Welcome to Cashing in on Kids, a newsletter for people who think public education should be truly, absolutely, authentically public—produced by In the Public Interest.

Not a subscriber? Sign up. And make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

How did cops end up in U.S. schools? On her podcast Have You Heard, journalist Jennifer Berkshire digs into three cities—Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago—and goes back 60 years to another era wracked by mass social protest: the 1960’s. She talks with students in Boston and historians Matt Kautz, Judith Kafka, and Louis Mercer. Have You Heard

More charter schools take small business relief. Bullis Charter School in Los Altos, California, has been awarded $2 million in forgivable loans through a federal relief program meant to help struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mountain View Voice

Palisades Charter High School, in swanky Pacific Palisades, California, also took money from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). “Since the government funds its operations, Palisades Charter High School’s revenue has not been affected by Covid-19. The school is also supposed to operate as a non-profit, not a business. Still, the school’s Chief Business Officer, Greg Wood, applied for a $4.606 million dollar loan from the PPP. He did so without receiving prior approval from the school’s governing board.” Patch

Charter regulations to be relaxed in Idaho. The Idaho Public Charter School Commission has put three of its schools on notice regarding their finances. But revisions are in store for the commission’s accountability model. “The revisions would ease up and streamline performance expectations for more than 60 charters under the commission’s purview.” Idaho Ed News

What resources are needed for a “just” recovery in public education? Parents, teachers, and activists came together to discuss the future of public education in Massachusetts. Speakers included Massachusetts Teachers Association President Merrie Najimy, Executive Director of Citizens for Public Schools Lisa Guisbond, Medford City Councilor Zac Bears, teacher Suzie McGlone, and student Evelyn Reyes. Watch the webinar

How K12 Inc. expects to profit off of the pandemic’s school closures. The Hechinger Report’s “Future of Learning” looks at K12 Inc.’s outlook as coronavirus rolls on. “Problems such as low graduation rates, dismal student achievement and high student turnover at many K12 schools are the result of a business model that prioritizes keeping down the costs of educating students, said Neil Campbell, director of innovation for K-12 Education Policy at the Center for American Progress.” The Hechinger Report