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2/25/21

From EdNC’s Alex Granados and Michael Taffe:

A bill that would require districts to offer a summer program to combat learning loss from COVID-19 passed the full House yesterday and goes now to the Senate. You can read all about that bill here.

A bill that would change limits on how many spectators can watch student sports at “outdoor high school sporting venues,” passed a Senate committee yesterday. The governor had limited crowds as such events to 100 people due to COVID-19. The bill changes that to “40 percent of an outdoor facility’s capacity.” It will be heard in a Senate rules committee today at 10 a.m.

A separate bill filed by House Republicans would allow up to 50% capacity at both indoor and outdoor public school sports arenas.

Meanwhile, in a COVID-19 press conference yesterday, Gov. Roy Cooper loosened restrictions on public school sports, among other things. Indoor public school sports facilities can now operate at 30% capacity with a max of 250 people. And outdoor public school sports facilities can now operate at 30% capacity; the 100-person limit no longer applies.

General Assembly staff presented information on base appropriation levels from the N.C. Community College System’s 2020-21 academic year to a joint meeting of the House and Senate education appropriations committees yesterday. While community college enrollment typically increases during recessions, North Carolina has experienced a decrease in enrollment. But staff said this was consistent with national trends due to COVID-19. Staff also presented data showing that North Carolina’s community college in-state tuition rates are lower than all other Southern states, at $2,440 per year.

The State Board of Education voted yesterday to allow Southside-Ashpole Elementary School in Robeson County to operate under plan B (hybrid in-person and remote learning) starting on March 1. Southside-Ashpole is the lone school in the state’s Innovative School District. The Board also voted to allow students to return to class in-person at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind.

Featured Read

Teaching Students A New Black History

NPR | February 25, 2021

An innovative education startup is offering culturally responsive learning to Black students across the country.... Read the rest

These are the sources EdNC checks every day: The New York Times, The 74, Education Week, The NC Tribune, The Insider, The News & Observer, The Charlotte Observer, WUNC, WFAE, Brookings, Education Commission of the States, and DPI’s News. A cross section of diverse sources are checked weekly and monthly. If you have an article you think needs to be included, email [email protected].

Analisa Sorrells

Analisa Sorrells is a Master in Public Policy candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School and previously worked as chief of staff and associate director of policy for EducationNC.

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