School districts work for equitable remote education amid coronavirus closings
With the closing of all public schools until March 30, students in CHCCS and OCS face a new struggle: remote learning.
EDUCATION
Orange County School Board discusses transition as classes go online
Faced with jolting transitions due to COVID-19, the Orange County Schools Board of Education discussed how students, faculty and the budget will be impacted.
'It’s a labor of love': Bonnie Hauser to join Orange County Board of Education
This story is the first of a series featuring the newly elected members of the Orange County Schools Board of Education.
CHCCS partners with community members to feed hungry students during school closings
CHCCS community members are working hard to ensure that students dependent on food from school get what they need.
Latinx youth in CHCCS create bilingual picture book to foster equity
Latinx student group Mariposas and For Kids By Kids, an organization of teaching artists that edit and create picture books joined together to create “El regalo de Lenna," or “Lenna’s Gift," a bilingual children’s picture book attempting to create a counter-narrative surrounding Latinx people in the United States.
Food banks and school districts work to combat coronavirus food insecurity
Orange County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, as well as nonprofits like TABLE and the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, are offering free meals for at-risk students and families after all school districts closed for the next two weeks.
Tale of two districts: Orange County Schools tackles racial achievement gap
After the Orange County Schools Board of Education had its first joint meeting with the Equity Task Force, Orange County Schools are now finding ways to combat the racial achievement gap.
Orange County Schools board temporarily waives lunch policy for further review
Orange County Schools discussed changes to its lunch policy in recent weeks, and on March 9, the school board decided to waive the current policy until the end of the academic year.
CHCCS adjusts calendar, plans remote instruction in response to coronavirus fears
As a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools announced Thursday it will make Monday, March 16; Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18 optional teach work days and have spring break from Thursday, March 19 to April 3. Students will then begin remote learning in hopes of returning to class on Monday, April 6.
Local school districts prepare for coronavirus pandemic
The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 (coronavirus) a pandemic, and North Carolina is now in a state of emergency as universities across the state are closing. In light of this, local school districts are making adjustments to cope.
Transparency discussions dominate school board meeting following contract controversy
Emails between a former Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools official and a member of Education Elements, an education consulting firm, reveal how the district entered a $767,070 contract without the school board's approval. The decision raised doubts about transparency and whistleblowing protection among parents and board members.
Despite district’s efforts, disparities in AIG programs persist
“Scores were so glorified, a lot of kids felt like, my scores are just right below, why can’t I?” he said. “A lot of kids changed their attitudes about themselves, they just felt dumb, like they weren’t good enough to be in the same classroom as them."
Voters elect three new faces to Orange County Schools Board of Education
Bonnie Hauser, Jennifer D. Moore and Carrie Doyle were elected to the board, according to unofficial vote counts. Unofficial primary election results show that Hauser, Moore and Doyle each received about 17 percent of votes. The results show that there was only a 0.38 percent margin between unofficial vote counts for Doyle and LaTarndra Strong, who said she is not planning on requesting a recount.
Jen Mangrum and Catherine Truitt to face off in November superintendent election
UNC-Greensboro professor Jen Mangrum won the Democratic primary and Chancellor of Western Governors University North Carolina Catherine Truitt won the Republican primary, according to unofficial vote counts.
State budget impasse continues to burden local schools
CHCCS Board of Education Member Rani Dasi said she was wary that a state budget would even be approved for the next fiscal year. She said while the budget impasse continues, government institutions continue to operate by the previous budget’s stipulations.
To combat food insecurity, Orange County's food council aims to change policy
The 15-member council has seats for each elected body, including representatives from the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, Hillsborough Board of Commissioners, Carrboro Town Council and Chapel Hill Town Council. A fifth designated seat goes to a representative from the Orange County Agricultural Preservation Board, whose role is to represent agriculture and farming.
New study shows disparity in education spending within North Carolina
Disparities in educational spending between low and high income communities continue to widen. Low-income communities are struggling to adequate funding for public schools.
North Carolina considers adjusting Common Core — or scrapping it altogether
North Carolina's superintendent hopes to eliminate Common Core standards. Questions linger, though, over whether that's the right path forward.
OCS board looks to combat 'lunch shaming' with these new proposals
Lunch shaming is a phenomenon occurring in schools across the United States where students are shamed for not being able to pay for their lunches every day in order to pressure families to pay student lunch debt quickly. Orange County Schools is attempting to combat this issue by implementing new lunch policies.
Orange County commissioners adapt to mandate changing elementary class sizes
The SJAC is working with the Orange County Board of Commissioners to discuss possible solutions to reduce elementary and pre-K class sizes.
