By Brian Lyman | Editor
“Releasing it in the way that they did made it look like students were kind of walking around here looking any type of way, and that’s just not true. We as a student population represent ourselves well, so I think publishing the dress code like they did just makes us look bad.” - Serenity Mitchell, Tuskegee student, on dress code changes
A banner hangs across the main road through Tuskegee University welcoming new and returning students on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 in Tuskegee, Ala. (Estela Munoz for Alabama Reflector)
EDUCATION
By Andrea Tinker
Changes to Tuskegee University’s dress code over the summer — banning “revealing clothing” in classes as well as bedroom shoes and bonnets — led to widespread comments and arguments on social media over the summer. But students returning to Tuskegee for the start of classes on Wednesday said the changes were restrictive or tried to address non-existent problems, with some saying they put students in a bad light.
The headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama on February 8, 2023. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
By Ralph Chapoco
Attorneys for the Southern Poverty Law Center on Wednesday asked a federal court to expand a potential jury pool and take steps to prevent bias in an upcoming criminal trial. The motion cited the prominence of the group in Montgomery and the nature of the charges from the U.S. Department of Justice, which accuses SPLC of defrauding donors through a paid informant program, charges the civil rights nonprofit denies.
A group of children playing in a classroom. Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services announced proposed changes to the federal Head Start Program. (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)
EDUCATION
By Andrea Tinker
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month announced plans to revamp the federal Head Start program, preparing three and four-year-olds from impoverished backgrounds for school, to “return power to the states” and fit the program to local needs. While Alabama officials spoke cautiously about the changes, one expert said they could expand the size of Head Start classes and leave the state on the hook for cuts to federal funding.
ICYMI
Trump administration advances plan to rescind protections for nearly 45 million wild acres | Alex Baumhardt, Oregon Capital Chronicle
Testing of COVID-19 treatment funded by South Carolina approved to start clinical trial | Jessica Holdman, South Carolina Daily Gazette
Several Arkansas cities pull plug on Flock cameras | Ainsley Platt, Arkansas Advocate
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