Free Republic

Two days a week, Vern Rustrian knocks on the doors of students who have given up on school. This might seem like a simple assignment. But at Ida B. Wells High School, few things are straightforward... With the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at almost 96%, Ida B. Wells faces huge challenges just to get teens in class. Therein lies why Rustrian has one of the hardest jobs in the San Francisco Unified School District. Though his official title is Ida B. Wells’ attendance liaison, he calls himself a “ghostbuster.” Of the 250 students who attended Ida B....

In February, a mascot survey was sent to students and staff. They submitted 420 different nominations, said Ellen Whatmore, a teacher at Ida B. Wells who served on the committee to find a new name and mascot. The massive list of potential mascots was narrowed down to just five, with the evergreen tree being the frontrunner. But just before the Portland Public Schools Board of Education's vote to approve the new mascot Tuesday, March 30, Director Michelle DePass shared community concerns of an unwanted correlation between Ida B. Wells—the historic Black activist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who documented and crusaded...