Another Fortuna High School student has come forward to make allegations against the math teacher arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexually assaulting two students. Gary Landergen, who’d returned to Fortuna High School this year, where he’d previously taught in the 1990s before leaving for Argonaut High School in Amador County, was arrested on a Ramey […]
Education
Fortuna High School Teacher Arrested for Alleged Sexual Battery of Students
The Fortuna Police Department has arrested Fortuna Union High School math teacher and wrestling coach Gary Landergen on allegations he sexually assaulted at least two students. According to a press release, “at least two students” came forward to report they had been the victim of “inappropriate and unwelcome groping and/or fondling by Landergen.” The Fortuna […]
El Leñador Takes Home Awards
Cal Poly Humboldt’s student-run bilingual newspaper El Leñador and its staff won a number of awards, including the “People’s Choice” award in Best of Show, at a college newspaper conference earlier this month. The paper published in English and Spanish was also recognized with first place wins for Best Special Issue/Section, Best Arts and Entertainment […]
The Collapse of Community College Enrollment: Can California Turn it Around?
After community college enrollment collapsed in late 2020, California lawmakers last year gave the system of public two-year colleges $120 million to help stem the tide of departing students and bring them back. So far, progress has been uneven. Through last fall, just 17 of California’s 116 community colleges have seen the number of students […]
Short-term Fixes Won’t Really Solve California’s Teacher Shortage
Daniel Poulos worked as a custodian for Castro Valley Unified School District for 12 years. He became a familiar face at Redwood High, a school for at-risk youth, where he made sure the classrooms were clean and the lights stayed on. But in 2017, he got the chance to become a history teacher with the […]
Rio Dell Schools Drop Masking Mandate Enforcement, Defying State Order
Well before California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today that the statewide order mandating masks in K-12 schools will expire in two weeks, Rio Dell Elementary School District had decided to go its own route. The district’s board voted unanimously Feb. 17 to adopt a policy making plain its schools would not ask any questions of […]
California School Mask Mandate to End March 12
All students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, will no longer be required to wear a mask indoors at schools and child care facilities starting March 12. Gov. Gavin Newsom and California state health officials issued the order on Monday, nearly a month after they lifted the mandate for vaccinated people gathering in restaurants and other […]
Cal State Chancellor Resigns Under Fire
In a stunning fall from grace, California State University Chancellor Joseph Castro has resigned from his post, effective immediately, over accusations that he mishandled sexual assault and workplace intimidation claims against a former colleague while president of Fresno State University. Castro — who just completed his first year as the first Mexican American chancellor of […]
Do-over: Cal State’s Resubmitted Application Increases Affordable Student Housing Projection by 800 Beds
After the California State University system realized it misread the fine print for a new state grant to build affordable student housing, officials went back to the drawing board, ran new numbers, and told lawmakers they have a plan to develop more discounted student homes. The application do-over means as many as 800 more Cal […]
Mask Protestors on Campus Put South Fork High School on Temporary Lockdown
South Fork High School was placed on a modified lockdown for a time yesterday morning and Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the scene after a group of parents and students protesting state-mandated mask requirements for school settings entered the campus. There were reports that some protestors tore down masking signs at the […]
Some Parents Lose Patience Over School Mask Mandate
Since California health officials decreed the end of the mask mandate for restaurants and grocery stores last week, frustrated parents have been asking: When can their kids take their masks off at school? They didn’t get any answers during a much anticipated press conference Monday hosted by California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark […]
‘A Change in Narrative’: Ethnic Studies Program Helps Incarcerated Youth Navigate Identity
When Nate Tan, a professor of ethnic studies at San Francisco State University, logs on to virtually teach his 8 a.m. class, he sees several dozen students sitting at desks with laptops, some framed by towering bookshelves. But these students aren’t Zooming in from campus dorms. Instead, they’re taking classes in three different youth prisons […]
