Tag Archives: education

Trump Rips Fauci On Opening Schools: Unacceptable

CNN reports: President Donald Trump voiced frustration Wednesday at the nation’s top infectious disease specialist after he warned a day earlier against reopening schools and businesses too quickly. “I was surprised by his answer, actually,” Trump said when asked about Dr. Anthony Fauci’s warnings during televised congressional testimony that reopening states too quickly could have dire consequences. “It’s just — …

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Cal State Universities Cancel In-Person Classes For Fall

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 …

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Sexual Harassment Definition Narrowed By DeVos

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 …

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Obama To Deliver Virtual Commencement Address For 2020 High School Seniors, Multiple Networks To Carry

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 …

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NY Schools Closed For Remainder Of Academic Year

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 …

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TX Schools Closed For Remainder Of Academic Year

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 …

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NYC Schools Closed For Remainder Of Academic Year

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 …

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More Colleges Move To Drop SAT/ACT Requirements

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 …

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BRITAIN: All Schools Nationwide To Close On Friday

The Guardian reports: Schools, colleges and nurseries in England are to join those in the rest of the UK in closing on Friday “until further notice” to try to curb the spread of coronavirus, the government has announced, with the only exception being made for children of key workers and for vulnerable children. The announcement came simultaneously from Gavin Williamson, …

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KANSAS: Gov Closes Schools For Remainder Of Term

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 …

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De Blasio Bows To Pressure, Will Close NYC Schools

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 …

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Biden Endorsed By NEA, Nation’s Largest Labor Union

USA Today reports: The nation’s largest labor union has lined up behind Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, with the National Education Association on Saturday endorsing the former vice president for the Democratic nomination over his last remaining primary rival Bernie Sanders. The NEA’s board of directors chose Biden following a recommendation from the organization’s political action committee board, following months of …

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NYC Teachers Call For Mass Sickout Over Open Schools

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 …

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Seattle Is First Major City To Close All Public Schools

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 …

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US Wave Of Cancellations: Parades, Schools, Sports

The Boston Herald reports: The two big South Boston St. Patrick’s Day traditions of a parade in the streets and a breakfast for area VIPs have been canceled over fears of the spreading coronavirus, officials announced Monday night. “In collaboration with Congressman Lynch, Councilors Flaherty and Flynn, Senator Collins, Representative Biele, and David Falvey from the South Boston Allied War …

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Japan To Close All Schools For A Month To Curb Virus

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 …

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Nonexistent College Accredited Thanks To Betsy DeVos

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. …

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IOWA: Republican Bill Could Require Teachers To Notify Parents Before Mentioning Pete Buttigieg’s Sexuality

NBC News Des Moines reports: Stakeholders and lawmakers went back and forth today over a House bill that some are calling “anti-LGBTQ” legislation. The bill would require schools to notify parents about any lesson or curriculum related to sexual orientation or gender identity, in case parents want to excuse their child from class. Some say it comes down to a …

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How Children Are Mimicking Trump’s Racist Bullying

The Washington Post reports: Two kindergartners in Utah told a Latino boy that President Trump would send him back to Mexico, and teenagers in Maine sneered “Ban Muslims” at a classmate wearing a hijab. In Tennessee, a group of middle-schoolers linked arms, imitating the president’s proposed border wall as they refused to let nonwhite students pass. In Ohio, another group …

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Another School To Be Named For Michelle Obama

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 …

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