Just hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 April 20 media briefing overwhelmingly focused on efforts to bridge the digital divide, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond welcomed legislators and representatives from internet service providers to the first meeting of the newly created Closing the […]
Six students have died by suicide in the short time that California schools have been closed to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). State officials and mental health experts say it is vital to reach out to children and families likely to […]
By CSBA President Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez I am writing this message in a time of great uncertainty, not just for public education, but for our everyday lives as we face the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. I want to commend my fellow trustees — as well as administrators, […]
Nearly 9 in 10 California parents are worried about their children falling behind academically due to coronavirus-related school closures, and 8 in 10 are experiencing heightened stress levels, according to a poll released on April 8 by the Education Trust–West. That said, the new statewide […]
Of the myriad important issues facing California’s local educational agencies in their abrupt switch to distance learning, questions around serving students with special needs have come to the forefront. As LEAs address a number of legal issues, both the state and federal education departments have […]
Even before COVID-19 led to widespread and long-term school closures, California’s small and rural school districts faced extensive resource and educational gaps. Now, small and rural school districts must contend with specific challenges as they move to distance learning. Trustees and administrators in these communities […]
The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented crisis for school leaders trying to educate, feed and care for students from afar. While there are few easy solutions to today’s challenges, existing board policies can provide crucial tools for addressing these issues. This piece looks at some […]
On March 16, just after passing a package of $1 billion in funding to fight the COVID-19 pandemic (which included $100 million for schools, equal to approximately $17.37 per average daily attendance that will be sent to local educational agencies in early April), the Legislature […]
The sudden and extended closures of America’s schools have brought into the spotlight a persistent problem well known to education advocates: unequal access to both internet access and devices in student homes. Across the country, 12 million students do not have internet access at home. […]
On March 30, the California Department of Education issued a letter on the release of $100 million in funds for local educational agencies to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding is pursuant to Senate Bill 117, which the Legislature passed on March 16 before adjourning […]
