education
Reopening elementary schools carries less COVID-19 risk than high schools – but safety isn’t guaranteed
While only a fraction of the country’s 50 million public school kids headed back to school in-person this month, many have already found themselves back at home. Within two weeks of opening, multiple states reported school-based COVID-19 outbreaks, and thousands of students and school staff have been quarantined following possible exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus […]
ODE releases tiered, reduced minimum standards for 2020-2021 school year
The Ohio Department of Education is reducing minimum standards of early learning for the next school year, they announced on Monday. The new Early Learning and Development standards were split up into degrees of feasibility during the 2020-2021 school year. The department also said the reductions are only in place for the current school year. […]
Ohio Supreme Court: School district firearms policy can go on, pending appeal
The Ohio Supreme Court has said a school district can go ahead with a firearm policy for personnel while the state’s highest court decides on their case. The Ohio Supreme Court granted Madison Local School District’s request to allow the implementation of a policy allowing trained personnel including teachers to be armed on the Butler […]
Without taking proper precautions, reopening schools carries some big risks
It’s one of the most tired tropes in TV and movies. An expert, usually a scientist or doctor, desperately tries to get the authorities to take an impending disaster seriously. They are ignored until it is too late and heroic action is needed to save the day. As hackneyed as that plot device is, it’s […]
School funding bill to get new look under new speaker
A school funding bill originally sponsored by new Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp is getting a fresh look and hopefully time in front of legislative committees before year’s end, according the legislator now heading up the bill. The other original sponsor of the proposed legislation, state Rep. John Patterson, said a substitute bill is in […]
History Thursday: What should replace Confederate statues?
Ever since the University of South Carolina put up a statue of Richard T. Greener – who in 1873 became the school’s first Black professor – one of my favorite things to do has been to eat lunch on a bench nearby to watch how people interact with it. Greener – who taught for four […]
Survey shows teacher concerns as school districts struggle with pandemic
Ohio teachers have made themselves clear: They worry greatly about the spread of COVID-19 in their schools. They acknowledge the challenges of remote learning are plentiful. They understand the potential social and emotional impact to young students being stuck at home rather than at school with their classmates. However, their health fears of the virus […]
School nurses battle old buildings, lack of resources, along with COVID
In her nearly 40 years as a school nurse, Patricia Gunter has had to prepare for diseases like swine flu, H1N1, West Nile Virus, SARS, and even HIV, all while dealing with the usual school illness like head lice and chicken pox. “We’ve put a plan in place every time we’ve had something happen,” said […]
Poor, minority students at dilapidated schools face added risks amid talk of reopening classrooms
Classrooms, gyms and cafeterias at schools across the U.S. have remained empty for months now. And despite some districts beginning to reopen, many others will remain closed amid fears that prematurely restarting in-person classes could cost more lives in the pandemic. Local, state and federal officials wrangle over how to make schools safe, with concern […]
Teacher appreciation: Mrs. Reed imparted a love of language
My eighth-grade teacher at St. Francis de Sales School in Newark would have loved hydroxychloroquine. Not because of the current political debate, or because she would pretend to know better than the scientists. “Now THAT’S a good spelling bee word,” Mrs. Reed would say. As teachers contemplate their future in the digital and in-person education […]
‘I just feel so powerless.’ Ohio teachers fear returning to class.
At a time of year when teachers are normally gathering school supplies and brainstorming lesson plans, some are instead preparing a different type of paperwork. Their wills. “Catching COVID-19 could be a death sentence for me,” said one southern Ohio teacher living with Crohn’s Disease. “I want to go back to work,” they added. “I […]
Bill on arming teachers could include “school marshal program”
An Ohio Senate bill meant to reduce the amount of training needed for school personnel to be armed could be amended to create a “school marshal program” in those schools. The state Senate committee on Government Oversight and Reform met Tuesday to discuss Senate Bill 317, a bill that was written to exempt school personnel […]