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The 802 Ed newsletter, a monthly publication for Vermont educators, has published its August ‘back to school issue.’ Editor Steven Berbeco has aggregated these Vermont education news stories of interest:
“Education Is What Unites Us.” Vermont’s interim Secretary of Education reports out on her first 100 days in a VT Digger opinion piece, describing conversations with educators and community members across the state.
Allegations of Commission’s “Hidden Agenda.” The Chester Telegraph reports on the start of newly formed Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont and community concern about what it may mean for closing schools.
Child Care Uncapped. DCF recently announced an update passed by the legislature in late May that temporarily removes the cap on child care programs increasing their cost of tuition.
“Whoops, You Can’t Actually Be in The Building.” Seven Days VT gives the latest on the results of elevated levels of PCBs in schools across the state, especially with the start of the new school year just around the corner.
Pending Case on Interim Secretary. VT Digger lays out the back and forth between two state senators who argue that the Governor should not have appointed the interim Secretary of Education after the Senate voted against her confirmation, and on the other side the Attorney General’s Office who says that the appointment process went as designed.
Supporting Students’ Eco-Anxiety. The Stanford Social Innovation Review gives context to university students’ concerns about climate change and offers several options that higher education and, in many cases K-12 schools as well, could consider to help meet a largely unmet need among students.
Phone Free Schools. Harwood Union Middle/High School recently announced policy and procedures to keep cell phones out of the classroom in order to “improve overall student mental health and well-being.” Thetford Academy has made a similar move.
Cuts And Changes in The Experiment. VT Digger brings us up to date on the growing pains in the on-going consolidation of the Vermont State Colleges.
“Money Pit.” The Chester Telegraph is following recent community concerns about the future of Cavendish Town Elementary, with school board members, parents, an incoming superintendent, and a state legislator weighing in.
Suing for The Green and Gold. WCAX reports on a Vermont student who filed a federal lawsuit against her school for allegedly recommending a different student for a coveted full scholarship to the University of Vermont. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
“Questions Abound.” An editorial in the Valley News details reporting on the quiet departure of a local superintendent, the payout authorized by the board, selection of the interim superintendent, and other pieces of the puzzle.
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Categories: Education
The solution to these issues is, of course, the consideration and passing of the H.405 School Choice Act that has been tabled in the Education Committee for a year and a half now. But rather than wait for the impossible, i.e., the legislature to ever do anything the voting public would like to see happen, the courts are the only recourse.
Unfortunately, VDC has been sitting on an article from me for nearly two weeks now and has, to date, refused to publish it. The article elaborates on Vermont education law, previous court decisions, and the peer reviewed behavioral studies that support School Choice governance.
Now, if only VDC would do its part.
Jay, send me your article, I’ll help circulate it. This article stirs a lot. Vermonters have every right to be concerned about our schools. Parents Defending Education’s Indoctri Nation map point to many reasons. https://defendinged.org/map/ Check out what has been posted on some Vermont schools. Many more should be posted, too – Windham Elementary that was shut down because all the kids were doing was watching TV, Vergennes Elementary where parents were refused the right to remove their children from an outside group teaching sex education in early elementary classes, Bellows Falls where half the freshman class were reading at a 1st grade reading level. Find more at vthope.net/sos-post.html
Hhilltop: Let’s give VDC another day or so to make good on its promise to publish my commentary.
In reviewing the time-line, to be fair, I submitted the commentary 8-6-24. So it’s been a week, not two, since I submitted the article.
PS Parents and communities should be very concerned about the I Read testing program schools are wanting to use with our children. It is touted for its amazing ability to test students and in two hours of testing know what would take 12 weeks of comprehensive testing to otherwise assess. What isn’t touted is how this cutting AI technology is reading the children’s eye responses. It is eye reading. The data that they accumulate is massive and utilizes icloud storage where hacking standards don’t adequately prevent companies like TikTok and others aggressively seeking information about how to manipulate children’s responses for business purposes with financial and political interests.