Texas Senate OKs bill allowing home-schoolers to compete in public school sports

BY OLAFIMIHAN OSHIN –  05/24/21 The Texas Senate passed a bill on Saturday that allows home-schooled students to compete in public school sports. The proposed legislation gives equal opportunity to students who are not enrolled in public schools to participate in the University Interscholastic League, which lets students participate in sports and other activities. The bill, which passed on a…

Schools that required masks, improved ventilation reported fewer COVID-19 cases: CDC study

BY JUSTINE COLEMAN – 05/21/21 Schools in Georgia that required teachers and staff to wear masks and improved ventilation reported fewer COVID-19 cases, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study released on Friday. The research, conducted by the CDC and the Georgia Department of Public Health, determined that COVID-19 incidence was 37 percent lower in schools…

Texas bans local governments, public schools from mandating masks

Local governments or officials who attempt to put mask requirements in place can face a fine of up to $1,000.ByJoseph Guzman | May 19, 2021 getty: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) Story at a glance The executive action taken Tuesday prohibits the state’s counties, cities, school districts, public health authorities or government officials from implementing…

Alabama offers free online summer learning to battle student COVID slide

By Trisha Powell Crain | tcrain@al.com Alabama students have more ways to keep learning over the summer, even without being in school. The Alabama Department of Education launched a free Summer Learning Challenge this week, offering children in kindergarten through 12th grade online access to hundreds of thousands of books, along with math exercises and online activities. State…

Atlanta schools to discuss academic recovery plan amid parent concerns

By Vanessa McCray, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Atlanta Public Schools will hold a parent meeting to discuss a three-year plan to help students who have struggled academicallyduring the pandemic. The virtual meeting — billed as a “parent and community engagement session” — will start at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and can be viewed on the district’s Facebook page. Officials…

Alexandria will remove police from public school hallways

By Hannah Natanson May 16, 2021 The city of Alexandria will pull all police officers from public school hallways — ending a program that began nearly three decades ago — following a narrow and contentious vote by the city council earlier this month. The council voted 4 to 3 on May 3 to reallocate nearly $800,000 used…

Why Some Parents Don’t Want Schools to Go Back to ‘Normal’ in the Fall

Greg ToppoThu, May 13, 2021, Gavin Newsom Get essential education news and commentary delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here for The 74’s daily newsletter. As more Americans receive Covid-19 vaccines and schools move to reopen widely, leaders are doing their best to make sure everyone gets the memo: School is happening in-person this fall. California Gov….