Kristen Griffith
@kris10griffith.bsky.social
Education Reporter for The Baltimore Banner
kristen.griffith@thebaltimorebanner.com
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/author/kristen-griffith/
kristen.griffith@thebaltimorebanner.com
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/author/kristen-griffith/
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
In journalism we’re used to pointing out problems, not solving them. This was a chance to think differently and offer Baltimore kids and parents solutions.
Take a look and tell us what you think.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Take a look and tell us what you think.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
School buses for every Baltimore student seemed impossible — until now
School transportation company HopSkipDrive used AI and a Banner analysis to map how yellow buses, vans and cars could get Baltimore students to school safely and on time for less than 5% of the distri...
www.thebanner.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:27 PM
In journalism we’re used to pointing out problems, not solving them. This was a chance to think differently and offer Baltimore kids and parents solutions.
Take a look and tell us what you think.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Take a look and tell us what you think.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
For more than a decade I’ve heard Baltimore students and parents complain about the messy and sometimes dangerous process of getting to school.
And for more than a decade school leaders have ignored the problem.
And for more than a decade school leaders have ignored the problem.
November 20, 2025 at 7:23 PM
For more than a decade I’ve heard Baltimore students and parents complain about the messy and sometimes dangerous process of getting to school.
And for more than a decade school leaders have ignored the problem.
And for more than a decade school leaders have ignored the problem.
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
NEW: Thousands of Baltimore students can’t get to school on time because of unreliable transit.
The city's school choice system complicates creating a yellow bus network for all.
A new plan proves it can be done.
w/ @lizbowie.bsky.social & @ajv.bsky.social
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
The city's school choice system complicates creating a yellow bus network for all.
A new plan proves it can be done.
w/ @lizbowie.bsky.social & @ajv.bsky.social
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
School buses for every Baltimore student seemed impossible — until now
School transportation company HopSkipDrive used AI and a Banner analysis to map how yellow buses, vans and cars could get Baltimore students to school safely and on time for less than 5% of the distri...
www.thebanner.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:12 PM
NEW: Thousands of Baltimore students can’t get to school on time because of unreliable transit.
The city's school choice system complicates creating a yellow bus network for all.
A new plan proves it can be done.
w/ @lizbowie.bsky.social & @ajv.bsky.social
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
The city's school choice system complicates creating a yellow bus network for all.
A new plan proves it can be done.
w/ @lizbowie.bsky.social & @ajv.bsky.social
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Exclusive to the @thebaltimorebanner.com: Johns Hopkins has spent nearly double this year on federal lobbyists. The university has spent $1.3 million so far, with money going directly to an associate of Trump to lobby to the Executive Office of the President:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Johns Hopkins University has spent nearly double on lobbyists since Trump took office
In the first nine months of this year, Johns Hopkins spent $1.3 million on lobbyists, compared to $750,000 during the same period last year, according to federal disclosure forms.
www.thebanner.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Exclusive to the @thebaltimorebanner.com: Johns Hopkins has spent nearly double this year on federal lobbyists. The university has spent $1.3 million so far, with money going directly to an associate of Trump to lobby to the Executive Office of the President:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Baltimore City is offering up to $5,000 over two months to help essential federal workers and families on SNAP with child care costs. But there are already hundreds of families in line. Here's how you can join them: www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
How Baltimore parents can get two months of child care help
Baltimore federal essential workers and families on SNAP can get up to $2,500 a month. Here’s how.
www.thebanner.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Baltimore City is offering up to $5,000 over two months to help essential federal workers and families on SNAP with child care costs. But there are already hundreds of families in line. Here's how you can join them: www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Gov. Moore promised to send more police to Baltimore. What happened?
Gov. Moore promised to send more police to Baltimore. What happened?
After a month of being asked, Gov. Wes Moore’s office provided crime statistics for what state police got up to in September.
buff.ly
November 6, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Gov. Moore promised to send more police to Baltimore. What happened?
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
State school board says Harford County’s book ban shouldn’t have happened
State school board says Harford County’s book ban shouldn’t have happened
Maryland’s school board is reversing Harford County’s decision remove a book from public school libraries — the first time the state has intervened in a local decision about what’s appropriate...
buff.ly
November 5, 2025 at 8:05 PM
State school board says Harford County’s book ban shouldn’t have happened
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Baltimore County dominates Maryland’s top 10 schools of 2025
Baltimore County dominates Maryland’s top 10 schools of 2025
Baltimore County had the most schools earning top marks on the Maryland School Report Card.
buff.ly
November 4, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Baltimore County dominates Maryland’s top 10 schools of 2025
The quality of Maryland public schools is getting better. That’s according to the star ratings released by the Maryland State Department of Education today. Search our database, created by @invisibae.bsky.social, to see how your school performed.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Maryland’s best schools: See new state ratings for 2025
Search our database to compare Maryland schools and their ratings.
