Jan 20 New Mexico calls on National Guard to help schools stay open amid COVID-19 surge By Morgan Lee, Cedar Attanasio, Associated Press Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday announced an unprecedented effort to reopen classrooms in the capital city of Santa Fe and shore up staffing across the state. Continue reading
Jan 14 Watch 5:52 Boston schools face staff shortages amid sky-high COVID cases By Stephanie Sy, Claire Mufson Most of the nation’s nearly 100,000 public schools are open. But as the omicron surge continues, some districts are struggling to keep in-person learning going. Boston Public Schools have been operating in person since last spring, though a high number… Continue watching
Jan 14 Biden administration threatens to take COVID relief funds back from Arizona over anti-mask rules By Fatima Hussein, Zeke Miller, Associated Press The Treasury Department warns in a Friday letter that Arizona has 60 days to remove the anti-masking provisions before the federal government moves to recover the relief money. Continue reading
Jan 12 Chicago teachers accept COVID deal, bringing kids back to school By Sophia Tareen, Kathleen Foody, Associated Press Wednesday's vote will keep kids in classrooms after five days of cancelled classes due to a standoff with the city over remote learning and virus testing. Continue reading
Jan 12 COVID-19 vaccination rates for children are low. Experts say parents are ‘taking an enormous risk’ By Lindsey Tanner, Associated Press Distrust, misinformation and other factors have combined to produce what authorities say are alarmingly low COVID-19 vaccination rates in U.S. children ages 5 to 11. Continue reading
Jan 12 Democrats balance keeping schools open against confronting teachers’ unions By Nicholas Riccardi, Collin Binkley, Associated Press Nearly two years into a pandemic that shows no signs of waning, Democrats are speaking out against COVID-19 school closures, recognizing a rising anger among parents worried that their kids are falling behind. Continue reading
Jan 12 White House promises 10 million COVID-19 tests will be sent to schools By Zeke Miller, Associated Press The Biden administration is increasing federal support for COVID-19 testing for schools in a bid to keep them open amid the omicron surge. Continue reading
Jan 11 Watch 9:50 Chicago teachers agree to return to school after a protracted standoff By Stephanie Sy, Sam Lane With the spread of omicron exacerbating staffing shortages, returning to school after winter break has been a significant struggle in many parts of the country. The overwhelming number of districts are back in person, but some have gone virtual for… Continue watching
Jan 11 After five days of canceled classes, Chicago union leaders approve plan to return to school By Sophia Tareen, Associated Press Students in the nation's third-largest school district will resume classes this week after leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union accepted a proposal with the district over COVID-19 safety protocols. Continue reading
Jan 10 Chicago fight with teachers union stretches into 2nd week By Sophia Tareen, Associated Press Chicago school leaders are canceling classes for a fourth day in the nation's third-largest school district, taking the dispute with the teachers union over remote learning and COVID-19 protocols into another week. Continue reading