Newsroom

Upon the D.C. Council’s return from summer recess last week, Council member Christina Henderson (I-At large) introduced the Educator Background Check Streamlining Act. In her comments, she said the legislation would balance the need for efficiency and student safety.

D.C. Council member Christina Henderson is spearheading a bill that would add points to driver’s licenses for traffic violations caught by the city’s automated enforcement system. Under the Automated Traffic Effectiveness Amendment Act of 2022 — co-introduced by Henderson (I-At Large), Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1), Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) and Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) — the first infraction within a two-year period results in a warning, and any points imposed from automated enforcement would be waived if vehicle owners complete a traffic safety course.

School boundaries and feeder patterns not only shape the lives of children, they affect housing, travel patterns, and can contribute to citywide segregation. A 2019 Urban Institute report finds that these lines create unequal schools not only based on race and ethnicity, but on staffing, discipline, and test scores. Moreover, across the US, these boundaries hew closely to redlining maps — the racist, New Deal-era federal policy that determined who was and wasn’t worthy of home loans based on race. This conversation built on an ongoing GGWash series by Abigail Higgins and ventured behind the headlines for a virtual conversation with local experts on what school boundaries and feeder patterns are, and how they shape our lives. This webinar is part of Intersections, GGWash's recurring educational webinar series.

This conversation built on an ongoing GGWash series by Abigail Higgins and ventured behind the headlines for a virtual conversation with local experts on what school boundaries and feeder patterns are, and how they shape our lives. This webinar is part of Intersections, GGWash's recurring educational webinar series.

If you get caught by a traffic enforcement camera in the D.C. area, the ticket results in a fine. But some District lawmakers think the tickets also should include a point on the driver’s licenses of vehicle owners.

Flags and new 25-mile-per-hour signs now line two major commuter routes: Connecticut Avenue, NW and New York Avenue, NE.

"The bill, authored by Councilmember Christina Henderson (I-At Large), would ramp up the consequences for a number of traffic violations by allowing the city to use its cameras to do what police officers can already do when they pull someone over, which is assess points on their driver’s license."

Councilmember Christina Henderson Introduces Legislation to Streamline DCPS Staff and Volunteer Background Checks

“Meanwhile, at-large council member Christina Henderson introduced a bill to streamline the D.C. Public Schools hiring process.”

“Relatedly, on Nov. 17…[the] human services committee will vote on [a bill] from Councilmember Christina Henderson (I-At Large) to increase the monthly payment for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).”

“However, about 25,000 participate in the My School DC lottery. In this system, families rank their top 12 choices before an algorithm assigns them to a school. It means students have access to specialized programs (such as language immersion or extracurricular activities) but also that students may have longer commutes. What that journey looks like and whether they can take full advantage of their school options has a lot to do with transportation equity. ‘We like to talk about choice, but the reality is that if you can’t get to those choices, then it’s not really a choice,’ said at-large Councilmember Christina Henderson.”

In this Hearing the Council interview, we talk with At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson about the impact that the elimination of national abortion rights (via the overturning of Roe v. Wade) will have here in the District, today and in the future. We also discuss the recent viral tweet regarding future educational requirements for DC's early childhood education workers, including its legislative history, motivation, and the nitty-gritty of what is required, and of whom.