It’s a problem most school systems simply don’t have: If rooms lack inadequate ventilation, they fix the issue. In cash-strapped Philadelphia, some buildings are more than 100 years old and decades of delayed maintenance means that’s not always possible. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)
A group of more than 200 organization are advocating for Biden to use executive power to cancel student debt entirely, which they say could pull entire communities out of the cycle of intergenerational debt and chip away at the racial wealth gap. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)
The school district confirmed to Chalkbeat that it would advocate for early-grade teachers to get vaccine priority. Prekindergarten to second grade teachers are slated to return to school buildings on Monday. | From: Chalkbeat Philadelphia (Read more.)
For households nationally that subscribe to the program, internet speed will double from 25 megabits per second (mbps) to 50. Costs will remain the same at $10 a month.
The School District of Philadelphia is installing window fans as one measure to prevent spread of the coronavirus in buildings, before students in grades K-2 return for some in-person learning Feb. 22. The district and city leaders have vouched for the effectiveness of the fans at circulating air in a classroom while not bringing in too much wintry outdoor air. But some parents, educators and union leaders are questioning whether a window fan can be effective. | From: NBC10/Telemundo62 (Read more.)
Nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic that sent work and learning home for many, Comcast said Tuesday that it will double the download speed of its Internet Essentials service for low-income Americans to 50 Mbps and increasing its upstream speed to 5 Mbps, effective March 1. | From: Technical.ly (Read more.)
In a stark example of inequity within the district, the board’s data show that schools considered on track enroll fewer than 5,000 students and are disproportionately white, while the near-track and off-track schools enroll more than 31,000 students in the grades studied, kindergarten to third grade. | From: Chalkbeat Philadelphia (Read more.)
Philadelphia public schools will attempt to transition back to a hybrid learning model of both in-person and digital learning starting next month, School District of Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite announced on Wednesday. | From: NBC10 Philadelphia (Read more.)
Beginning Feb. 22, pre-kindergarten through second-grade students whose families expressed interest in hybrid learning in the fall will be allowed to return to school buildings, Hite said. School staff will begin going into schools on Feb. 8. | From: Technical.ly Philly (Read more.)
The School District of Philadelphia plans to open school buildings to students in prekindergarten through second grade next month for a mix of in-person and digital learning, Superintendent William Hite announced Wednesday. Students are due to return Feb. 22, with staff expected to start preparing on Feb. 8. | From: Chalkbeat Philadelphia (Read more.)
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