Parents petition Shelby County Schools for shorter online classes
The state requires 6.5 hours of daily instruction, which can be met through recorded lessons and students independently completing assignments, as well as teacher-led live lessons.
Laura Faith Kebede
Chalkbeat Tennessee
There are 131 articles by Laura Faith Kebede :
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September 2020
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Metro Superintendent sets bar for reopening classrooms: daily case counts in single digits
The threshold is not as strict as a demand from teacher protesters who called for keeping all classes online until the county reported no new coronavirus cases for 14 days.
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August 2020
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Metro Tennessee extends grant for free child care for essential workers
The state will pay day care centers to care for small children and supervise school-age children of essential workers who are employees at airports, medical facilities, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, government agencies and construction companies.
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Metro Even online, students will face suspension for misbehavior
Shelby County Schools students will be attending school remotely from home this fall, but the basic rules of school will still apply, with penalties for tardiness, truancy and dress code violations.
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Metro SCS Superintendent: Expect early problems with online learning
Shelby County Schools will have more than 95,000 students online simultaneously when classes begin Aug. 31, Superintendent Joris Ray said. "We're going to learn from our mistakes and we're going to get better and better each and every day."
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Metro Schools can stay open until COVID positivity rate hits 25%, Health Department says
The threshold is dramatically higher than other cities across the nation. New York City’s mayor has said school buildings must shutter if the positivity rate exceeds 3%, and other school districts have vowed to limit in-person learning when the rate hits 5%.
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Metro Shelby County Schools have 100 teacher positions to fill
To find candidates for the open jobs, Shelby County Schools is hosting a virtual hiring fair from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14.
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Metro SCS students won’t have to wear uniforms for online instruction
“However, it is our expectation that they show up to school appropriately dressed,” Maria Stewart, the district’s director of policy, said of the virtual learning rules.
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Metro Most Memphis students are starting school online. But from where?
Churches, day care providers and other places are scrambling for state permission or funding to provide schoolchildren supervision and space to log on to online learning during the day.
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July 2020
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Metro Memphis teacher tests positive for COVID 2 days into in-person training
About 80% of public school students are under Shelby County Schools and will start the academic year online. But some suburban schools, charter schools, and state-run schools plan to have a mix of online and in-person instruction.
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Metro 80 gather to protest in-person instruction in Memphis schools
A Memphis protest echoes a growing call from teachers to start the school year online as coronavirus cases rise nationwide. A recent study of nearly 65,000 people in South Korea showed that children over age 10 spread the coronavirus as easily as adults do.
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Metro SCS sets school year start date at Aug. 31, last day June 16
Under the 2020-21 calendar approved by the Shelby County Schools board, students and teachers will have a fall break in October and start the second semester in February instead of January.
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Metro If coronavirus cases continue spiking, Ray says he can’t ‘in good faith’ open school buildings
SCS Superintendent Joris Ray said Memphis students will start the school year online if coronavirus hospitalizations and cases continue to surge.
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Metro SCS parents can choose in-person or online instruction for fall
Starting in August, Shelby County Schools plans to offer both online and in-person instruction for students — and parents can choose which option they want.
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June 2020
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Metro Memphis students say they want deputies out of schools
Shelby County Schools mostly relies on district-employed school resource officers as security staff. They do not carry guns but have pepper spray, the district said.
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Metro SCS superintendent gets good marks on community relations
Superintendent Joris Ray’s lowest score was in his relationship with district staff, especially in implementing a “rigorous, accurate” employee evaluation system.
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Metro Saturday school is out as SCS lays out options for 2020-21 calendar
Instead, Shelby County Schools’ leaders will consider ideas such as adding an extra hour to the school day, shortening holidays and extending the school year.
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Metro Memphis students to get laptops and tablets starting in August
The school board voted 8-1 at a special meeting Monday to approve $11 million toward a four-year lease for laptops and tablets from Microsoft and Hewlett Packard.
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Metro SCS considers adding 15 days to school year to help students catch up
The district plans to present a proposal to the school board on Tuesday, and estimates a longer school year would cost between $25 million and $30 million.
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May 2020
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Metro Here are the people advising Memphis school leaders on fall return
Superintendent Joris Ray said a plan to return to school could be a mix of in-person and online instruction. It’s still not clear when the 2020-21 school year will start, but Ray said he expects to present a school re-entry plan in early July.
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Metro SCS pauses teacher salary negotiations, citing pandemic’s effect on budget
Teacher association leaders objected to the pause, saying the district was using the pandemic as an “excuse” and that Superintendent Joris Ray’s administration has not explored all options to funnel more money to teacher pay.
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Metro SCS proposed budget reduces staff, but gives teachers a 1% pay increase
Altogether, the budget proposal cuts 220 full-time positions and adds 199 part-time positions. It also sets aside $6 million for the 1% salary increase for teachers and licensed staff such as school counselors and psychologists.
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April 2020
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Metro Memphis plans in-person graduation ceremonies in July
The announcement came about a week after the state released graduation ceremony guidelines. School systems nationwide have grappled with how to honor their graduating students while still adhering to public health guidelines to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
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Education SCS has plan to help struggling seniors graduate despite school closure
Online classes for seniors at risk of not graduating because of failing grades are scheduled to begin April 20 and run through May 22.
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Metro With classrooms closed, teachers turn to TV to air lessons
Some Shelby County Schools educators recorded their lessons from home facing a computer screen, while others recorded from someone else’s classroom facing a TV camera. At Middle College High School, one classroom has been transformed into a makeshift studio.
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