Education

Deadline reports: Barack Obama has kept a relatively low profile since leaving the White House more than three years ago, but today the former President will deliver not one but two virtual commencement addresses for this season of coronavirus pandemic. Starting with Show Me Your Walk, HBCU Edition at 2 PM ET the ex-POTUS steps up as the marquee name …

Yahoo News reports: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ revised federal guidelines on how sexual assault allegations should be handled on college and K-12 campuses is the target of a federal lawsuit filed Thursday, claiming the changes would “inflict significant harm” on victims and “dramatically undermine” their civil rights. The suit, filed on behalf of four advocacy groups for sexual assault survivors, …

ABC News reports: The California State University (CSU) system said it plans to cancel all in-person classes for the fall and to continue instruction online, due to the coronavirus pandemic. CSU Chancellor Timothy White [photo] made the announcement Tuesday, which will affect all 23 of its universities. “This virtual planning approach for the next academic year is necessary because of …

The New York Times reports: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday issued final rules for how public and private schools and colleges must address allegations of sexual misconduct, locking in protections for accused students and faculty but tempering earlier proposals that critics said would harm victims of assault and harassment. The rules preserve Ms. DeVos’s broad goals in overhauling Title …

Deadline reports: Former President Barack Obama will deliver a commencement message for America’s high school seniors in a televised multimedia primetime special Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020. ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC will simultaneously air the special on May 16, at 8 pm ET/PT/7 pm CT, along with more than 20 other broadcast and digital …

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 …