Education

CBS News reports: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that all K-12 schools and colleges in the state will stay closed for the rest of the school year. Cuomo called it the “best course of action to keep students, educators and staff safe” and said schools will continue to provide distance learning. “We must protect our children. Every parent …

Politico reports: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is continuing to garnish the wages of federal student loan borrowers who fall behind on payments even though Congress suspended the practice in the economic rescue package, according to a new lawsuit. An upstate New York woman who works as a home health aide for less than $13 an hour claimed in the lawsuit, …

The Hill reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Friday that Texas schools would remain closed for the rest of the school year but that other aspects of life would soon begin to slowly reopen. Abbott also said that he’s forming a new task force comprised of lawmakers, businesses leaders and doctors that will create a reopening strategy. “Texans are …

The New York Post reports: John Krasinski decided he wanted to do something for 2020 seniors stuck inside and announced he will be hosting a virtual prom on his “Some Good News” YouTube channel. “That’s right class of 2020,” the “Office” actor posted on Instagram. “I’m DJing your prom with some friends this Friday night 8EST/5PST!! Click link in bio …

NBC New York reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio said he will keep all public schools closed for the rest of the school year due to coronavirus (COVID-19). “Keeping this policy of social distancing is the best way forward to protect all of us,” said de Blasio at a press conference on Saturday. “Everything we are doing is to protect our …

The Washington Post reports: A record number of colleges and universities have in recent weeks dropped the requirement that students applying to enter as freshmen in fall 2021 submit an SAT or ACT test, and some are using it as a pilot to determine whether to eliminate the requirement altogether. Dozens of schools — including major universities and such highly …

Via press release from Christian Newswire:  With coronavirus shutting government schools, millions of parents have a historic opportunity to try homeschooling and non-government alternatives, declared leaders with the new movement “Public School Exit.” According to the non-profit, founded in 2019 by Christian leaders passionate about K-12 education, government schools are seriously harming children through sexualization, indoctrination, and dumbing down. But …

Topeka’s NBC News affiliate reports: Gov. Laura Kelly ordered all K-12 schools in Kansas to close for the remainder of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. “This situation has evolved rapidly and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future,” Gov. Kelly said. “The reality of this pandemic is that it cannot be controlled statewide if school buildings …

The New York Post reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio — facing a coup from parents and teachers over his refusal to close city schools amid the coronavirus –has finally succumbed to the mounting pressure and agreed to shut them down, well-placed sources told The Post on Sunday. The closure will occur early in the week, a source added. Gov. Cuomo …

The New York Post reports: New York City teachers are calling for a “mass sickout” on Wednesday in response to Mayor de Blasio’s insistence on keeping public schools open amid the coronavirus outbreak. Twitter postings calling for the sickout started appearing Friday, with nervous teachers consulting colleagues about taking the drastic action to protect themselves and their families. In an …

The New York Post reports: City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called for a temporary closure of all public schools amid the coronavirus outbreak — directly contradicting Mayor de Blasio’s insistence that they should remain open. “I think it is appropriate at this time that we instead of doing this in a piecemeal way that we close schools temporarily,” Johnson said …

Seattle’s Fox affiliate reports: The Seattle Public School District will close for at least two weeks amid concerns over the spread of novel coronavirus. The district announced the closure in a message sent to families. “The decision to close the district was extremely difficult,” the message said. “We know that closing our schools will impact our most vulnerable families and …

The Associated Press reports: Japan is announcing the closure of schools nationwide through March to help control the spread of the new virus. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he asked all elementary, middle and high schools to remain closed until spring break ends in early April. The measure comes amid growing concern about the rise in the number of untraceable …

USA Today reports: Reagan National University was supposed to be a place of higher learning in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. But it was unclear how it awarded degrees. By all appearances, at present it has no students, no faculty and no classrooms. An agency meant to serve as a gatekeeper for federal money gave the university approval to operate anyway. …

Via press release: The West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously tonight to rename one of its elementary schools after former First Lady Michelle Obama. The Board’s vote makes the school the first in Northern California and the second in the state named after the former first lady. The Board considered the proposal after receiving a …

CNBC reports: As student debt continues to climb, President Donald Trump on Monday released a budget for 2021 that would slash many of the programs aimed at helping borrowers. Student loan spending would be cut by $170 billion in Trump’s plan, titled “A Budget for America’s Future.” The reductions include “sensible annual and lifetime loan limits” for graduate students and …

NBC News reports: The former head of bond giant Pimco was branded a “common thief” by a federal judge and sentenced Friday to nine months in prison for his role in the sweeping college admissions cheating scandal. Douglas Hodge, who had earlier admitted paying $850,000 in bribes to get four of his seven kids admitted to elite colleges, also had …

NBC News reports: Two of the largest banks in the U.S. say they will stop donating millions of dollars to Florida’s private school voucher program after a newspaper investigation found that some of the program’s beneficiaries discriminate against LGBTQ students. In a statement to NBC News and CNBC on Wednesday evening, Wells Fargo confirmed that it would no longer participate. …

Louisville’s NBC News affiliate reports: A lawsuit has been filed after a Kentucky high school student was expelled from her Christian school after images appeared on social media showing her celebrating her 15th birthday while smiling next to a rainbow cake. The suit, filed Thursday, contends that Whitefield Academy expelled the teen due to her perceived sexuality. School administrators said …

The Washington Post reports: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken another whack at former first lady Michelle Obama’s signature achievement: Establishing stricter nutritional standards for school breakfasts and lunches.  On Friday, USDA Deputy Under Secretary Brandon Lipps announced new proposed rules for the Food and Nutrition Service that would allow schools to cut the amount of vegetables and fruits …