NATIONAL NEWS

Education investment to support underserved communities' healthcare

The Biden administration has announced $1.5bn in funding to help eliminate the shortage of doctors and nurses in underserved communities, by providing scholarships and repaying the student loans of providers who work in medically needy areas. The money, made available through the American Rescue Plan, will be able to support nearly 23,000 providers through the National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps.

Washington Post 

Grants to promote American Indian resilience in education

The U.S. Department of Education has announced approximately $20m in grants to help Tribal Educational Agencies (TEAs) meet the needs of students in response to the pandemic. The American Rescue Plan Act’s American Indian Resilience in Education (AIRE) grant program will assist and encourage Native American children and youth to enter, remain in, or re-enter school at any grade level from Pre-K through grade 12. These activities include a broad range of direct education, health, and workforce preparation services for Native students, their teachers, and their families. The Seneca Nation of Indians in New York for example will use funds to support the Literacy Language Culture Project, which will advance the inclusion of Seneca language, literacy, and culture in school activities.

Ed.gov 

Language barriers persist in Philadelphia schools

Immigrant parents have voiced concerns that language barriers remain in schools, with problems remaining in the Philadelphia school district despite extensive work in the area in recent years. Jenna Monley, deputy chief of the district's Office of Family and Community Engagement, commented: “I think that you are always going to find pockets of success. But there are some areas where things need to grow and improve.” This comes after the Philadelphia school district saw a rise of almost 40% to over 16,500 English learners in 2020 from some 12,000 in 2013.

Napa Valley Register  San Luis Obispo Tribune 

Schools working to catch up on non-COVID vaccinations

Child health experts are championing schools' work to boost non-COVID "routine" childhood immunizations, such as measles, diphtheria and chickenpox, which all fell behind during the pandemic. Disparities in rates between racial and economic groups, particularly for Black children, have also suffered. “We’re still not back to where we need to be,” comments Dr. Sean O’Leary, a pediatric infectious-disease doctor at Children’s Hospital Colorado and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Chalkbeat 

STATE NEWS

Administrators make COVID mandate opposition known

Some local school administrators and school board members have voiced opposition to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s vaccine mandate for students. They are advocating for those who want a choice in the matter, instead of a mandate.

The Trinity Journal 

DISTRICTS

Newport-Mesa USD board president on vaccine mandate

Karen Yelsey, president of the Newport-Mesa USD board of education, writes in the Los Angeles Times on the challenges the district continues to face due to COVID-19. She states that "The board is not considering a district-initiated vaccine mandate for students, and we have no intention of doing so. Parents who want to influence the state's direction on this potential mandate should contact the governor's office, as well as state Sen. Richard Pan's office."

Los Angeles Times 

Accountability over COVID funding called for

Joseph Di Salvo, writing in the Mercury News, remarks that "Federal funding should be focused on reducing the pandemic's impact on students," and claims that "the $76 million in hazard pay bonuses appropriated by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to county employees for their work during the pandemic is... a serious cautionary note to all taxpayers."

Mercury News 

COVID is a great science lesson

Several educators discuss how teaching about COVID-19 in science class can provide "real-world examples of biological processes," start conversations about information literacy, and give students a space to process their emotions about how the virus has affected their lives. Brendan Henrique, a PhD student at the University of California Berkley’s Graduate School of Education who taught science through last school year at Pinole Middle School in California, says: “We always centered it on, we’re trying to understand this mystery of COVID. But to understand that, we need to understand how our body is made up of cells.”

Education Week 

Mayacamas charter school plan could be turned down

The Napa school district has recommended rejecting a Mayacamas charter school plan, with the board to vote on the issue next month. The Napa Valley Unified School District's website has been updated with a statement saying that district staff claiming that the proposed charter school "risks draining funds away from existing schools with academic offerings little different from those already available at other campuses," according to the Napa Valley Register.

Napa Valley Register 

Long Beach City College superintendent-president to be named soon

Long Beach City College is to select a new superintendent-president by next month, with one of the candidates, Mike Muñoz currently serving as interim leader. LBCC spokeswoman Stacy Toda stated that the community college district’s Board of Trustees will decide between Muñoz and Nohemy Ornelas by December.

Press-Telegram 

Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs high schools appoint new principals

Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs high schools have named Michael Ventura and Omar Tinoco, respectively, as new principals. Mr Tinoco commented: "I've enjoyed my (time) so far in the Desert Hot Springs community, and (I'm) really looking forward to reminding everyone of the great families and students we have in that community."

Desert Sun 

Palm Springs Unified School District redistricting process started

Palm Springs Unified School District has begun the redistricting process for its five trustee areas after it was found that it needed to adjust these in accordance with new 2020 U.S. Census data.

Desert Sun 

Santa Cruz woman begins hunger strike amid dispute with school district

Santa Cruz woman Michelle Baker has begun a hunger strike over a lawsuit with the local school district after her son was struck by a school district-owned Ford F-350, later dying following surgery. Santa Cruz City Schools denied responsibility, stating that the incident was caused in part by the negligence or fault of another person.

Santa Cruz Sentinel 

Violent locker room incident results in student brain injury

A so-called 'hazing' incident at Southern California’s Mater Dei High School saw a football player left with a brain injury and broken nose. An attorney for the injured student stated: “This incident (shows) that Mater Dei is more concerned about protecting its brand as the top ranked football program in the country than protecting its students.”

East Bay  Mercury News