As more families learn to live with the daily threat of school shootings, San Jose residents are pushing to address campus violence before tragedy strikes. A Pew Research Center study released last week reveals nearly two-thirds of parents worry about their children’s safety at school. The study shows 32% of parents are extremely concerned about potential...
Education
Education
Silicon Valley school board races focus on mental health, drugs
Santa Clara County school board candidates zeroed in on student mental health and substance use at a recent community-hosted forum. Dozens of attendees turned out for a virtual forum last week organized by the African American Community Services Agency, SOMOS Mayfair, Vietnamese American Roundtable, Jewish Community Relations Council of Silicon Valley and Latinos United for...
Election 2022: Candidates vie for Santa Clara, Oak Grove school board seats
Voters have their work cut out for them this November as dozens of candidates are running for school board seats throughout Santa Clara County. In some districts, school board candidates are prioritizing the digital divide, staff retention, COVID-19 recovery and school safety. Potential board members are also highlighting fiscal responsibility as millions in funding flow into districts....
Election 2022: Crowded field for Santa Clara County school boards
San Jose voters are facing a large pool of school board candidates on the November ballot, with contenders jostling for seats in crowded races. Once elected, school board candidates will juggle a host of critical issues, including COVID-19 recovery, access to early education, chronic absenteeism and staff shortages. Board members will be responsible for millions...
Silicon Valley school conflict leaves students in limbo
On the first day of classes at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, a PE teacher greeted Evan Myers’ seventh period construction management class. It was unusual, but the sophomore took it in stride. Then the class, which teaches construction skills like using tools, began skipping all of the hands-on activities they had planned. Several weeks into the...
Santa Clara County education candidates prioritize equity learning
Candidates vying for seats on the Santa Clara County Board of Education shared their priorities Thursday with a packed house. More than 500 students, parents and elected officials turned out for a candidate forum hosted by nonprofit Rocketship Public Schools, a charter school system within the county. Candidates addressed issues ranging from mental health support...
Former San Jose school leader wins $2M discrimination case
Women earn about 83 cents for every dollar men make. For the first-ever woman superintendent at one Silicon Valley school district, that number was closer to 81 cents compared to her male predecessors. Former Evergreen School District Superintendent Kathy Gomez won a more than $2 million settlement, after a federal court validated her claims last month...
Santa Clara County candidates sound off on education
As ballots start arriving in the mail this week, Santa Clara County education leaders are making it easier for parents to learn which candidates will make children their top priority. The Santa Clara County Office of Education contacted more than 200 candidates running in local and state races with a survey asking them to pitch their...
How new education laws can help Silicon Valley parents
From equitable early child care access to nutritious school meals, a slew of new bills will change the state’s education landscape. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed numerous bills to address California’s ongoing struggle with making child care affordable, examine discipline among preschool students and bolster school nutrition. Experts say the new legislation takes crucial steps...
‘A chain that doesn’t let go’: San Jose State helps expunge criminal records
After being raped and kicked out of her parents house at the age of 13, Diana Carreras slept behind dumpsters or underneath friends’ beds trying to make it to her high school classes. She managed to survive the elements of San Jose streets until her junior year of high school. She was kidnapped and forced...