SBCUSD director wins award from statewide association The San Bernardino City Unified School District Board of Education recently recognized staff member Kimbre Sargent, director of Categorical Programs, for a state-level honor.

The Board of Education recognized Sargent during its Jan. 20 meeting for being the California Association of Administrators of State and Federal Education Programs 2025 District State & Federal Leader. Sargent, a former SBCUSD principal, was selected by CAASFEP members based on her exemplary leadership, dedication and impact in implementing and managing state and federal education programs at the school district level.

Announced in October 2025 as part of CAASFEP’s inaugural awards program, the District State & Federal Leader Award recognizes Sargent’s strong commitment to advancing equitable and effective state and federal education programs in the service of students, educators and school communities in her role as director of Categorical Programs.

SBCUSD’s Categorical Programs department helps monitor and implement district and school budgets and state and federal programs, including the School Plan for Student Achievement and the Local Control and Accountability Plan. The Categorical Programs department also oversees the School Site Council, a decision-making body that represents school and community partners at every SBCUSD campus.

Assemblymember Mia Bonta has announced the launch of the California Children’s Caucus, a new bipartisan and bicameral caucus focused on improving conditions for children in the state by centering their voices in policy decisions.

As founding chair of the caucus, Bonta held a news conference Feb. 17 alongside child advocates and an inaugural class of 40 legislators from both parties and from both the state Senate and Assembly.

“We are going to be focused on solutions — solutions that are child-centered,” Bonta said in a news release announcing the caucus. “Nearly one in every five children in California are living in poverty in the fourth largest economy in the world. We know that in California we can do better for our kids.”

The California Children’s Caucus represents more than 8 million children across the Golden State and will organize its work around key pillars, including: childcare access, foster youth, children’s health, education, civic engagement, youth justice, housing security, environmental sustainability, economic security, financial literacy, and overall child welfare.

During the launch Assemblymember Bonta announced two new pieces of legislation, AB 1969, the It Takes a Village Act of 2026 which establishes a three-year grant program to build and strengthen cradle-to-career networks across California, and AB 1996, the No More Child Poverty Act, which sets a goal to cut child poverty in half within 10 years and establishes an 18-member council to hold the state accountable towards the goal of ending child poverty.

Report: Gambling prevelant among boys More than a third of boys have gambled in the last year, according to a new research report from Common Sense Media that details the prevalence of gambling in the lives of boys.

Released a week ahead of the Super Bowl, “Betting on Boys: Understanding Gambling Among Adolescent Boys” reveals that video games, social media algorithms, and peers are closely associated with boys’ gambling habits.

The report, which surveyed more than 1,000 adolescent boys age 11 to 17 across the United States, reveals that 36 percent of boys gambled in the last year, with that number varying from nearly a third of 11-year-olds to nearly half of 17-year-olds.

“Boys are gambling from a very early age,” said Common Sense Media Founder and CEO James P. Steyer, in a news release. “Through the games they play, the social media platforms they use every day, and their friends, gambling has become a fact of many boys’ day-to-day lives — and often in ways parents may not recognize. Our research shows that we are at a pivotal moment for boys’ well-being and their futures. Without safeguards and support, many boys may be forming risky relationships with gambling before they fully understand the consequences. All of us — parents, educators, industry, and policymakers—must treat this issue with the urgency it demands.”

The research suggests that digital environments, from games that incorporate chance-based systems to algorithmic feeds that surface gambling to boys, can expose boys to gambling long before they seek it out. Because adolescence is a period of heightened sensitivity to rewards and peer influences, these exposures warrant attention from parents, educators, and policymakers.

Read the full report at www.commonsensemedia.org/research/betting-on-boys-understanding-gambling-among-adolescent-boys.