Toyota Alabama announced a $4.2 million grant to Huntsville Schools to fund access to STEM and other resources for elementary and middle school students.

Why it matters: The funding, from Toyota's Driving Possibilities initiative, is better equipping classrooms and preparing students to pursue careers that fit their interests.

• It follows a similar 2023 grant of $6.7 million, bringing the total from Toyota to nearly $11 million.

Zoom in: The grant and partnership with the school system, and Huntsville/Madison County Chamber Foundation, will fund a STEM coordinator for the district and embed STEM coaches in six elementary and two middle schools.

• Care closets, with essentials including clothing, school supplies, toiletries and snacks, will be established at 10 schools through Caring Link.
• Monthly training sessions with nonprofit Second Mile will work to increase parent engagement.
• Ten schools will get funding for Greenpower USA cars to develop STEM skills and manufacturing and project management experience.

What they're saying: "The beautiful thing about this grant is that it's focused on students and teachers," HCS superintendent Clarence Sutton said. "The No. 1 resource for any student is a supported, passionate, qualified teacher and this grant covers both."

• Zac McWhorter, career technical education director and principal for the center for technology, said the initial grant helped support instructors, equipment and lab space.
• "We hope that more students continue to be involved in STEM programming in the elementary and middle schools, so then it's just a vertical alignment with our high school programs," he said.

Context: Toyota now employs around 2,400 employees in Huntsville, officials said Wednesday, up from around 1,600 four years ago.

• Marc Perry, Toyota Alabama president, said the programs will help prepare students to "work anywhere, because you just give them that opportunity."

With kids back in school, neuroscientists, scholars and psychologists are encouraging parents to get curious about how their children — particularly elementary, middle and high school students — are using AI.

Why it matters: There's essentially "an experiment underway" with young kids, because a huge percentage of them are using genAI tools at school and at home, says Kris Perry, executive director of children and screens at the Institute of Digital Media and Child Development.

State of play: A longitudinal K-12 study of the impact of AI tools in the classroom doesn't yet exist, and every state, school committee and teacher seems to be incorporating AI differently.

Zoom in: Here are some questions parents should ask about how AI is being incorporated into their children's classrooms, educators and scientists tell Axios.

1. Are the AI tools and policies safe?

Read school AI policies and ask for clarification, educators say.

• "If parents are in a school that has no policy or confusing ones, I always advocate for them to push the matter," Katherine Goyette, computer science coordinator for California Department of Education, tells Axios' Megan Morrone.

AI products built for adults might not fit kids, Perry worries, pointing to challenges with social media.

2. Does the child have an opportunity for deep reading?

Reading can shift feelings and perspectives — it's why a single coming-of-age story can be life-changing.

• "The developmental concerns are huge" for young people offloading reading and summarizing to an LLM, says children's literacy advocate Maryanne Wolf, a director in UCLA's education department.

More questions to ask

💛 Monica B., from Huntsville, is a contestant on the upcoming season of ABC's Golden Bachelor. The first episode airs Sept. 24. (Hville Blast)

⛔️ A Huntsville charter school, Under the Oaks, was denied a second extension to meet conditions set in May when the Alabama Public Charter School Commission initially approved its charter. (Alabama Daily News)

• The school needed a federal court order confirming it wouldn't interfere with the city school system's ongoing desegregation case, and prove $250,000 in startup funds.

✍️ The Madison County DA's office has begun interviewing students regarding the August Borden case. (WAAY)

Once every three years, Huntsville International Airport hosts a full-scale disaster drill, testing responses for communication, fire and police, emergency medical, mutual aid and more.

• The most recent iteration happened Wednesday, simulating the fiery crash of a commercial airplane full of passengers, the airport said in an announcement.
• More than 80 volunteers took part, sporting realistic makeup simulating severe wounds and scattered around a massive, burning metal tube quickly extinguished by Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting trucks.

What they're saying: "Success at an emergency exercise that simulates such a tragic event means that any weaknesses in our response system were uncovered, and that means we will be even better prepared for the real thing," said Chris Scott, Port of Huntsville public safety chief.