HSU Athletes Return to Play

By Iridian Casarez on February 27, 2021 at 6:02AM

The release also states that an NCAA survey found that student athletes are reporting higher levels of mental exhaustion, anxiety and feelings of depression during the pandemic, with higher rates of distress among female, LGBTQ, and POC athletes. “Although this isn’t an ideal situation for anybody, I know my team and others are grateful to get back to playing in any capacity,” said Macy Thomas, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee co-president and a volleyball player.

Eureka City Schools to Offer In-Person Classes in March

By Kimberly Wear on February 19, 2021 at 1:24PM

The Eureka City Schools Board voted last night to open up for in-person instruction by March 1 for pre-school to eighth grade, with families having the option to continue distance learning. Superintendent Fred Van Vleck noted in a Facebook post that the California Department of Public Health does not allow high schools to reopen in areas under the purple COVID-19 risk tier — which is where Humboldt County currently sits — but the district is “optimistic” the region will move into the red tier next week, which would possibly allow for the move by the March 1 date.

School Reopenings More Likely in Rural Areas, at Private Schools

By Ricardo Cano, CALmatters on February 17, 2021 at 5:36AM

New state mapping data details California’s school-reopening divide, in which hundreds of school districts — mostly smaller and rural or inland — are offering in-person instruction to elementary students while many of the state’s largest, urban districts remain indefinitely in remote learning. But the divide between public and private schools is much starker: Eleven months after schools closed for in-person learning, most California private schools appear to offer some form of in-person learning, according to the state’s map data.

Teacher Vaccinations in California Determined by Luck, Location

By Ricardo Cano, CALmatters on February 10, 2021 at 6:00AM

'Staff Challenges' Amid Quarantines Has Fortuna High School District Classes Going Virtual

By Kimberly Wear on January 28, 2021 at 2:59PM

McKinleyville High School Acknowledges Racism, Vows to Make Changes

By Iridian Casarez on January 28, 2021 at 11:40AM

sharing (at the Aug. 18 listening session) has both saddened and had a profound impact on me as both a member of our community as well as in my role as Principal, for it is clear, from these listening sessions, that our school has not always provided a safe, nurturing and empowering environment for our BIPOC students, and this must change,” he wrote. The school acknowledges its responsibility to make changes and will implement staff training, curriculum and the development of policies and procedures in partnership with BIPOC community members.

Toddy Thomas Middle School Moves to Online Instruction After Students Test Positive for COVID-19

By Iridian Casarez on January 26, 2021 at 5:22PM

In a Facebook post, Fortuna's Toddy Thomas Middle School Principal Mat Bigham announced the school would move to distance learning as soon as tomorrow after "one or more students" tested positive for COVID-19 and multiple students "may have been exposed." According to the post, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders were exposed, and several fifth graders are currently showing symptoms of COVID-19.

State Awards $8.6 Million for Hoopa Broadband Project

By Thadeus Greenson on January 21, 2021 at 1:05PM

The California Public Utilities Commission has approved an $8.6 million grant application that will bring high-speed broadband internet service to the Hoopa Valley. "The beautiful and rural Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation has needed technological upgrades for decades," Tribal Chair Byron Nelson Jr. said in a press release.

Op-ed: Resolution Recklessly Injects Politics into Local COVID Response

By Thadeus Greenson on January 11, 2021 at 9:10AM

Thursday, just about 24 hours before the county posted Bohn’s agenda item for public review and as the county was setting another single-week record for new COVID-19 cases (270), a reporter asked Hoffman about the prospect of deviating from the state’s tiered approach to local restrictions and his answer was unequivocal. “I don’t believe that we should be doing anything differently than the state’s orders,” Hoffman said.

HSU Ends Agreement with University Center

by Kimberly Wear on December 21, 2020 at 4:18PM