Tag Archives: education

From the Hillsborough County School Board: The Hillsborough County School Board will hold an Emergency School Board Meeting on Wednesday, August 18, from 1-3:30 p.m. in the School Board Auditorium. Board Members will meet to discuss the latest district COVID-19 impact and will discuss the best way to mitigate against the spread of the virus, up to and including mandatory …

The Birmingham News reports: An Alabama lawmaker says he will propose legislation to prohibit school systems from mandating that students in K-12 public schools wear masks to guard against the spread of COVID-19. Rep. Andrew Sorrell, R-Muscle Shoals, said it should be up to parents whether their children wear masks at school. He said he is sponsoring the bill at …

The Austin Statesman reports: The Texas Supreme Court stepped in Sunday evening to block lower-court orders that had allowed Dallas and San Antonio to impose mask mandates in defiance of an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott. The action voided temporary restraining orders, issued by separate District Court judges and upheld Friday by two intermediate appellate courts, that halted enforcement …

Phoenix’s NBC News affiliate reports: A coalition of Arizona school entities filed a lawsuit against the state’s ban on mask mandates in the classroom on Friday. The lawsuit states that the mask mandate ban pushed by Gov. Doug Ducey undermines the rights of school children in the state and was passed illegally. The Arizona School Boards Association, the Children’s Action …

The Palm Beach Post reports: Attorneys for Gov. Ron DeSantis asked a judge Friday to throw out a lawsuit by parents in a half-dozen Florida counties challenging the state’s ban on mandatory masks in school. Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper set a hearing date for next week on the proposed dismissal, a first step before any discussion of the …

Miami’s NBC News affiliate reports: The Broward Teachers Union confirmed Thursday that three teachers and a teacher’s assistant have died from COVID-19 within the two days. Union president Anna Fusco said those teachers were on summer break when they got the virus. Their colleagues learned of the sad news on Wednesday when teachers returned to the classroom to prepare for …

The New York Times reports: Schoolteachers and school staff in California must have proof of vaccination against Covid-19 or else face weekly testing, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday, making the state the first in the nation to make the move. The move comes as such mandates gain momentum both among public and private employers as cases across the United …

Nashville’s ABC News affiliate reports: Hundreds of parents attended the Williamson County School Board meeting Tuesday night where a roughly four-hour debate took place over the district’s mask policy. The board voted 7-to-3 to pass a temporary mask mandate for elementary school students, staff, and visitors. Hundreds of parents who didn’t fit inside the auditorium stayed outside the board meeting …

The Texas Tribune reports: Resistance is growing to Gov. Greg Abbott’s May executive order that Texas schools can’t require masks, with an advocacy group suing to block the order and two of the state’s biggest districts indicating that they want to mandate masks anyway. Dallas Independent School District officials announced Monday morning that they will require students and teachers to …

CNN reports: Two different lawsuits have been filed against Gov. Ron DeSantis over his executive order on masks in schools. They are the first legal challenges over the constitutionality of the governor’s order on masks, attorneys working on the two suits said. The order, issued late last month, directed the state’s health and education departments to issue rules preventing the …

The New Jersey Advance reports: Insisting it’s “the right thing” to do to combat a new rise in COVID-19, Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday announced New Jersey will mandate students in preschool through 12th grade, as well as staff members and visitors, to wear masks inside all schools when the new academic year begins with statewide in-person classes. Murphy announced …

CNN reports: The Biden administration is extending the pause on federal student loan payments one last time until January 31. The pandemic relief benefit was set to expire on September 30 after an unprecedented 19-month suspension. The freeze was initially put in place by Congress and then extended by both the Trump and Biden administrations. “As our nation’s economy continues …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas school districts will not be required to conduct contact tracing this year if a student contracts COVID-19, according to new guidelines issued by the Texas Education Agency this week. The TEA announced its rules in a public health guidance issued Thursday. While districts must report positive cases to the local health department and the state, …

Tampa’s ABC News affiliate reports: Days before the new school year begins, the Florida Department of Education adopted an emergency rule that allows parents to transfer their kids out of school if they face “COVID-19 harassment,” such as being required to wear masks. During a meeting Friday, the FLDOE considered a proposal that would allow families to use Hope Scholarship …

Politico reports: Florida school districts are moving to resist Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order barring schools from implementing mask requirements for kids, setting up a fight with the Republican governor who has resisted any Covid-related mandates. Late Tuesday night, school board members in Alachua County in north Florida voted to require all students to wear masks during the first two weeks …

The Wall Street Journal reports: A federal judge has ruled that Indiana University may require its students to submit proof of Covid-19 vaccination before returning to campus this fall, dealing a setback to a brewing legal effort against vaccination requirements in higher education. In a 101-page decision handed down Sunday, U.S. District Judge Damon R. Leichty said the university system …

From the American Academy of Pediatrics: In updated guidance for the 2021-22 school year, the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends in-person learning and urges all who are eligible to be vaccinated to protect against COVID-19. In addition to vaccinations, the AAP recommends a layered approach to make school safe for all students, teachers and staff in the guidance here. …

Via press release from the Department of Education: The U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced today the approval of over 1,800 borrower defense to repayment (borrower defense) claims for borrowers who attended three institutions: Westwood College, Marinello Schools of Beauty and the Court Reporting Institute. This is the first time the Department has announced approved borrower defense claims for students …

Richmond’s NBC News affiliate reports: A Virginia school board is asking the court to uphold a policy, struck down by lower courts, that prohibits transgender students from using school bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity. The case has been around for six years, since then-high school student Gavin Grimm filed a federal lawsuit over the Gloucester County board’s refusal …

CBS News reports: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with a Pennsylvania cheerleader punished for a vulgar message shared on Snapchat, with the justices ruling the school violated the student’s First Amendment rights when it disciplined her for the off-campus rant. The high court rule 8-1 in favor of the cheerleader, Brandi Levy, with Justice Stephen Breyer writing the majority …