Articles of Interest
Cellphone ban coming to 6 RPS schools following safety concerns
Chesapeake Public Schools to offer forum on fentanyl epidemic
Virginia Board of Education seeks community input for new school accountability systems | WCYB
National Articles of Interest
Ed Dept calls on more states to develop innovative assessments | K-12 Dive
Eating bugs and sleeping on the roof: How some schools are reinventing fundraisers | K-12 Dive
‘Opportunity’ knocked — and stayed: The debate over private school vouchers | K-12 Dive
Poverty fueled pandemic impact on schools’ chronic absenteeism | K-12 Dive
DOE Updates
Ed. Department Updates
Last week, Secretary Cardona, Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, Under Secretary James Kvaal, and other senior Department officials held a series of meetings and listening sessions to learn more about the growing concerns of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of discrimination in schools, as well as announced a series of actions to address these issues (press release).
On November 14, Under Secretary Kvaal hosted a listening session with leaders of 12 colleges and universities to hear about promising and effective strategies being implemented on campuses to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab hate since October 7. Participants represented institutions from across the country — including public and private schools, two- and four-year schools, and urban and rural schools. The Department will share these best practices more widely in the coming weeks.
That same day, the Department released a fact sheet announcing new tools to tackle discrimination and bias, including specialized collections of resources designed to help students, parents, educators, and community members promote religious inclusion and keep students safe. Notably, the agency’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) is launching a webinar series for K-12 school personnel and community-based organizations to develop, strengthen, and share evidence-informed strategies to help prevent and respond to hate- and bias-based threats, bullying, and harassment. The series kicks off with “Creating a Welcoming Environment” on December 6, followed by “Supporting Full Student Participation” on December 13, “Mediating Conflicts” on January 17, 2024, and “Providing Ongoing Targeted Supports” on February 14, 2024.
On November 15, Secretary Cardona, Deputy Secretary Marten, and other Administration officials met with national Muslim, Arab, and Sikh community leaders to discuss new actions and resources to counter the alarming uptick in Islamophobic, anti-Arab, and anti-Sikh threats and violence within schools (readout), following a similar engagement with Jewish leaders on October 30 (readout).
On November 16, Deputy Secretary Marten hosted a roundtable discussion with eight principals and superintendents from around the country, representing elementary and secondary schools and an array of school districts — large and small, urban and rural — to hear about useful strategies to combat hate.
Also on November 16, the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a list of K-12 schools and higher education institutions under investigation for alleged shared ancestry violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race, color, or national origin discrimination, including harassment based on a person’s shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics. Schools that violate the law and refuse to address issues identified by OCR may lose federal funding or be referred to the Justice Department for further action. The list will be updated weekly on OCR’s web site (press release).
And, on November 17, Secretary Cardona traveled to New York City for a meeting with the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council and leadership from Interfaith America regarding interfaith cooperation in order to protect all students. Compendia of resources for preventing and addressing antisemitism and Islamophobia in schools are available from the Department’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
