Fresno Unified school buses haven't transported kids since schools closed on March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but some of them are going back on the street with a new purpose sometime soon. The district plans to park a couple of Wi-Fi-equipped school buses in a shady area near...
Some US Schools Are Pulling the Plug on Distance Learning
CUSSETA, Ga. — After the Chattahoochee County school district called an early end to the school year, seniors lined up one day last week to complete their graduation paperwork. Students who hadn't seen each other since in-person classes ended abruptly in March amid the coronavirus outbreak commiserated over all they've missed out...
Chancellor Points to Online Fall Classes, but Fresno State Yet to Decide
Fresno State is continuing to mull options for reopening classes this fall semester, months after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of schools and universities statewide. The Fall 2020 Planning Task Force is considering two scenarios for fall, even though California State University Chancellor Tim White said Tuesday that most...
Fresno Unified Gives New Student-Tracking ‘Assignments’ to Teachers
Fresno Unified School District has unveiled a new way for district and school leaders to identify which students are not being reached and then develop plans to engage them. The data being collected comes from weekly teacher assignments in the ATLAS Gradebook tool. The new tool, which was rolled out...
FUSD Trustee: ‘Bare Minimum’ of Distance Learning Isn’t Enough
Fresno Unified trustee Claudia Cazares says teachers who have been doing the "bare minimum" as negotiated in the distance learning contract amendment need to do more teaching for their students. "Students are not being taught. They're being given a list of homework scheduled for the week, and then there is...
Fresno Unified: We’re Working Hard to Connect Online With Students
It has taken time for Fresno Unified School District students and staff to settle into the realities of distance learning, which became necessary after the COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures, district officials said Monday. To make sure no students are falling through the cracks, school sites are keeping logs...
Fresno Unified Parents: Haven’t Heard from Teachers? Here’s What to Do.
If your children are enrolled in Fresno Unified School District and you haven't yet heard from their teachers since schools closed due to COVID-19, you might want to call or email your trustee. Frustrated parents normally would contact their child's school principal, but it was made clear at Wednesday night's...
Pandemic Reveals Need for Schools to Utilize Technology for Online Classrooms
When the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to close this spring, it exposed the California Legislature’s lack of wisdom in approving a two-year moratorium on the expansion of distance learning in charter public schools. It’s not the decade of the 1990s or 2000s, it’s 2020. We are a fifth of the...
Fresno State Student Cupboard Fundraiser Sets Record, but COVID-19 Creates More Need
Last month's annual fundraising campaign for the Fresno State Student Cupboard set a record with $327,275 contributed by 434 individual donors and community partners. But even though the March Match Up is officially over, the need to support students continues because of pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many students...
Special Report: Fresno Unified Parents Want More Learning Amid COVID-19
When schools across the Valley abruptly closed after March 13 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, educators scrambled to pull together lesson plans to keep students learning as they sheltered at home. Some teachers banded together to get classes posted onto YouTube channels, while others quickly set up teleconference classes and...