OCDE Education in the News

Monday, September 27, 2021

OCDE NEWSROOM

OC Youth Council leverages social norms to discourage underage drinking

Members of the Orange County Youth Council have an important message for their peers: The vast majority of high schoolers are steering clear of alcohol. This past year, 18 high school and college students who sit on the council have been working with the Orange County Department of Education and the California Friday Night Live Partnership to combat underage drinking using the “social norms approach.”

https://newsroom.ocde.us/oc-youth-council-leverages-social-norms-to-discourage-underage-drinking/

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Youth Ride Free passes lets kids and teens take buses in OC at no cost

Kids and teens ages 6 to 18 can hop on county buses for free for the next six months under a new pilot program meant to encourage the use of public transportation. With the Youth Ride Free Pass, young passengers can take any OC bus route for free, the Orange County Transportation Authority said in a news release. Available in every school district in the county and online, parents can request a pass for their child, who can use it through the end of February.

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/09/24/youth-ride-free-passes-lets-kids-and-teens-take-the-bus-in-orange-county-at-no-cost/

SACRAMENTO BEE

Sacramento teachers’ union proposes mandatory vaccines and COVID-19 testing

The Sacramento City Teachers Association has proposed requiring vaccines for staff and eligible students, along with mandatory COVID-19 testing for all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article254496007.html

SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE

San Diego-area district warns of students coming to school after receiving positive COVID results

Some students have been “attending school with symptoms present or, in a few limited cases, students attending school with known COVID-19 positive test results.”

https://bit.ly/3m6QMSA

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Bay Area high school rescues 4,000 endangered salmon from the drought - they'll grow up on campus

During fifth period at Petaluma’s Casa Grande High School last week, students scooped tiny, wriggling fish out of a tank. They weren't dealing with classroom pets.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/Bay-Area-high-school-rescues-4-000-endangered-16486539.php

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SUN

Substitute teacher shortage has Inland school districts scrambling for solutions

A shortage of substitute teachers this school year has left Inland districts scrambling for educators to fill K-12 classrooms each day. School officials have had to think resourcefully to ensure students have an adult to lead instruction.

https://www.sbsun.com/2021/09/24/substitute-teacher-shortage-has-inland-school-districts-scrambling-for-solutions/

PRESS-TELEGRAM LONG BEACH

South Bay, Long Beach schools raise substitute teacher pay in effort to address shortage

A short supply of substitute teachers has plagued campuses across Los Angeles County because of the coronavirus pandemic, spurring some school districts on the coast to institute pay hikes for the temporary instructors as an additional lure. Across the state, the number of substitute teachers, and teachers in general, are down.

https://www.presstelegram.com/2021/09/27/south-bay-long-beach-schools-raise-substitute-teacher-pay-in-effort-to-address-shortage/

EDSOURCE

Absenteeism surging since schools reopened

A month into in-person learning for most California schools, some districts are reporting soaring rates of absenteeism due to stay-at-home quarantines, fear of Covid and general disengagement from school. Even districts like Elk Grove and Long Beach that had relatively high attendance before Covid have seen big increases in chronic absenteeism — students who have missed more than 10% of school days.

https://edsource.org/2021/absenteeism-surging-since-schools-reopened/661507

High school students have a few more days to change last year’s grades to pass or no pass

High school students who were still unaware of the option will now have until Oct. 1 to change the grades of courses they took in 2020-21 to “pass” or “no pass” on their transcripts. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation last week extending the deadline of a bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzales, D-San Diego, that the Legislature passed in June.

https://edsource.org/news-updates#high-school-students-have-a-few-more-days-to-change-last-year-8217-s-grades-to-pass-or-no-pass

Teachers should be eligible for Covid booster shots, CDC head says

Overturning the recommendations of an advisory panel, the head of the Centers for Disease Control said Friday that teachers and other frontline workers should be eligible for Covid vaccine booster shots, according to the New York Times.

https://edsource.org/news-updates#teachers-should-be-eligible-for-covid-booster-shots-cdc-head-says

LAGUNA BEACH INDEPENDENT

Laguna Beach PTAs announce 13th annual sports swap

The Thurston Middle School and Laguna Beach High School PTAs will hold their annual Sports Swap at 8 a.m. on Nov. 6 to collect donations of unused sports gear and equipment. All unsold items will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach. Azadian and student volunteers will pick up donated items from community members’ home or business. Students earn community service and volunteer credits from participating.

https://www.lagunabeachindy.com/laguna-beach-ptas-announce-13th-annual-sports-swap/

OTHER NEWS OUTLETS

Pfizer says they’ll be ready to ask for approval of Covid-19 vaccine for kids In a matter of days

Pfizer/BioNTech plans to ask for authorization of a Covid-19 vaccine for some children under 12 soon, bringing the US one step closer to offering protection to a population that has grown particularly vulnerable as the fall season gets underway. "It is a question of days, not weeks," Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla told ABC News Sunday about when the company will submit data on children ages 5 to 11 to the FDA for consideration.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/27/health/us-coronavirus-monday/index.html

New school teaches migrant youth from around the world

A new school in Los Angeles was launched exclusively for migrant and refugee children. The Internationals Network Academy educates the growing population of young people from around the world who migrate to Los Angeles. The academy is on the same campus as Belmont High School and serves students like Carlos Gonzalez, whose journey to the classroom stretches thousands of miles. Gonzalez traveled alone from El Salvador less than a year ago through mountains in Guatemala and along train tracks in Mexico to escape being recruited into criminal activity.

https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/orange-county/education/2021/09/24/new-school-teaches-migrant-youth-from-around-the-world

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