www.thebanner.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:38 PM
The quality of Maryland public schools is getting better. That’s according to the star ratings released by the Maryland State Department of Education today. Search our database, created by @invisibae.bsky.social, to see how your school performed.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
In a shocking reversal, Trump said federal food benefits won’t be distributed during the shutdown, despite a court order
Trump Says He’ll Defy Court Order And Won’t Give Out SNAP Benefits
The president appears to want to ignore a court order to pay the benefits.
www.huffpost.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:34 PM
In a shocking reversal, Trump said federal food benefits won’t be distributed during the shutdown, despite a court order
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Baltimore County gym teacher awaiting trial on sex abuse charges fights termination. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
Baltimore County gym teacher awaiting trial on sex abuse charges fights termination
Roger Myers, of Towson, alleges in a lawsuit filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court that effective July 1 he retired.
www.thebanner.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Baltimore County gym teacher awaiting trial on sex abuse charges fights termination. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Ex-Pikesville High principal impersonated in racist AI case settles lawsuit. (w/ @kris10griffith.bsky.social) (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
Ex-Pikesville High principal impersonated in racist AI case settles lawsuit
Eric Eiswert had sued Baltimore County Public Schools and Dazhon Darien after an audio clip made it sound like Eiswert made racist and antisemitic comments.
www.thebanner.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Ex-Pikesville High principal impersonated in racist AI case settles lawsuit. (w/ @kris10griffith.bsky.social) (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Happy Halloween! Since I can trace my horror fascination back as far as I remember, I wanted to find the Maryland kids who love all things scary, strange and creepy. They really didn't disappoint. www.thebanner.com/community/fa...
Meet the kids obsessed with everything that terrifies you
Here are the Maryland children obsessed with all things scary and creepy.
www.thebanner.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Happy Halloween! Since I can trace my horror fascination back as far as I remember, I wanted to find the Maryland kids who love all things scary, strange and creepy. They really didn't disappoint. www.thebanner.com/community/fa...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Morgan State University President David Wilson got a mysterious phone call at the start of October: a confidential high profile donor was interested in giving to the HBCU.
Two weeks later, $63 million was in the university’s bank account.
Here’s what happened:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Two weeks later, $63 million was in the university’s bank account.
Here’s what happened:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Inside Morgan State and MacKenzie Scott’s $100 million partnership
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott's second gift, $63 million, to Morgan State University came as a surprise.
www.thebanner.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Morgan State University President David Wilson got a mysterious phone call at the start of October: a confidential high profile donor was interested in giving to the HBCU.
Two weeks later, $63 million was in the university’s bank account.
Here’s what happened:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Two weeks later, $63 million was in the university’s bank account.
Here’s what happened:
www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
White's Ferry is more than a quaint historic site. For the Poolesville, Md. community, it was an economic and transit lifeline. It's been closed for five years due to a dispute between two Va. landowners, and business owners and residents are hurting. My latest: www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
White’s Ferry stopped running 5 years ago. Can it be restarted?
White’s Ferry had been running for more than two centuries between Montgomery and Loudoun Counties when it closed five years ago. There have been several plans to revive the service. So far, nothing h...
www.thebanner.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:25 PM
White's Ferry is more than a quaint historic site. For the Poolesville, Md. community, it was an economic and transit lifeline. It's been closed for five years due to a dispute between two Va. landowners, and business owners and residents are hurting. My latest: www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
How ‘driving while Black’ persists in Baltimore County
‘Driving while Black’ persists in Baltimore County
Black drivers make up most of the traffic stops in Baltimore County, despite being 30% of the population — disparities police have known about for years but have failed to fix.
buff.ly
October 27, 2025 at 11:00 AM
How ‘driving while Black’ persists in Baltimore County
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Baltimore County school gun detection system mistook a bag of chips for a weapon, @kris10griffith.bsky.social reports. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
Baltimore County school gun detection system mistook a bag of chips for a weapon
The false alarm was triggered by Omnilert, Baltimore County Public Schools’ gun detection system.
www.thebanner.com
October 23, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Baltimore County school gun detection system mistook a bag of chips for a weapon, @kris10griffith.bsky.social reports. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Had fun thinking out loud about the Baltimore harbor's huge, maybe historic? pistachio tide with Lindsay Smith Rogers at Johns Hopkins.
A year ago, Lindsay did a deep dive into Baltimore's progress toward a swimmable harbor. Things have felt different the last few weeks...
A year ago, Lindsay did a deep dive into Baltimore's progress toward a swimmable harbor. Things have felt different the last few weeks...
A year after our episode on the fight to make Baltimore’s harbor safe for swimming, the harbor is recovering from “the ecological equivalent of a heart attack”.
@thebaltimorebanner.com’s @adampwillis.bsky.social gives an update on the "pistachio tide".
podcast.publichealth.jhu.edu/967-an-updat...
@thebaltimorebanner.com’s @adampwillis.bsky.social gives an update on the "pistachio tide".
podcast.publichealth.jhu.edu/967-an-updat...
October 23, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Had fun thinking out loud about the Baltimore harbor's huge, maybe historic? pistachio tide with Lindsay Smith Rogers at Johns Hopkins.
