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Federal probes into lack of school services for special needs students reflect nearly a year of parental anguish, advocates say
Luis Martinez, an 11-year-old fifth grader with autism, rarely missed a day of school before the pandemic. Though non-verbal, he delighted in seeing his friends and teachers, and his mother, who quit her job five years ago to care for him, was thrilled for his small gains in communication. But that all changed during the...
By Jo Napolitano | February 11, 2021
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As COVID vaccine rollout approaches, states weigh whether to place teachers near the head of the line
Landra Fair, a high school science teacher at Unified School District No. 232 in Kansas, was thrilled for the chance to participate in Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine trial this past summer, eager to further scientific research in this area. It’s not the first time a member of her family has done so: Her mother was part...
By Jo Napolitano | December 10, 2020
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Sidewalk School, born of Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, goes virtual amid pandemic
In 2019, The Sidewalk School opened in a cramped tent city on the U.S.-Mexico border. Now its students, craving educational opportunities in the States, face their latest challenge: learning during a pandemic The Sidewalk School in Matamoros, Mexico, founded last summer by two American volunteers, defied convention from the start. Located just three miles from...
By Jo Napolitano | June 30, 2020
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From Los Angeles to New York City, ‘defunding the police’ — and shifting resources from law enforcement to schools — gains momentum
Fueled by protestors’ calls to remake urban police forces in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, officials from New York City to Los Angeles are trying to steer funds once earmarked for law enforcement toward education. While the efforts face several obstacles — a move to transfer $4 million from the police to schools in...
By Jo Napolitano | June 12, 2020