In response to his daughter receiving a swastika on social media, a California Jewish lawmaker is pushing for a bill that would give school administrators authority to suspend or expel students if they cyberbully fellow students away from school and outside of school hours. But Long Beach Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal’s Assembly Bill 2351 is coming […]
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NCJ Preview: Wildlife, Academy of the Redwoods and Restaurant Harassment
This week we’ve got a photo story from wildlife photographer Talia Rose, who documents life on the Eel River, including some wild pigs of late. We’re also talking about former Mayor Susan Seaman’s take on the controversy surrounding Eureka City Schools and the Academy of the Redwoods. Finally, we’re talking about sexual harassment in the […]
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CDC’s Move Paves Way for California to Require School COVID Vaccines — But Lawmakers Have Given Up for Now
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccination advisors voted last week to recommend all children get the COVID-19 vaccine, a move that does not change California’s list of vaccines required for children to attend school. The addition of the COVID-19 vaccine to the CDC’s recommended vaccines for kids is not a mandate for […]
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Problems Plague California School Data System, Putting Local Funding at Risk
The data management system for California’s K-12 schools has been on the fritz for months after it was updated in April then rolled out with minimal testing, potentially jeopardizing school district funding. The California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System, or CALPADS, stores information for the state’s 6 million public school students. It’s how the state knows […]
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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 […]
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California Plans to Update School Mask Rules
California appears to be on the brink of what could be one of its most dramatic shifts in COVID policy since the pandemic began nearly two years ago: changing school masking rules. State health officials announced Monday that they are working with “education, public health and community leaders to update masking requirements at schools to […]
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The Stress Test
Back in August, when Humboldt County schools returned from summer break for in-person instruction amid a surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the Delta variant, concerns were pervasive. Parents worried whether their children would be safe in the classroom, while others questioned whether schools would act as virus incubators that hastened community spread. School administrators, […]
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High COVID Case Counts Being Reported by Schools, Youth Sports, Businesses in the Greater Fortuna Area
A group of ZIP codes encompassing parts of Fortuna, Carlotta, Rio Dell, Scotia and Hydesville are showing an “unusually high number” COVID-19 cases being reported by schools, youth sports leagues and businesses over the last few weeks, according to Humboldt County Public Health. The specific ZIP codes that have had 60 percent more cases than […]
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One Loophole Remains in Student COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate
Nevada Joint Union High School District Superintendent Brett McFadden expects the vast majority of his students and staff to abide by the COVID-19 vaccine mandate issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 1. But he also expects around 10 of his employees to quit out of personal or political opposition to it. “It’s a really […]
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Rapid COVID-19 Tests in Short Supply in California
Sarah Voit likes to keep 10 to 15 rapid test kits on hand in case any of the residents of the Family Emergency Shelter Coalition in Hayward need to be tested for COVID-19. They’ve had some infection scares, and the antigen tests — which return results in minutes — have been crucial to curbing the […]
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In ‘Triage’ Mode, Public Health Shifts Focus of Contact Investigations to Schools
In the face of record case levels and diminished staffing, Humboldt County Public Health is triaging response efforts to focus on contact tracing in schools, skilled nursing facilities and other congregate living situations, as well as continued vaccination efforts, officials announced at a press conference yesterday. “As you are well aware, we are seeing the […]
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California Lawmakers, Teachers Unions Stop Short of Vaccine Mandate
Maribel Ahumada says she lost her sister and nephew to COVID-19 last December. So when the vaccine became available this spring she took her 16-year-old triplet sons to the grand opening of a vaccination center at San Pedro High School in Los Angeles so they could all get their shots. Today, as California confronts another […]