Last week, House Democrats brought a new version of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act to the table that dedicated more funding for education and home internet. But President Trump sidelined the negotiations, declaring that he will not agree to a full relief package until after the presidential election.

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House Democrats bring a new Health and Emergency Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act to the table, with a lower overall price tag but more dedicated funding for education and home internet. Congress and the White House agree to a temporary stopgap to keep the government open through mid-December—including good news for advocates working to prevent child hunger during the pandemic.

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It takes a village to educate a child, especially during a global pandemic. Fortunately, “we have a very large village in Wichita,” says Rob Dickson, chief information officer for Wichita [Kansas] Public Schools. Through teamwork and a collective commitment to meeting every student’s needs, school and district leaders are working with the local Wichita community to reimagine and reconfigure the learning environment for the district’s 49,851 students.

If you ask the students, teachers, and staff at Sutton Middle School to describe what sets their school apart from other Atlanta schools, they all agree—it’s the school’s diversity.  

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is forced to abandon her policy to shuttle more funding to private schools with COVID-19 relief funds. The U.S. Senate can’t quite muster the votes for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) COVID-19 legislation. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the first federal legislation on school integration in more than thirty years.

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In mid-August, the Val Verde (California) Unified School District began the 2020–2021 school year with all 20,000 students engaged in high-quality distance learning. Like districts nationwide, Val Verde implemented full distance learning in the spring and again this school year to protect the health and safety of students, staff, and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. But unlike some districts, Val Verde already had the tools, resources, and plan in place to transition students seamlessly to a remote environment thanks to the district’s preparation and participation in the Future Ready Schools^® (FRS) network.

Ready or not, here they come. It’s that time again. It’s time for the students to return, and with that it’s time for the infamous back-to-school district kickoff meeting. It’s no secret that this year is so, so different than the kickoffs of years prior. Most years, administrators, teachers, and support staff return rested, having just come off a needed break and some well-deserved downtime. This year, anxiety is high, questions remain, fear surrounds us, and adversity can be seen in every direction.

“Community” is more than a word at UCLA Community School (UCLA-CS). Just as “community” sits at the center of the school’s name, a strong sense of community guides the teaching and learning practices at this unique school located in Los Angeles, California.  

In today’s Federal Flash, a flurry of activity across multiple federal agencies. First, we cover the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) eleventh-hour reversal to extend waivers that have made it easier for school districts to serve free school meals, plus the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) new guidance that ends state reimbursement for cloth face masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) for schools. We also have all the details on Secretary Betsy DeVos’s letter to chief state school officers about spring 2021 assessments.

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In today’s Federal Flash, we cover the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) refusal to extend waivers that give schools flexibility on where and how to serve students meals during the pandemic and an injunction halting Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s rule on equitable services under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In addition, we breakdown both political parties’ education platforms—or lack thereof—heading into the 2020 election and the prospects for Senate Republicans’ latest “skinny” coronavirus relief bill.

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