorneys said in a statement.

On Thursday night, a crowd gathered outside the federal courthouse to support Dugan. 

Therese Heeg, 66, told the Wisconsin Examiner that she felt a responsibility to attend the rally to “protect our democracy for my children, my grandchildren, my son-in-law who’s unable to live in the U.S. because he’s from Africa, my best friend’s children who are Hispanic who are afraid for their lives, even though they’re citizens.” Heeg said she’s worried about immigration enforcement coming to the city to take people away. “Every single day there’s more and more atrocities happening right here,” said Heeg. “We are trapping people in camps…I used to wonder what it was like to live under the Nazis, and now I know, I’m living it. It’s shocking, it’s hard to comprehend at the same time that it’s happening every single day. 

Jury selection on Thursday was  closed off from the public and media by U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, who is hearing the case. Adelman was responding to concerns from both the prosecution and defense that public questioning would taint the jury. An audio feed allowing media to listen to the jury selection process was restored following a legal   challenge by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Sister Barbara Pfarr, who is among the leaders of the faith-based social justice group MICAH, said that the national attention on Dugan’s case shows that the judge struck a nerve by standing up to the  Trump administration. Pfarr was disturbed by the effort to restrict press access during jury selection, and wondered whether anything similar would happen during the trial. “That’s the other big reason that I’m here, we’ve lost our democracy.”

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The Madison Social Security Administration field office. The federal Administration for Children and Families is calling on states, including Wisconsin, to stop diverting Social Security and other federal benefits that are supposed to be made available to foster children. (Wisconsin Examiner photo)

Federal officials are urging 39 states, including Wisconsin, to quit hoarding federal benefits that are supposed to go to children in foster care, but that agencies instead take to help pay for their foster care expenses.

The practice has been going on in various states for two decades or more, according to advocates who have been calling to ban it for nearly as long.

Wisconsin is among the states that received letters last week from the federal Administration for Children and Families, calling on them to stop diverting Social Security survivor’s benefits that are supposed to go to foster children.

“Every earned benefit dollar belongs to these foster youth, not the government agencies or bureaucrats,” said Alex J. Adams, the ACF assistant secretary, in a press release from ACF and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“ACF has notified all 39 governors who allow this practice and aims to work with states to end it,” the press release stated. “The goal is to ensure these earned benefits are no longer taken from foster youth and are instead preserved to support them as they transition out of state care.”

In Wisconsin, the office of Gov. Tony Evers pointed to a provision Evers included in his proposed 2025-27 state budget to end the practice, but that Republican lawmakers removed without comment at the start of budget deliberations.

“It’s been a long-time issue now, but unfortunately it has been largely under the radar,” said Daniel Hatcher, a University of Baltimore law professor and an early critic of the practice. Hatcher has advocated on behalf of affected foster children for more than two decades and written extensively about the issue, including in the Wisconsin Law Review.

A Marshall Project-National Public Radio project in 2021 found that 49 states at the time were rerouting foster children’s federal benefits to cover some of their costs. Hatcher said that has helped raise more attention to the issue.

“I think most people, when you talk to them about this practice, when they  understand what’s going on, they’re outraged,” Hatcher told the Wisconsin Examiner.

Foster children who would qualify for Social Security survivors’ benefits or veterans’ survivor benefits because their parents have died, as well as foster children who themselves have disabilities and qualify for Social Security disability payments (SSI) have all been affected, Hatcher said.

Hatcher first publicized the practice in a 2006 law review article that documented how state and local child welfare agencies, or the private contractors that they engage to manage their programs, were intercepting federal benefits that are supposed to go to foster children.

“The agencies identify foster children who are disabled or have deceased or disabled parents, apply for Social Security benefits on the children’s behalf, and then take the children’s benefits to reimburse foster care costs for which the children have no legal obligation,” Hatcher wrote.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2003 upheld the practice, but advocates have been fighting to end it ever since.

In Wisconsin, Hatcher wrote in a 2018 op-ed article for the CapTimes, the administration of then-Gov. Scott Walker signed a contract in 2011 with Maximus Inc. that the management company used to “increase the number of children classified as disabled and to locate children with deceased birth parents — not to provide more services to the children, but so the state can take their resources.”

Drawing on public records, Hatcher estimated that the contract yielded at least $3 million “in survivor and disability benefits from foster children each year” in Milwaukee County alone, “and the state has been taking millions more from foster children in other jurisdictions.”

Earlier this year the Evers administration estimated that about $3.2 million each year was being diverted from foster children’s SSI or Social Security survivors’ benefits, with about 95% going to fund the foster care system. The figures were cited in a Legislative Fiscal Bureau’s March summary of Evers’ proposed 2025-27 budget.

The governor’s budget proposal included a provision to end the diversion and instead deposit the benefits in trust funds for each child in foster care.

The proposal also included language to prohibit the Department of Children and Families or county child welfare agencies from using those funds to pay for foster care. DCF officials said the department would seek additional funding in the state budget to replace what counties lost as a result, according to the fiscal bureau’s summary.

The proposal to stop diverting the benefits was one of more than 600 items in Evers’ draft budget that the Republican majority on the Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee deleted on the first day of budget deliberations.

Asked whether the Evers administration had any comment on the federal notice last week, the governor’s communications director, Britt Cudaback, replied in an email message, “Nothing beyond the fact we already tried to address this, but Republican lawmakers rejected the effort.”

Before his confirmation as ACF assistant secretary, Adams was director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. In May, he directed the department to stop diverting foster children’s survivor benefits, the Idaho Capital Sun reported.

Idaho is one of 11 states that have ended the diversion of survivor benefits, according to the DHS/ACF press release.

The Children’s Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego has identified at least eight states and the District of Columbia that have completely banned the diversion of all benefits designated for foster children. A number of other states have attempted to stop the diversion of selected benefits.

The federal notice marks an important step in the campaign to end the practice, said Amy Harfeld, the institute’s national policy director.

“We’re very excited about what this does,” Harfeld told the Wisconsin Examiner. “It doesn’t fix the whole problem but it sets a really solid marker in the ground that not only keeps states moving forward but leads toward the next changes that need to be made to actually put an end to it.”

The Children’s Advocacy Institute acknowledges Wisconsin’s unsuccessful attempt to curb the practice in the 2025 budget.

With the failure of that effort, however, “Wisconsin isn’t looking so good right now,” Harfeld said. “It’s one of only 11 states that haven’t done anything.”

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