At the bottom: Louisiana ranked 48th in an annual national assessment of child well-being in areas like poverty, education and health access. The 2017 The Kids Count, by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, shows Louisiana ranked in the same spot it held in 2016. Though the state has improved on some education, health and economic benchmarks—such as high school students graduating on time and children with steadily employed parents—the numbers still fell below national averages. A bright spot: The percentage of children with health insurance improved to 96%, surpassing the national average. Still, the number of child and teen deaths worsened, and the percentage of children living in poverty edged up to 28%. See the full report.
Taking it to court: The National Women’s Law Center is suing the U.S. Department of Education in a Washington D.C. federal court for access to data on sexual harassment cases in U.S. schools, The Washington Post reports. The nonprofit, which advocates for women’s rights, says it requested the public records in January but was denied due to “a backlog of requests and competing demands” for the time of the department’s staff. The federal agency didn’t say when it might be able to reply. And months later, the group says it’s heard nothing about the records it’s seeking. The NWLC says the data is needed to understand how the Trump administration is handling Title IX, the federal education law that bars sex-based discrimination at schools that receive federal funding. Read more.
On leave: Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will take a leave of absence for an unspecified period and let his leadership team run the troubled ride-hailing company while he’s gone. The Associated Press reports Kalanick notified his employees about his decision in a memo sent today. Kalanick says he needs time off to grieve for his mother, who died in a May boating accident. He also says he’s responsible for the company’s current climate and needs to become a better leader. The announcement comes as former U.S. Attorney Eric Holder released a list of recommendations to improve Uber’s toxic workplace culture, which condoned sexual harassment, bullying and retaliation against those who reported problems. Read the full story.
