Public Schools

As COVID cases are on the rise in some areas across the country, two New Mexico school districts are shifting to virtual learning before Thanksgiving.

The plan suggested using some of the funds to purchase supplies like face masks, hand sanitizer and bleach wipes to boost safety in schools amid the pandemic.

The city's public school teachers argue that they should be allowed to undergo regular COVID-19 testing in place of having to be vaccinated.

New quarantine regulations for students, as well as a vaccine mandate for staff members, will be instated September 27.

It's back-to-school season, but the country never got a summer vacation from the culture wars over K-12 education.

The incident occurred at a school board meeting in Rutherford County, Tennessee, during a discussion on mask mandates.

Of the roughly 31,000 laptops and tablets issued to students by the Buffalo Public School District last year, around 8,000 devices still have yet to be returned.

"There were all kinds of costs that were extraordinary because of COVID, but online schools didn't have any of them," economist Gordon Lafer said.

Schools have been given three years to spend the federal money, but some districts are worried about what happens after the federal money is gone.

"If a teacher is not even able to hang a flag which represents that protection, what does that say to the LGBTQ students in that community?" one group asked.

"Shame on you for creating an environment in my workplace where I can not adequately protect myself from infection," social studies teacher Aaron Baker wrote.

"We cannot have government officials pick and choose what laws they want to follow," Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said in a statement.

"There is lots of evidence that supports masking and there is no evidence that it causes any harm," pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Jessica Snowden said.

Some teachers said the infestation has been an on-going problem for years and it has been a noticeable issue within the school.

"It's terrifying. I'm afraid that we're going to have a lot of really sick kids in addition to the spread, which is going to be a lot of sick adults," Dr. J. Stacey Klutts said.

"Safety recommendations are welcomed and encouraged—mandates that place more stress on students and families aren't," Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said.

"These disruptions...are going to continue for a while," Mississippi State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said.

The state has the fifth-lowest vaccination rate in the country, with unvaccinated patients making up 91 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Meanwhile, a federal lawsuit was filed in Las Vegas as parents pushed back on a school district's mask mandate, saying it "hindered" their children.

"If learning from home is what's best for them, why not do that? What's the reason, except that people are afraid of change?" said New Jersey parent Karen Strauss.

The judge ruled that the board was required to order an environmental impact review that including studying alternatives before making its decision.

Recent reports show teaching anti-racism and other related issues to grade school children is an unpopular concept among independents and moderate Democrats.

"They're teaching our kids that all white people are racist and there's nothing you can do about it," the Republican senator said.

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

Educators could have their licenses suspended and schools could have their accreditation docked for not following the new rules.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said, "We are setting a new standard for what it means to truly reckon with our history."

A recent New York Times op-ed misses the mark.

Maria Serrano, whose daughter is a high school sophomore, said that Chicago Public Schools should focus more on providing students with sexual education.

The U.S. Supreme Court is taking on the lawsuit filed by parents who want to send their children to Christian schools in Bangor and Waterville, Maine.

Just as in 1994, Democrats today have no clear objectives apart from radical promises by House progressives that are doomed to failure.