On Friday, Sept. 4, the California Department of Public Health unveiled updated guidance on providing in-person instruction to small groups of students. The release, which came on the eve of Labor Day weekend, modified guidance introduced on Aug. 25. Among other, more modest changes, the […]
Author: Kimberly Sellery
Commentary: Taco Bell is not the solution for student broadband access
By CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy In a time of ecological, political and social crises, it isn’t easy to command attention. Yet, occasionally, a simple image can cut through the noise. Last week, a photo of two children outside a Taco Bell […]
COVID-19 has chilling effect on vaccination rates for other diseases
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccination dose orders declined from mid-March, the beginning of the emergency declaration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to mid-April by 2.5 million compared to previous years. In a report issued May 18, the agency wrote, “The […]
U.S. Department of Homeland Security memo limits DACA program again after Supreme Court decision
On June 18, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court held in a 5-4 decision in University of California v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the Trump administration may not immediately proceed with its plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The […]
New tools available to center equity for English learners in Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan
A new collaboration to support the needs of English learners in California by Californians Together, Sobrato Early Language Academy and Loyola Marymount University’s Center for Equity for English Learners is teaming up with county offices of education to aid in the implementation of the English Learner Roadmap […]
How focusing on mental health can benefit student learning
As district leaders weigh the complex pathways to operating schools in 2020–21 — including distance learning, in-person and/or hybrid models — they need to consider the mental health needs of students and how they can be addressed to enable successful learning. The past six months […]
New guidance outlines conditions for small cohorts of students in schools still on county monitoring list
According to new guidance released by the California Department of Public Health on Aug. 25, local educational agencies in counties on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list can offer in-person, targeted, specialized support and services to small groups of students as outlined below. The guidance allows […]
Judge blocks U.S. Department of Education from enforcing CARES Act private school funding rule
On Aug. 21, 2020, a federal judge ruled against the U.S. Department of Education in Washington v. DeVos, a lawsuit over how much coronavirus aid public schools must set aside for private school students. The U.S. Department of Education’s interim final rule issued earlier this […]
California Census Challenge launches to improve poor response rate
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla recently announced the California Census Challenge, a statewide competition with the goal of increasing the census self-response rates of the state’s cities and counties while decreasing the need for at-home visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. If the current lack […]
CSBA President’s Message: Unprecedented times call for sharing our best work
Now that the budget dust has settled and Gov. Gavin Newsom has issues much more concrete guidance for reopening schools, I know we are all hard at work figuring out how to make the 2020-21 school year work best for all students. And by the […]