Homeschooling surge continues despite schools reopening - By Carolyn Thompson, AP News

The coronavirus pandemic ushered in what may be the most rapid rise in homeschooling the U.S. has ever seen. Two years later, even after schools reopened and vaccines became widely available, many parents have chosen to continue directing their children’s educations themselves.

Homeschooling numbers this year dipped from last year’s all-time high, but are still significantly above pre-pandemic levels, according to data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.

Families that may have turned to homeschooling as an alternative to hastily assembled remote learning plans have stuck with it — reasons include health concerns, disagreement with school policies and a desire to keep what has worked for their children.

In 18 states that shared data through the current school year, the number of homeschooling students increased by 63% in the 2020-2021 school year, then fell by only 17% in the 2021-2022 school year.

Around 3% of U.S. students were homeschooled before the pandemic-induced surge, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The rising numbers have cut into public school enrollment in ways that affect future funding and renewed debates over how closely homeschooling should be regulated. What remains unknown is whether this year’s small decrease signals a step toward pre-pandemic levels — or a sign that homeschooling is becoming more mainstream.

Governor Laura Kelly Signs Bill Providing Children With Free, Basic Vision Screenings In Schools - By Derek Nester, Sunflower State Radio

Governor Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 62, a bipartisan bill that amends standards for free school-administered vision screenings and establishes the Kansas Children’s Vision Health and School Readiness Commission.

“Early detection of vision issues in children helps educators assess and address the needs of students promptly,” Governor Kelly said. “It is critical we address these issues early on — especially if a student has shown signs of reading difficulty, to ensure our kids continue to learn to their fullest potential and find success in the classroom.”

In addition to updated standards, SB62 creates the Kansas Children’s Vision Health and School Readiness Commission, an eight-member commission appointed by the State Board of Education to oversee the state’s vision screening requirements. It will also assist Kansas families in finding free or low-cost eye exams if a student fails an initial vision screening and cannot afford the services on their own.

SB62 also ensures sign language interpreters are held to a standard just as other licensed professionals, so Kansans who are deaf or hard of hearing receive quality service from interpreters.

Hamblen Co. Schools changes policy to allow man with no education background to serve as director of schools – By Jacinta Render, WBIR.com

Leaders of Hamblen County school met Tuesday evening to decide who would oversee a school district with 18 schools and around 10,000 students.

Before that, they voted to use an emergency protocol to change some of the board's policies. Normally, a proposal to change the policy would need to pass two readings over the course of two separate meetings. However, because they used an emergency protocol, the policy changed after one reading.

They removed the requirement for directors of schools to have a background in education. That paved the way for General Arnold W. Bunch Jr. to be chosen as the district's next superintendent. While he has no experience teaching children, he does have an extensive résumé in military service.

He has a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College and currently serves as a commander of the Air Force Material Command. He has also flown more than 2,500 hours and earned a Distinguished Service Medal.

"We legally took the direction that we did this evening to make him a qualified candidate, and that is how it came about," said Carolyn Clawson, the chair of the board.

‘Utterly unsustainable:’ Denver mulling fix for special education workloads – By Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat

In one week in March, school psychologist Tim Farrow supported a student who received a text message that her father had died unexpectedly, helped another student with federal Section 8 affordable housing vouchers for his family, and completed a suicide risk review for a student with an intellectual disability who was struggling with grief over the loss of a family member.

That was in addition to providing required services for 25 students with disabilities on his caseload. Farrow cares about all 1,700 students at Denver’s North High School, but he said the extra work beyond his caseload can make his job feel unsustainable.

“Most of the extra work we’re doing as educators, it’s things that we want to do,” said Farrow, who is one of two psychologists at North. It’s just that he and other mental health staff want “the opportunity to do those things without being run into the ground,” he said.

After years of advocacy by the teachers union and recommendations from a districtwide special education task force in 2019, Denver Public Schools and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association are collaborating to alleviate the heavy workload of specialists like Farrow.