With great uncertainty still clouding the 2020–21 school year, the State Board of Education focused much of its attention at its July 8–9 virtual meeting on the tools available to local educational agencies to prepare for the in-flux return of students and staff to the […]
More than half of California school districts report lead in drinking water
More than 2,100 drinking fountains tested positive for lead at 1,300 California schools over the past three years, according to new analysis by the CALPIRG Education Fund, with the health problem encompassing more than half (53 percent) of the state’s school districts. The independent group […]
White House summit pushes states to reopen schools — with safety in mind
One day after President Donald Trump tweeted, “SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!!” senior health and education officials said at a June 7 White House summit that reopening schools this fall is a necessity. But to do so safely, health and safety precautions eschewed by […]
California leads multistate lawsuit to protect CARES aid for public schools
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced on Tuesday, July 7, that he is leading a multistate lawsuit with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel against U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over the interim rule for how public schools distribute K–12 CARES Act money to […]
Deadline approaching to apply for Pandemic-EBT meal benefits
Only about half of an estimated 3.8 million California children eligible to receive Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits are signed up or have received their benefit cards, according to the Department of Social Services. To ensure that all children have access to healthy meals, the […]
CDC releases new school guidance, does not recommended universal COVID-19 testing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 30 released new guidance, “Interim Considerations for K-12 School Administrators for SARS-CoV-2 Testing.” The document notes that testing for COVID-19, along with symptom screening and contact tracing, are effective strategies to mitigate the spread of the […]
New task force begins difficult work of reforming school policing
The first of three hearings of California’s new Task Force on Safe Schools on June 30 sought to answer three main questions: Is there a place for police on school campuses? If so, what should their role be in promoting student safety? And if not, […]
Ninth Circuit upholds existing FAPE rules in A.W. v. Tehachapi Unified School District
On June 25, 2020, in a special education case in which CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance filed an amicus brief, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the district in an unpublished opinion in A.W. v. Tehachapi Unified School District, upholding the district […]
Governor signs 2020–21 budget package; CSBA webinar dives into details
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday night signed the 2020–21 state budget that leans heavily on deferrals in lieu of cuts to K–12 education funding and counts on significant additional federal funding to bolster schools financially in their monumental task to safely reopen schools. In a […]
E-rate program regulations and innovative district solutions to digital divide explored in webinar
A June 25 webinar hosted by New America’s Open Technology Institute featured advocates for closing the homework gap and three school district representatives from across the nation attempting to do so right now. At least 7 million students in the U.S. currently lack broadband access […]











