DA Staff

California will launch the nation’s largest free student lunch program

"This is so historic. It's beyond life-changing," said Erin Primer, director of food services for the San Luis Coastal Unified School District on California's central coast.

Texas senate bill drops teaching requirement that Ku Klux Klan is ‘morally wrong’

Eliminated requirements also include the writings of Martin Luther King Jr., United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez and suffragist Susan B. Anthony.

Education Department tries to tamp down controversy over U.S. history/civics grant program (subscription)

The proposed rules did not actually suggest the contested material would be required for grantees to use, but Education Secretary Miguel Cardona addressed concerns of critics by making clear in a blog post that curriculum decisions will not be dictated by the federal government.

2 Virginia elementary schools start year-round school

Falling Creek Elementary School and Bellwood Elementary School students will both go to school year-round for 2021-22. Students will still get breaks through the school year, they will just be shorter and more frequent.

Nebraska schools get conflicting advice on virus quarantines

Nebraska schools are getting conflicting advice from state and federal health officials over whether students should quarantine after contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19.

These parents want more virtual learning. New Jersey says they’re on their own

‘I feel like the voices of those parents haven’t been heard as much as the parents who were fighting and throwing fits to have schools reopen.’

Boston overhauls admissions to exclusive exam schools (subscription)

A new policy will increase representation of Black and Latino students in the prestigious public schools, which serve as a gateway to elite colleges.

3 D.C. charter networks seek permission to continue offering all-virtual learning

KIPP DC, Howard University PCS and AppleTree Early Learning PCS are asking the D.C. Public Charter School Board, the city’s charter authorizer, to allow them to permanently offer all-virtual learning to a limited number of students.

Improving K-12 education for Hispanic students in Las Vegas and beyond

We need to better understand how the education system can adapt to the realities of the student body it serves.

Nashville school board approves charter aimed at Spanish speakers

The Metro Nashville School Board has approved a new charter school hoping to offer a dual-language education for the city’s Spanish-speaking children.

Under attack: California schools face ransomware threat

If the data on cyberattacks seems sketchy and incomplete, that’s because it is.

Gov. DeSantis promotes new Florida civics education program offering teachers $3,000 bonuses

The new program will be called the “Florida civic seal of excellence.”

Illinois has become the first state to require the teaching of Asian American history

The Teaching Equitable Asian American History (TEAACH) Act comes at a time when growing numbers of Asian Americans have become the targets of hate crimes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

64% of top districts to hold virtual academies this fall

The update comes as the highly transmissible Delta variant now accounts for the majority of U.S. COVID cases, casting uncertainty on an upcoming school year.

Palm Beach Schools superintendent resigns

Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Donald Fennoy announced that he plans to resign, ending a three-year tenure that started successfully but turned tumultuous during the pandemic.