Kristen Griffith

Maryland

Education Reporter at The Baltimore Banner

Education Reporter for @BaltimoreBanner | [email protected] | Previous: @Philanthropy, @CCTNews, @SoMdNews

Articles

At 11, she’s turned heartbreak into hope on the National Spelling Bee stage

1 week ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Kristen Griffith

Amelia “Bindi” Ray sat on her Florida lawn crying as neighbors hauled away her toys. Her mom couldn’t afford a storage space big enough for all 30 years’ worth of memories accumulated in her family home. “We’ll make everything back someday,” Dr. Sandhini Ray told her daughter before they flew back to their Baltimore County apartment. It had been a rough couple of years for the family, who were grappling with the deaths of Bindi’s father and grandmother.
These Baltimore County schools cracked down on cellphones. Here’s how it went.

2 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Kristen Griffith

When Principal Adam Carney asked Cockeysville Middle School teachers about the top challenge they faced in 2021, their answer wasn’t COVID. It was cellphones. That summer, Carney and his team came up with a violation system to hold kids accountable. They were unsure how effective their strategy would be, but they got buy-in from staff and parents.
While some schools cut back, Baltimore County’s top teacher leans into inclusion

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Kristen Griffith

For a quarter-century, developers who worked in Baltimore County were paying into bond funds designed to cover the cost of growth like it was …
While some schools cut back, Baltimore Co.’s top teacher leans into inclusion

2 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Kristen Griffith

A Catonsville Middle School student’s face lit up when Brittany Jakubowski greeted him in his native language. “Hola,” was all she said. Jakubowski recalled the conversation from a few years ago as short-lived — she couldn’t understand the Spanish-speaker’s lengthy response — but it was important to her that he feel included as a newcomer to the U.S. She committed to learn the language on the Duolingo app, recently completing a 365-day streak.
Baltimore County teachers demand raises they were promised amid budget cuts

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Kristen Griffith

Teachers in Baltimore County will call on district leaders to give them the raises their contract promised next school year. Baltimore County Public Schools employees were expecting 5% raises, part of a three-year compensation deal, but the teachers union announced in a news release Tuesday that they were offered 1.5% raises instead.
How Baltimore County school budget woes could reshape student mental health support

1 month ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Kristen Griffith

Mental health staff at Baltimore County Public Schools willsoonget the summer off. They’re not happy about it. Starting in July, department chair counselors and psychologists will move from 12-month to 10-month work schedules, reducing their salaries by thousands. The change saves the school system $1.8 million as district leaders navigate budget constraints.
Woodlawn High School student hit by car, sent to hospital

1 month ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Kristen Griffith

A Woodlawn High School student was hospitalized after being hit by a car Thursday afternoon. In a letter to parents, Principal Jamel Jernigan described the incident as “serious.” She wrote that the student was hit while crossing Security Boulevard, a divided highway that intersects with Woodlawn Drive, where the school is located. A college and career day scheduled for Thursday evening was canceled due to the police’s ongoing investigation into the collision.
Woodlawn High School student hit by car, sent to hospital

1 month ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Kristen Griffith

A Woodlawn High School student was hit by a car Thursday afternoon and taken to the hospital. In a letter to parents, Principal Jamel Jernigan described the incident as “serious.” She wrote that the student was hit while crossing Security Boulevard, a divided highway that intersects with Woodlawn Drive, — where the school is located. A College and Career Day scheduled for Thursday evening was canceled due to the police’s ongoing investigation into the collision.
Baltimore County: School system to renegotiate staff salary raises

1 month ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Kristen Griffith

Officials at Baltimore County Public Schools are rethinking salary increases for staff, something Superintendent Myriam Rogers committed to during her first year on the job. In a Monday evening email to parents, Rogers stated that the school system “will reopen negotiations for compensation increases with all five union bargaining units.” The five unions represent all of the systems’ 20,000 employees, which include teachers, principals and building service workers.
Man accused of using AI to impersonate Pikesville High principal takes plea deal

1 month ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Dylan Segelbaum |Kristen Griffith

Dazhon Darien, the man accused of using artificial intelligence to impersonate the principal of Pikesville High School, on Monday accepted that prosecutors could prove the case against him but did not admit guilt. Darien, 32, who splits his time between Baltimore and Houston, entered an Alford plea to disturbing school operations in Baltimore County Circuit Court right before he was set to stand trial. Baltimore County Circuit Judge Jan Marshall Alexander sentenced him to four months in jail.