Chalkbeat now has a new look — and a public health sister site

Three logos, one blue, red and pink on a white background.
Chalkbeat, Votebeat and Healthbeat logos (Civic News Company)

Welcome to the new Chalkbeat!

If you’re a regular reader, you might notice that things look a little different here today. Nothing about our stories or the functionality of our site is changing, but we have a new look that we hope you enjoy: simple, modern, and with the work you know and love front and center.

Why? It’s always nice to feel fresh at the start of a school year. But more importantly, the change comes as we launch a new sibling site. Meet Healthbeat, which is officially launching today to cover public health.

Healthbeat reporters will be digging into issues that shape our collective well-being, from infectious diseases to air and water quality and food safety. And they will be bringing the Chalkbeat (and Votebeat) model of national and local reporting to bear on public health at a time when it’s badly needed. Healthbeat will start with bureaus in New York City and Atlanta as well as national reporting in partnership with the great folks over at KFF Health News.

I hope you will check them out, starting with editor in chief Charlene Pacenti’s introduction to Healthbeat’s work. You can also sign up for Healthbeat’s newsletters here.

— Sarah Darville, Chalkbeat editor in chief

The Latest

In private emails, a leading advocacy group fretted about the move and secured a meeting with the Labor Secretary, who will oversee a key charter program.

The 8-1 vote on the recommendations came amid increasing public pressure to retain the power of the elected school board over district buildings and transportation.

The Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship was a 33-year-old initiative funded by the state to diversify the teacher workforce. After the program was challenged in 2024, lawmakers decided to erase all language related to race and ethnicity and change eligibility requirements.

Most of the money went to hire literacy academic interventionists for students struggling to learn to read.

The bills come after a Chalkbeat investigation found that NYC schools routinely ignore rules that are supposed to protect students with disabilities from lengthy suspensions.

In a statement, the board said the move would be a ‘step toward unparalleled local accountability.’