Schools

3 Schools "We're trying to stay in the business of education and not dabble in the business of public health." The 74 Million , News Partner Posted Replies By Linda Jacobson, The 74 Million October 30, 2021 In the "isolation room" at Indian Springs High School — the command center for any COVID-related issues on campus — Janak Kaur seals the school security officer's swab sample in a plastic bag. Meanwhile, the officer fills out a registration on a website where he'll get his results in a day or two. As the school's COVID liaison — one of 76 based at each of the San Bernardino City district's schools — Kaur sometimes handles 20 tests a day, but she's expecting to get a lot busier. California's mandate that all school employees be vaccinated or get tested weekly went into effect Oct. 15. San Bernardino County includes the least-vaccinated zip code in Southern California, and its overall 49 percent rate is lower than … [Read more...] about ‘Caught Flat-Footed’: As Biden, CDC Urge Widespread COVID Testing In Schools, Districts Around The Country Struggle To Make It Happen

28 Schools "I'm just envisioning basically a total meltdown of productivity on the board," one candidate said of conservatives in Connecticut. Associated Press , News Partner Posted Replies GUILFORD, CT — A racial reckoning began years ago for the Guilford school system, first with an episode in which a student wore blackface makeup to a home football game and then a fraught debate over the elimination of its mascot, the Indians. After the killing of George Floyd, district leaders announced they were doubling down on efforts to address social justice and racism in schools and teaching materials. But an organized pushback in the overwhelmingly white community began last year with a petition for the superintendent's removal. This summer, conservative activists won the GOP's endorsement for school board, knocking out three incumbents in the Republican caucus. In next week's elections, their slate aims to seize control of the school … [Read more...] about Opponents Of Critical Race Theory Seek To Flip School Boards

1 Schools In addition to mask and social distancing requirements to control COVID-19, some schools are making improving ventilation systems. Kaiser Health News , News Partner Posted Reply Kaiser Health News ACROSS AMERICA — As students return to school, parents are getting a lot of mail about what schools are doing to better protect kids in the classroom — including details on mask policies and how kids will sit at lunch. One item on many administrators' lists of protective measures is improving ventilation in the classroom. Many studies have shown that better ventilation and air circulation can greatly reduce COVID-19 transmission. But rather than stocking up on HEPA filters, some school districts are turning to high-tech air purification strategies, including the use of untested electronic methods and airborne chemicals. KHN has written extensively about school air filtration . Senior correspondent Christina … [Read more...] about Listen: Many Schools Are Buying High-Tech Air Purifiers. What Should Parents Know?

0 Schools "The waivers looked to us like they made state tests less useful for diagnostic purposes, both for parents and for teachers." The 74 Million , News Partner Posted Reply By Greg Toppo, The 74 Million September 10, 2021 In the spring of 2020, facing massive disruptions to in-person instruction, state education chiefs urged then-U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to waive federal test requirements that had been in place for nearly 20 years. She granted a blanket, one-year " accountability waiver ." But in February, with a new administration in place, then-Education Secretary nominee Miguel Cardona said he'd require states to administer the federally mandated tests in the spring, with an asterisk: They had the option of giving shorter, remote, or delayed versions. Now, as students begin a third year of school under the cloud of COVID-19, a pair of researchers suggest that those two moves, by two … [Read more...] about ‘I Don’t Know That The Tests Would Survive’: As Students Enter Third Pandemic School Year, Researchers Make Case For Assessments

2 Schools The pandemic has exacerbated shortages as the stress of teaching in the COVID-19 era triggers a spike in retirements and resignations. Associated Press , News Partner Posted Replies SAN FRANCISCO, CA — One desperate California school district is sending flyers home in students' lunchboxes, telling parents it's "now hiring." Elsewhere, principals are filling in as crossing guards, teachers are being offered signing bonuses and schools are moving back to online learning. Now that schools have welcomed students back to classrooms, they face a new challenge: a shortage of teachers and staff the likes of which some districts say they have never seen. Public schools have struggled for years with teacher shortages, particularly in math, science, special education and languages. But the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the problem. The stress of teaching in the COVID-19 era has triggered a spike in retirements and … [Read more...] about Pandemic Creates Critical U.S. Shortage Of Teachers, School Staff

1 Schools The money is intended to help schools recover from the pandemic; however, there are few rules about how it can be spent. Associated Press , News Partner Posted Reply IOWA CITY, IA — One Wisconsin school district built a new football field. In Iowa, a high school weight room is getting a renovation. Another in Kentucky is replacing two outdoor tracks — all of this funded by the billions of dollars in federal pandemic relief Congress sent to schools this year. The money is part of a $123 billion infusion intended to help schools reopen and recover from the pandemic. But with few limits on how the funding can be spent, The Associated Press found that some districts have used large portions to cover athletics projects they couldn't previously afford. Critics say it violates the intent of the legislation, which was meant to help students catch up on learning after months of remote schooling. But many schools argue the … [Read more...] about Flush With COVID-19 Aid, Schools Steer Funding To Sports