Education category, Page 66
School bus service halted as South Allegheny, Sun Coach Lines face off over contract
Late Friday morning, attorneys for South Allegheny School District sent a letter to the attorney representing their bus transportation company, praising progress they had made 10 days earlier in a dispute over $800,000 in back fees. Four hours later, the company, Sun Coach Lines, responded by saying they were terminating...
As virus cuts class time, teachers have to leave out lessons
English teachers are deciding which books to skip. History teachers are condensing units. Science teachers are often doing without experiments entirely. With instruction time reduced as much as half by the coronavirus pandemic, many of the nation’s middle school and high school teachers have given up on covering all the...
Pittsburgh Public Schools delay returning to classrooms until April 6
Pittsburgh Public Schools has delayed the return to in-school instruction another two months, until April 6. The district targeted the return to classroom instruction at the end of February. One after the other, several board members spoke at their meeting Wednesday in support of continuing to teach classes online, though...
Western Pa. schools receive grants to improve cafeterias
Eight local school districts are among those awarded more than $875,000 in grant money to help upgrade food service equipment in their cafeterias. In all, 59 elementary, middle and high schools will benefit from the funds, awarded to schools participating in the National School Lunch Program, a federally assisted meal...
Hempfield schools preparing for possible staff vaccinations
Staff at Hempfield Area School District could be next in line to receive the covid-19 vaccine. According to a letter by Superintendent Tammy Wolicki, district leaders are working with Hayden’s Pharmacy in Youngwood to provide an opportunity for staff to receive the vaccine early next month. “We are supporting this...
Duquesne University asked to bring back professor fired for using racial slur in class
A faculty-elected oversight body recommends that Duquesne University President Ken Gormley rehire Gary Shank, the education professor fired for using a racial slur during a virtual lecture on race and language in September. “While Dr. Shank’s use of the N-word was misguided, it was not malicious,” concludes a report by...
Mt. Pleasant Area students resuming hybrid instruction model
Students in the Mt. Pleasant Area School District are heading back to the classroom this week after more than a month of remote learning. District Superintendent Timothy Gabauer detailed in a letter to parents a plan that the school board approved for students to resume in-person classes Monday varying by...
High covid numbers could delay return to hybrid classes until April for Pittsburgh students
The Pittsburgh Public Schools Board is scheduled to vote this week on a measure to delay the return to partial in-person instruction until at least April 6 because of the high number of people in Allegheny County testing positive for the coronavirus, district officials announced. Delaying the planned return to...
Pittsburgh Public Schools Board expected to push in-person learning back to April
Pittsburgh Public Schools Board members are expected to make the “tough decision” next week to postpone the return of in-person learning until April 6, after the district’s spring break, board president Sylvia Wilson said Wednesday. “No one wants students back in school more than I do,” Wilson said. With covid-19...
Western Pa. teachers struggle to get information on vaccine distribution
As the state expands the first priority group for the covid-19 vaccine, educators in Western Pennsylvania are struggling with inadequate and often conflicting messages about when teachers and staff could receive their first doses. Teachers and staff inside school buildings fall into Phase 1B of the federal and state guidelines...
SAT doing away with optional essay, subject tests
NEW YORK — The College Board said Tuesday it will eliminate the optional essay from the SAT and do away with subject tests amid a changing college admissions landscape. “The pandemic has highlighted the importance of being innovative and adaptive to what lies ahead,” according to a statement from the...
Carnegie Mellon postpones start of in-person instruction, citing covid-19 rates in region
Carnegie Mellon University officials announced Tuesday that the school will delay the start of in-person instruction for the spring semester until Feb. 15. “As part of our continuing (covid-19) mitigation efforts, we have decided to delay the start of in-person instruction by one additional week,” CMU spokesman Jason Maderer said....
Pitt holds MLK Day discussion on ‘Race, Justice and Politics after the Capitol Siege’
Plenty of Americans are still trying to make sense of the attack on the Capitol, six days into a new year preceded by a year of racial tension and political uncertainty. They are in good company. As part of a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day event, a panel of...
Colleges, universities in Western Pennsylvania could get more than $200M in new stimulus reliefVideo
Colleges and students struggling to make ends meet in a pandemic economy will get a $21 billion boost from the latest infusion of coronavirus stimulus, with more on the way, should Congress take up President-elect Joe Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus package. The U.S. Department of Education recently released projections...
School choice lawsuit surge pushes possible high court fight
Vermont is facing at least its second lawsuit in four months over a voucher program that allows students in communities that don’t have schools or are not part of supervisory unions to attend schools of their choice, including approved private institutions. The Vermont system in which certain towns pay tuition...
Kiski Area officials: State Education Department contradicts themselves with new school guidelines
As the district prepares to enter its second semester, Kiski Area is one of few that has offered in-person and hybrid instruction all school year, Superintendent Tim Scott said — staying consistent amid shifting guidelines from the state Department of Education. During a Wednesday evening school board meeting, Scott and...
$2.2 billion to be allocated to school districts, charter schools across Pennsylvania
Additional federal money is being allocated to school districts across the state to help with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday said he is dedicating $2.2 billion in federal stimulus funds to K-12 school districts and charter schools. The money can be used to support...
Franklin Regional students sign petition requesting more support from district
Franklin Regional school officials are asking for feedback from students about this year’s educational model, a few days after a Change.org petition titled “Franklin Regional Students Need Support” garnered more than 1,000 signatures online. High school Principal Ron Suvak said students would receive a form on Tuesday “seeking feedback on...
Western Pa. teachers grapple with current events lessons after Capitol riot
Going over current events is one of Barak Naveh’s favorite parts of teaching. It’s an honor and a privilege, he said, to be able to help his history students at Pittsburgh Obama Academy understand the world in the context of the past, to show them how history is relevant in...
Woodland Hills considering hybrid plans for students, sends surveys to families
Woodland Hills School District is considering several approaches to bringing students back into the classroom, Superintendent James Harris said Monday. The district, which serves about 5,000 students, sent surveys to families Monday afternoon to gauge how comfortable parents would be with in-person learning. The survey includes questions about the number...
Pitt delays students’ return to campus for spring semester
The University of Pittsburgh has asked students to delay traveling back to campus for the spring term. Citing a possible surge in covid-19 infections following the holidays, administrators asked students to remain at home for the time being in a message from the Covid-19 Medical Response Office on Friday evening....
Pittsburgh Allderdice senior recognized in prestigious science competition
A Pittsburgh Allderdice High School student was named a scholar in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, which is considered the oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Hannah Barsouk, 17, was among 300 students recognized by Regeneron and Society for Science. Scholars earn a $2,000...
Greensburg Salem foundation targets hybrid learning needs
Members of the Greensburg Salem Education Foundation were already hard at work raising money for classroom grants before the covid-19 crisis began. That made it easy to pivot a bit and focus their efforts this year on supplying educators with the tools they’d need to teach in a new hybrid...
Education head Betsy DeVos quits, cites Trump rhetoric
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has become the second Cabinet secretary to resign a day after a pro-Trump insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In a resignation letter Thursday, DeVos blamed President Donald Trump for inflaming tensions in the violent assault on the seat of the nation’s democracy. She says, “There is...
Pa. officials encourage in-person learning for elementary studentsVideo
Pennsylvania health and education officials Thursday encouraged school districts to return elementary school students to classrooms, at least partially. “Beginning in the second semester, which typically begins around Jan. 25, and as local conditions permit, schools are going to be encouraged to allow for elementary school students to return back...
