Education

Education

San Jose school districts still require masks for students

Sorry kids, but you still need to keep your masks on at school. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relaxed mask requirements for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19, it recommends K-12 students continue to wear face coverings and keep social distancing. The CDC based this decision on students not being fully vaccinated...

Residents ponder what San Jose college should do with 27 acres

After negotiations with a major developer fell through and a lawsuit followed, the 27 acres of open land along Evergreen Valley College remained untouched for years. And now it’s back to the drawing board for what should happen to the college-owned land. The once promising development opportunity sits in limbo as the San Jose Evergreen...

East San Jose high schools get new superintendent

A new superintendent is preparing to take the reins in East San Jose and he’s all about leveling the playing field. Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Glenn Vander Zee, who was named East Side Union High School District’s new superintendent last week, shares a vision of empowering students and creating equity.  Vander Zee also worked as...

Alum Rock trustees vote to close two San Jose middle schools

Facing a deficit of more than $3 million, Alum Rock Union School District trustees voted unanimously to close Clyde L. Fischer Middle School and Lee Mathson Middle School at the start of the 2021-22 school year. The resolution came from Superintendent Hilaria Bauer, who said student enrollment at the schools is projected to plummet 50% by...

Silicon Valley libraries slowly reopening. Here’s what you need to know

For patrons and staff alike, the reopening of the Santa Clara City Library feels like Christmas morning. The public institution recently expanded access to indoor services alongside the Santa Clara County Library District and some branches of the San Jose Public Library. At all three branches of the Santa Clara City Library—Central Park, Mission Branch and Northside Branch—patrons...

South Bay schools reopened, but most students stayed home

Schools in Santa Clara County recently reopened after much anticipation, but most students opted to stay home.  Reasons for choosing to continue remote learning ranged from concerns of catching COVID-19 to abbreviated days making transportation difficult for parents. Chris Funk, superintendent for East Side Union High School District and a San José Spotlight columnist, said...

Will South Bay students need COVID shots to return to school?

Now that anyone over age 16 can get a COVID-19 vaccine, will South Bay school districts require them for students returning to the classroom? Not exactly. In California, state law requires that public school students receive vaccinations for certain transmissible diseases, including polio, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Hepatitis B and chickenpox. COVID-19 is not...