Senate Passes Infrastructure Deal, Schools Reopen, Masks & Vaccinations Continue to be Contentious.

Editor's Note: This weekly newsletter covers media trends and key news in K-12 public education. Please be in touch with [email protected] with any questions. 

News

• Today, the Senate passed a $1T Infrastructure deal with bipartisan support. As the name suggests, the bill deals primarily with the nation’s infrastructure and includes a $65B investment for updating the nation’s broadband, funding for school infrastructure, and investments for HBCUs. (CNN, NY Times, CNBC, The Washington Post, AP News, Politico, NPR, The Atlantic) 

 

• It’s the first week of school for districts across the country and reviews are mixed. Masks, distance learning vs. in-person learning, and Covid-19 vaccinations and testing are all issues with folks on both sides of the aisle, nationwide. (Politico, Washington Post, AP, EdWeek)

• • LAUSD (NBC LA, ABC 7, LA Times, LA Daily News, EdSource)
  • Shelby County (Commercial Appeal, The Daily Memphian, Fox 13, WMC, WREG, Chalkbeat TN)
  • Beaumont ISD (Beaumont Enterprise, KFDM, 12NewsNow)

Views 

EdWeek (Andrew Ujifusa, K-12 Reporter): New Eviction Moratorium Doesn’t End Fears About Students and Homelessness Amid COVID

 

Washington Post (Andrew Jeong, National Reporter): Tennessee could withhold millions from schools found to violate guidelines on teaching critical race theory 

 

CalMatters (Joe Hong, K-12 Reporter): California lawmakers and teachers unions stop short of a vaccine mandate BUT ALSO Politico (Mackenzie Mays, K-12 Reporter): Newsom to announce nation’s first vax-or-test rules for teachers 

Texas Tribune (Brian Lopez, Public Education Reporter): Gov. Greg Abbott’s order banning mask mandates in Texas schools faces lawsuit, defiance by big-city districts