Rindge School of Technical Arts improvements and enrollment drop draw council budget queries
Declining school enrollment, improvements at the Rindge School of Technical Arts and echoes of an enduring debate over standardized tests and the achievement gap caught city councillors’ attention at a budget priorities roundtable with the School Committee.
Public school enrollment down 7% in two years, with budgeters wondering: Is this a blip or trend?
A drop-off in enrollment of Cambridge Public Schools’ youngest students that may signal long-term changes was discussed with budget projections last week by the School Committee, and a roundtable on priorities is set for Tuesday with the City Council.
After problems around post-holidays testing, schools have new approach for February break
With a weeklong break coming Feb. 21, the school district is applying lessons learned from January’s school restart, as well as trying more efficient and accurate in-school Covid-testing protocols and more vaccine and booster-shot hours.
Sexual consent education improvements pass after student walkouts that called out assaults
High school graduation requirements around health education will change over the next few years – including for student athletes – to better address issues such as coercion, power dynamics and how to ask for consent. School Committee members passed the changes swiftly on Tuesday.
Greer is voted in as permanent superintendent
Victoria Greer has been approved as permanent superintendent retroactive to Jan. 1. The committee made the move unanimously, then voted unanimously to make the change ineligible for further debate.
Deputy superintendent as a substitute teacher? Student and staff Covid absences mix things up
While there’s been a high rate of student absences since the end of a winter break that saw a surge in coronavirus cases, many school district staff are also in isolation due to Covid, including nurses and medical aides, putting additional pressure on administrators and staff.
Large in school district’s Covid-testing debacle: State’s failed promise and an overburdened lab
A snowstorm that blew into Cambridge early Friday provided more than a snow day off from school – it provided a respite from the risk of Covid transmission after the collapse of an ambitious plan to Covid-test staff and students returning from winter holiday gatherings.
Covid isolation is likely to go down to five days, following guidance by CDC, school officials say
School district rules are likely to be revised rapidly so those testing positive for Covid or who have Covid symptoms can return to school after a total five days of isolation and a negative test to confirm recovery, down from 10 days of isolation.
Two-day Covid testing for students and staff leaves some in limbo as schools reopen doors
Cambridge Public Schools opened doors Wednesday after closing for two days of districtwide student and staff Covid tests – but due to the scale and complexity of the effort, many families and students awaited results even as schools reopened.
School Committee is sworn in, electing vice chair and gearing up to address Covid and other issues
School Committee members were sworn in Monday, elected Rachel Weinstein to be vice chair for the term and agreed to hold off on changing the rules under which they operate until the amendments could be reviewed fully.
