Schools won't get letter grades this year; a family picks up the pieces after a mysterious rampage

The Advocate's Top Headlines

with Matthew Albright | Assistant metro editor

Good morning! Let's get you caught up on all the latest out of Baton Rouge.

School letter grades shelved

Louisiana's practice of assigning letter grades to schools is controversial. Many teachers feel the grades put too much emphasis on test scores and don't consider other factors, but some parent advocates say it's an important way for parents to understand how their kids' school is doing.

This year, the grades won't be going out. State officials say the coronavirus pandemic disrupted schools too much for the grades to be meaningful.

This story explains the decision, and what it means for schools.

Picking up the pieces

Kevin Schexnayder's son is in the hospital with seven gunshot wounds. His son's partner is dead. And police say it was Kevin's nephew who shot them — and who also killed a state trooper and woudned two other people.

Schexnayder has no idea why.

This story looks at how one family is picking up the pieces after a shocking rampage over the weekend.

More on FEMA scams

We wrote a story last week about people reporting FEMA scams, and about two dozen people called us saying it happened to them.

This story looks at what's happening: The scammers are digging up homeowners' personal info and filing requests in their name. For people who didn't face serious damage, it's unsettling, but for people who did face damage it can interfere with their ability to get help.

Thanks for reading, and havea a great day.