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NJ Spotlight--The State of the State’s High Schools: Graduation Rates and Beyond
New Jersey’s high school graduation rate has long been the envy of the nation, topping 90% statewide — one of the highest in the country.
John Mooney | March 12, 2020 | Education
NJ Spotlight--Experience with Virtual Snow Days Helps NJ School Prepare for COVID-19 Closures
At Pascack Valley, learning from past lessons with winter white-outs gives school leaders critical guidance when planning for possible health-related shutdowns
John Mooney | March 12, 2020 | Education
Star Ledger--Teachers health benefits overhaul backed by NJEA could happen quickly, Sweeney says
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney said Wednesday that legislation overhauling health care benefits for New Jersey teachers, the result of a watershed deal with New Jersey’s most powerful teachers union, could be ready by the end of the week.
Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| Updated Mar 11, 2020; Posted Mar 11, 2020
Star Ledger--N.J. schools feed about 500K kids for free. What happens if coronavirus closes them?
New Jersey’s public school districts are planning to keep providing meals to some students if the coronavirus prompts extended closures.
The state Department of Education has asked the districts to prepare “health-related closure preparedness” plans that include daily lunches, and in some cases breakfasts, for students qualifying for free and reduced-costs meals. More than 500,000 students in the Garden State rely on those meals this school year, according to state statistics.
Bill Duhart | For NJ.com and Rob Jennings | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| Updated Mar 11, 2020; Posted Mar 11, 2020
Star Ledger—Op-Ed--Coronavirus closures will disproportionately affect students who rely on school lunch, internet, legislator says
In New Jersey, in both urban and rural communities, many students are food insecure, don't have access to a digital device beyond a smartphone, don't have the ability to access a device allowing them to interact with teachers and don't have reliable internet, says Assemblywoman Mila Jasey.
Star-Ledger Guest Columnist| By Mila M. Jasey| Posted Mar 11, 2020
NPR--When Should Schools Close For Coronavirus?
The spread of coronavirus has compelled hundreds of K-12 schools in the U.S. to close, affecting more than 850,000 students, according to an analysis by Education Week. And those numbers are certain to increase in the coming days, as concerned parents call for more school closures.
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/11/814438424/when-should-schools-close-for-coronaviru
Anya Kamenetz, Cory Turner| March 11, 202011:45 AM ET
Education Week--If Coronavirus Closes School, Who Gets Paid and How?
If schools are closed because of coronavirus, will everyone still get paid? Will school employees have to use their sick days if their buildings are shut down? If staff members require quarantine or catch the virus, will they be paid for the days they’re absent from work? What if they’ve already used most of their allotted sick days for the year?
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/03/10/if-coronavirus-closes-school-who-gets-paid.html
Mark Lieberman| March 10, 2020 | Corrected: March 11, 2020
Politics K-12 (via Education Week) Lawmakers Seek to Protect Access to School Meals Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Members of Congress have introduced bills designed to ensure that students who rely on federally subsidized school meals can still receive them amid school closures related to the spread of novel coronavirus.
Andrew Ujifusa on March 11, 2020 2:06 PM
Chalkbeat--Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Asian-American students like my son face racist taunting. Let’s change that.
Incidents of racist bullying targeting Asian-American students have been reported amid the new coronavirus outbreak.
My first concern about COVID-19, back when it was still mostly something that was happening 7,000 miles away in China, was not just safety and sanitation. It was racism.
Angie Hong| March 12,2020
Education Dive--House committee introducing meal assistance bills for schools affected by coronavirus closures
Members of the House Committee on Education and Labor are introducing today three proposals for meal assistance for schools closed or transitioned to remote learning due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. An aide says the proposals are expected to pass the full House.
ttps://www.educationdive.com/news/house-committee-introduces-meal-assistance-bills-for-schools-affected-by-co/573938/
Naaz Modan @NaazModan| March 11, 2020
The Hechinger Report--Coronavirus is poised to inflame inequality in schools
Schools are not ready to take education entirely online
The threat of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, is forcing educators across the country to think about what they’ll do if they have to close their schools for weeks or even months at a time. State and federal agencies have advised schools to create online learning plans to minimize the disruption to student learning. For some schools, that’s a small leap. Their students have internet connections at home, laptops they can work from, teachers who know how to design online lessons and a strong foundation of in-school blended learning experience.
https://hechingerreport.org/coronavirus-is-poised-to-inflame-inequality-in-schools/
Tara García Mathewson| March 11, 2020
