Alum Rock Union School District organizers scheduled a virtual forum with five board of trustees candidates Saturday morning – but when around 20 parents tuned in over Zoom, there was no candidate in sight. “Unfortunately we are not hosting the candidate forum today,” said Andrea Portillo of the East San Jose organization SOMOS Mayfair. “We...
Catholic schools gradually reopening in Santa Clara County
While most San Jose public school campuses will remain closed at least until January, Catholic schools are starting to welcome back students with sanitizing stations and wellness checks in place. “It’s been a real boost for faculty to see kids on campus,” said Principal Kristina Luscher of Bellarmine College Preparatory, which opened Sept. 23. “Overall,...
Santa Clara County education leader drops lawsuit against board
Education leader Joseph Di Salvo is dropping his lawsuit against the Santa Clara County Board of Education and fellow trustees who voted in July to censure him, but Di Salvo says the fight is far from over. “I am 100 percent innocent of the alleged charges,” Di Salvo told San Jose Spotlight Sept. 24. “The...
Why San Jose schools aren’t opening for the rest of the year
Saying they are ill equipped to take on the burden of testing students for COVID-19, San Jose officials extended distance learning through the end of December — and may not reopen classes until 2021. San Jose Unified School District Superintendent Nancy Albarrán said there are now more COVID-19 cases than in March when schools first closed, especially...
New program guides East San Jose parents through online learning
As school districts across Silicon Valley extend online learning to stop the spread of COVID-19, one local school district is helping parents — mostly immigrants and communities of color — get comfortable with the technology. This week, the San Jose Evergreen Community College District began its Parent Academy, a series of courses that train East...
Waivers pave way for some Santa Clara County schools to open
Although distance learning is the new educational normal for Santa Clara County, some public schools and one private school have received waivers for in-person learning. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered distance learning for counties on the state’s COVID-19 watch list but schools could resume in-person learning if their county had been off the watch list for...
Free student meals harder to come by in South Bay
East Side Union High School District was handing out 6,000 free lunches daily after COVID-19 shut down schools earlier this year. Now, with classes back in session, that number has dropped to about 120 a day. When the pandemic hit, the federal government issued a waiver allowing schools to distribute free lunches without checking to...
School resumes in San Jose as teachers decide where to set up class
Public school resumed in San Jose Aug. 12 with some teachers working from home and others from campus after a last-minute deal between the district and union gave teachers the option they had been demanding. “A lot of my colleagues had a lot of anxiety going into the first day of school,” said Patrick Bernhardt,...
SJSU students demand changes at national sorority
Members of Alpha Omicron Pi at San Jose State University are demanding the sorority lower its dues and eliminate “empty bed fees” to provide relief to less-advantaged students during the economic downturn triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. The university’s Delta Sigma chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi organized a news conference Wednesday to address concerns about...
Community college faculty push to continue providing classes to residents in care homes
As the Bay Area heads into its sixth month of lockdowns, community college faculty who once taught classes to older adults in nursing homes and retirement communities are pushing for their classes to resume online. The West Valley-Mission Community College District’s Older Adult Program (OAP) consists of four classes offered for free to seniors living...