Education

NBC News reports: A top administrator with the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake advised teachers last week that if they have a book about the Holocaust in their classroom, they should also offer students access to a book from an “opposing” perspective, according to an audio recording obtained by NBC News. Gina Peddy, the Carroll school district’s executive director …

The Hill reports: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced during a press conference Monday that 95 percent of staff from the city’s Department of Education are vaccinated against the coronavirus as an employee mandate takes effect. The mayor touted the public school employee vaccination rate, which reached 96 percent among teachers and 99 percent among principals, saying it …

New York City’s ABC News affiliate reports: The deadline has passed for unvaccinated New York City public school employees to get their first dose of the COVID-19 shot or face suspension and possible termination, after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor declined to provide a last minute reprieve Friday. Sotomayor denied the request by a group of teachers for an emergency …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that his state will be the first to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for children in public and private schools. Under the mandate, the COVID-19 vaccine will be added to the list of other compulsory vaccinations required for schooling such as vaccinations against measles, mumps and rubella. As with the …

The Des Moines Register reports: Hundreds of thousands of dollars are at stake for a suburban Des Moines school district Friday if incensed parents follow through with a plan to artificially lower the district’s enrollment numbers. Ankeny Community School District families angry over a new mask mandate are threatening to unenroll their children from school ahead of the state’s Oct. …

The New York Times reports: New York City’s vaccine mandate for nearly all adults working in its public schools can proceed as scheduled, a federal appeals panel ruled on Monday, reversing a decision made over the weekend that paused enforcement of the mandate until later this week at the earliest. Mayor Bill de Blasio had originally ordered well over 150,000 …

New York City’s ABC News affiliate reports: A new roadblock could put New York City’s vaccine mandate for schools in jeopardy as it closes in on Monday’s deadline. A federal appeals court has temporarily delayed the city from implementing its vaccine requirement for public school employees. The temporary restraining order was granted by a judge on the federal government’s Second …

Jacksonville’s NBC News affiliate reports: A troubling series of videos posted to social media this week appears to show a group of students hurling hate speech at other students at a St. Johns County high school. Students can be heard using homophobic slurs in the videos, which have been edited by News4Jax to shield the identities of students. Parents told …

Denver’s NBC News affiliate reports: A Douglas County judge on Friday said she hoped to prevent another school shooting from ever happening again when she sentenced the man responsible for the deadly shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch to 1,282.5 years on top of the mandatory life sentence for his first-degree murder conviction. “I obviously disagree that imposing a sentence …

ABC News reports: Two Florida middle schoolers with an apparent interest in the Columbine High School massacre were allegedly plotting to carry out a school shooting of their own until a teacher was tipped off about a possible concealed weapon, authorities said. The teacher at Harns Marsh Middle School in Lehigh Acres, near Fort Myers, alerted school administrators and a …

The Associated Press reports: Kentucky lawmakers, many not wearing masks, voted Thursday to scrap a statewide mask mandate in public schools and shifted masking decisions to local school boards, acting in a special session as the state’s worst COVID-19 surge threatens to overwhelm hospitals. Gov. Andy Beshear responded late Thursday night by vetoing portions of the bill nullifying mask mandates …

The New York Times reports: Los Angeles is the first major school district in the United States to mandate coronavirus vaccines for students 12 and older who are attending class in person. With the Delta variant ripping across the country, the district’s Board of Education voted, 6-0, to pass the measure on Thursday afternoon. The Los Angeles Unified School District …

The Washington Post reports: It’s back-to-school week for many families in the United States — just as coronavirus cases surge among children and teens. Weekly pediatric coronavirus cases surpassed 250,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic, according to the most recent data published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Its data shows that more than a …

The Raleigh News & Observer reports: The Wake County school board voted 8-1 on Tuesday to continue its universal masking requirement to comply with a new state law requiring monthly votes on mask policies. Board members said Tuesday they need more time and information before they can agree to require either COVID testing or vaccinations. Jasmine Raeford, a kindergarten teacher, …

Kansas City’s ABC News affiliate reports: The Pleasant Hill Board of Education voted unanimously to require masks in its schools. Following the announcement of the board’s decision, several people were throwing fits and hitting one another in the parking lot. Pleasant Hill sheriff’s deputies got involved and handcuffed one individual. The unrest led to more police officers arriving on scene. …

USA Today reports: About two in three parents of children under age 18 said they supported mask mandates for both teachers and students as pediatric cases have risen, according to a poll released Tuesday. The USA Today/Ipsos poll determined that 64 percent of parents back requiring teachers to wear masks in schools regardless of their vaccination status, and 62 percent …

Gothamist reports: The New York City teachers union has formally requested the state to intervene against Mayor Bill de Blasio’s vaccine mandate for all city Department of Education employees, calling it “draconian” and a violation of due process with less than two weeks to go until the first day of public school September 13th. The union said the city is …

The Oregonian reports: Kevin Purnell was fired Monday as superintendent of the Adrian School District just one week after students returned to school. The Adrian School Board, convening in an emotionally charged special meeting, voted 4-1 Monday evening to terminate Purnell after meeting in an executive, or closed door, session for less than half an hour to consider the matter. …

Fort Myers’ NBC News affiliate reports: The Lee County School District will now require masks for teachers and students, eliminating the opt-out form. The school superintendent made the announcement Monday. At a workshop meeting Monday, Superintendent Ken Savage said the mandate will be reassessed after that 30 days. “To those that are angry with this decision today, I will likely …

The Associated Press reports: The Education Department announced Monday that it’s investigating five Republican-led states that have banned mask requirements in schools, saying the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions. The department’s Office for Civil Rights sent letters to education chiefs in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. Those states have barred schools …