A year ago, Lindsay did a deep dive into Baltimore's progress toward a swimmable harbor. Things have felt different the last few weeks...
A year ago, Lindsay did a deep dive into Baltimore's progress toward a swimmable harbor. Things have felt different the last few weeks...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
A man who was pardoned by President Trump on charges related to his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot was arrested last week after allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York).
Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter arrested over threat to kill Rep. Hakeem Jeffries
The House minority leader confirmed in a statement that he was the subject of a “credible death threat” from someone “with every intention to carry it out.”
wapo.st
October 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM
A man who was pardoned by President Trump on charges related to his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot was arrested last week after allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York).
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
This story is the kind of reporting that brought me to The Banner. When @kris10griffith.bsky.social and I found out we were both interested in the efficacy of inspector general oversight of school systems, it was a dream collaboration. Check it out: www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
What does it take to root out fraud in Maryland’s biggest school districts?
Montgomery County’s Inspector General is the only office of its kind in Maryland that acts as a watchdog for its county school system. That could soon change.
www.thebanner.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:43 PM
This story is the kind of reporting that brought me to The Banner. When @kris10griffith.bsky.social and I found out we were both interested in the efficacy of inspector general oversight of school systems, it was a dream collaboration. Check it out: www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Do you ever get so overwhelmed at work you need to take a walk to clear your head? It happens to kids, too, which is why they should go outside, play and learn naturally from the world around them. Click for the cute pictures, keep reading for the brain science www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
Preschool without a building could be in Maryland’s future
Maryland is one of just a handful of states piloting licenses for outdoor, nature-based child care programs.
www.thebanner.com
October 20, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Do you ever get so overwhelmed at work you need to take a walk to clear your head? It happens to kids, too, which is why they should go outside, play and learn naturally from the world around them. Click for the cute pictures, keep reading for the brain science www.thebanner.com/education/ea...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
“This is very much an all-hands-on-deck sort of battlefield triage,” Earl Stoddard, the county’s assistant chief administrative officer, said of cuts to federal grant programs
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Montgomery County leaders say they will stretch the budget — to a point
Montgomery County leaders say they can plug some of the holes the federal government is punching in the local economy — but not all.
www.thebanner.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:11 PM
“This is very much an all-hands-on-deck sort of battlefield triage,” Earl Stoddard, the county’s assistant chief administrative officer, said of cuts to federal grant programs
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
Fox News, the former employer of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has joined a near-unanimous outpouring of news organizations rejecting new rules for journalists based in the Pentagon.
News organizations, including Hegseth's former employer Fox, reject new Pentagon reporting rules
Fox News, the former employer of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has joined a near-unanimous outpouring of news organizations rejecting new rules for journalists based in the Pentagon.
bit.ly
October 15, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Fox News, the former employer of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has joined a near-unanimous outpouring of news organizations rejecting new rules for journalists based in the Pentagon.
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
HAPPY SUBWAY BUILDER DAY
We have spent the week playing with the game that has captured transit nerds' hearts.
We spoke with Colin Miller, the game's creator, about why he built the game and how it can help us dream about better transit in Baltimore.
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
We have spent the week playing with the game that has captured transit nerds' hearts.
We spoke with Colin Miller, the game's creator, about why he built the game and how it can help us dream about better transit in Baltimore.
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
October 9, 2025 at 1:37 PM
HAPPY SUBWAY BUILDER DAY
We have spent the week playing with the game that has captured transit nerds' hearts.
We spoke with Colin Miller, the game's creator, about why he built the game and how it can help us dream about better transit in Baltimore.
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
We have spent the week playing with the game that has captured transit nerds' hearts.
We spoke with Colin Miller, the game's creator, about why he built the game and how it can help us dream about better transit in Baltimore.
www.thebanner.com/community/tr...
Reposted by Kristen Griffith
NEW: A few weeks ago, @muckrock.com
shared the Brady list for Baltimore County. Scanning it, I noticed the police chief was on there. I then spent weeks trying to figure out why. But no one — not the state's attorney, nor the police department — is explaining it. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
shared the Brady list for Baltimore County. Scanning it, I noticed the police chief was on there. I then spent weeks trying to figure out why. But no one — not the state's attorney, nor the police department — is explaining it. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
Baltimore County’s police chief is on a list of cops with credibility concerns
Robert McCullough, the Baltimore County Police Department chief, appears on a list of law enforcement officers whose potential credibility concerns require disclosure to defense attorneys if they’re c...
www.thebanner.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:54 AM
NEW: A few weeks ago, @muckrock.com
shared the Brady list for Baltimore County. Scanning it, I noticed the police chief was on there. I then spent weeks trying to figure out why. But no one — not the state's attorney, nor the police department — is explaining it. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
shared the Brady list for Baltimore County. Scanning it, I noticed the police chief was on there. I then spent weeks trying to figure out why. But no one — not the state's attorney, nor the police department — is explaining it. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...