News

The latest and breaking news and investigative reports about Idaho public education.

Senate Education Committee kills parent payout proposal

“I have a hard time weighing who is at fault here,” Sen. Janie Ward Engelking, D-Boise said. “It’s certainly not our school districts’ fault. It’s certainly not our teachers’ fault. It’s just the situation we’re in. Hopefully we’ll have better insight next time and will do a better job.”

Pandemic pushes school nurses to phone duty

Nurses were tasked with helping families navigate quarantining, testing and attendance guidelines, as well as school safety protocols.

Legislative roundup, 3.15.21: Mask mandate ban heads to House; Clow absent with coronavirus

House Education Committee Chairman Lance Clow, R-Twin Falls, is at least the fourth legislator to contract coronavirus this legislative session.

Campus coronavirus roundup, 3.15.21: Case spikes mirror statewide trends

Ada and Bonneville counties accounted for nearly half of Idaho’s new coronavirus cases last week — and Boise State University and the College of Eastern Idaho also reported increases in cases.

The wait is over — state announces bonus recipients

The State Board initially said it would notify applicants last August, but portfolio reviews were sidelined by the pandemic.

Legislative roundup, 3.12.21: A reworked tax bill makes its debut

The $389.4 million proposal could set the stage for a late-session tax debate, with implications for school funding.

Legislative roundup 3.11.21: House passes guns-in-schools bill

The House Education Committee also introduced a bill that would fund optional full-day kindergarten, so districts wouldn’t have to rely on supplemental levy funds.

Caldwell requires permission slips for sex ed. Teachers say it might not work everywhere.

“We’ve had to work really hard to make this process go as smoothly as it does,” one teacher told EdNews. She worries that a legislative mandate requiring parental permission could leave some students without necessary information.