For the first time in more than a decade, a leading pediatricians group has put out new guidance about recess, saying it’s crucial for good health and good grades and should be part of the school day for students of all ages. The updated policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics comes after years of shrinking breaks between lessons and worsening children’s health. The group cites the latest research on why these breaks are essential for kids’ academic success and mental, physical, social and emotional growth. The guidance was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Freddie Hendricks, a middle school theater teacher in Georgia, is getting a Tony Award. Hendricks is receiving a special Tony that honors educators. He founded the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta and has been an arts educator for over 30 years. He estimates that between 20 and 28 of his students have gone on to Broadway. The award includes a $10,000 prize for Utopian Academy and tickets to the June 7 Tony ceremony. Hendricks emphasizes self-love and creating a safe space for his students. Two of his former students will be at the Tonys with him — sound designer Justin Ellington and performer-producer Kandi Burruss.
Freddie Hendricks, a middle school theater teacher at Utopian Academy for the Arts in Ellenwood, Ga., poses at the school on May 6, 2026. (Vinny Varsalona via AP)
AMORY – Eight Amory High School seniors were honored May 1 for continuing their band careers at the college level.
Visionary leader behind AI tech delivers keynote, receives honorary doctorate
Schools and universities across the country are recovering from an outage tied to a cyberattack that knocked down Canvas. The online platform manages exams, course notes, lecture videos and grades. The disruption hit in the middle of finals period for many colleges, a high-stress time when students and instructors rely heavily on the platform. Instructure is the parent company of Canvas and says the platform is available again to most users as of late Thursday. A threat analyst at the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft says the hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach.
A key online learning system used by thousands of schools and universities is back after a cyberattack knocked it offline, creating chaos as students tried to study for finals. A cybersecurity threat analyst says a hacking group called ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for breaching Canvas. Instructure, the company behind Canvas, said late Thursday that the system was available for most users. An expert says the hackers posted online that nearly 9,000 schools worldwide were affected, with billions of private messages and other records accessed. Teachers had to find workarounds to help students study for exams and submit final assignments, and some schools pushed back finals.
An image of a notice sent by Georgia Tech's information technology department warning students, professors and staff about the cybersecurity breach of the Canvas system it uses for assignments and grading is displayed on a phone, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Decatur, Georgia. (AP Photo/Michael Warren)
A cyberattack has caused chaos for students at thousands of schools as they study for finals. The attack Thursday targeted a system that schools and universities use to manage grades, assignments and lecture videos. The hacking group named ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach at Instructure, the company behind the learning management system Canvas. An expert says the hacking group posted online that nearly 9,000 schools worldwide were affected, with billions of private messages and other records accessed.
FILE - People take photos near a John Harvard statue, left, on the Harvard University campus, Jan. 2, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)


