OCDE Education in the News

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

OCDE NEWSROOM

Registration is now open for the 2022 Orange County Spelling Bee. Here’s a quick ‘how to participate’ guide for local schools.

Have you heard the buzz? Registration is now open for local schools to participate in the 2022 Orange County Spelling Bee. Held virtually for the second consecutive year, the written round of the Bee is scheduled to take place Monday, Feb. 28, 2022 with top spellers advancing to a final round on Saturday, Mar. 5, 2022. Coordinated by OCDE, in partnership with the Orange County Register, the countywide competition is open to all students in grades six through eight and provides youth an opportunity to improve their spelling abilities, increase their vocabularies, and develop proper English usage.

https://newsroom.ocde.us/registration-is-now-open-for-the-2022-orange-county-spelling-bee-heres-a-quick-how-to-participate-guide-for-local-schools/

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Surge of families seeking remote learning overwhelms L.A. public schools

A surge of parents seeking remote learning for their children has overwhelmed public school programs in Los Angeles, causing teacher shortages, administrative snafus and enrollment delays that in some cases have kept students out of school for weeks.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-27/independent-study-california-lausd

L.A. Unified enrollment drops by more than 27,000 students, steepest decline in years

Enrollment in the Los Angeles Unified School District has dropped by more than 27,000 students since last year, a decline of close to 6% — a much steeper slide than in any recent year.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-28/lausd-enrollment-drops-by-30000-students-amid-covid-19

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

SF schools have had no major COVID outbreaks. Here's why.

There have been only five COVID-19 outbreaks at San Francisco schools since the beginning of the school year and the return to in-person education, the San Francisco Department of Public Health told SFGATE.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SF-schools-have-had-no-major-COVID-outbreaks-why-16485572.php

FRESNO BEE

Fresno County school district won’t discipline employees who refuse COVID-19 test

School board members in a Fresno County foothill community went against a group of parents and employees Monday who asked them to disobey COVID-19 health mandates.

https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/education-lab/article254573782.html

EDSOURCE

Civics proponents urge common ground in battles over ethnic studies

Responding to acrimonious debates over history and politics nationally and in school boards across California, some of the state’s leading advocates for civics education are urging schools to equip students with democratic principles and practices to counter growing “anti-democratic forces that threaten the stability of our fragile republic.”

https://edsource.org/2021/civics-proponents-urge-middle-ground-in-battles-over-ethnic-studies/661561

MODESTO BEE

How do Stanislaus students learn when sent home to quarantine? It depends on the district

When one Turlock high school student quarantined at home early this school year, he said he didn’t really learn anything. He figured he’d catch up on schoolwork when he returned after about four days.

https://www.modbee.com/news/local/education/article254497562.html#storylink=mainstage_lead

KPBS

San Diego County Schools Report Hundreds Of Kids To Police Every Year. Here’s The Aftermath.

Schools across San Diego County report hundreds of children to law enforcement every year for a wide range of matters, among them theft, assault, drugs, property damage and others. Most are middle school-aged or older, but some are young enough to attend elementary school. According to federal data analyzed by the Center for Public Integrity, students with disabilities, Black children and on some campuses, Native American and Latino children, have been disproportionately impacted by policing in schools.

https://www.kpbs.org/news/local/2021/09/28/san-diego-county-schools-report-hundreds-of-kids-to-police-every-year-heres-the-aftermath

NPR

A Free In-School Grocery Store Is Tackling Child Hunger, One Family At A Time

The free store in an Atlanta middle school offers not only food, but also household items, toiletries, clothing and shoes. Social entrepreneur Jasmine Crowe hopes to open more.

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/25/1040575677/free-school-grocery-store-child-hunger-atlanta-jasmine-crowe-gunna

CALmatters

Why many California students keep missing school

The day after he secured a landslide victory in the Sept. 14 recall election, Gov. Gavin Newsom visited an Oakland school to tout the state’s progress in reopening campuses, noting that 95% to 100% of students in most districts had returned to in-person instruction.

https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/09/california-schools-reopening-covid/

OTHER NEWS OUTLETS

‘Staggering’: New research shows that child obesity has soared during pandemic

Since COVID-19 first shuttered schools last spring, American children have been subjected to a kind of natural experiment in inactivity. The last 18 months have seen three school years interrupted sporadically by closures, quarantines, and virtual instruction, during which time children have spent more time in front of screens than ever before. And the physical effects are now becoming clear.

http://laschoolreport.com/staggering-new-research-shows-that-child-obesity-has-soared-during-pandemic/

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