Retired special needs teacher Woody Rehanek believes Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s unusually high rates of special needs students are linked to decades of pesticide exposure near schools and homes. He’s shocked by the district’s December decision to cut 160 positions, including 40 serving special needs students. He cites research showing organophosphates and related chemicals can impair brain development, contributing to learning disabilities. He calls on berry growers to go organic near schools and make large donations to make up the budget gaps. The PVUSD cuts, he warns, could trigger lawsuits and cause lifelong harm to kids and our community.
Education
Posted inPolitics & Policy
UCSC students rally against ICE raids, Trump’s military attack on Venezuela
A couple hundred UC Santa Cruz students marched on campus Tuesday against violent actions by ICE and other federal agencies in Minneapolis and around the U.S. as well as against President Donald Trump’s military attack on Venezuela last month.
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UCSC students, faculty gripe about parking fee increase
UC Santa Cruz students and employees are disappointed by a proposal to raise parking permit fees by 7% to 10% annually starting this summer, a move that would nearly double some permit costs over the next decade amid ongoing budget deficits and infrastructure needs.
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Child care in California was already hard to find; the immigration crackdown has made it worse
In California, almost 40% of the workforce is foreign-born and more than a million parents — immigrant and otherwise — rely on child care providers so they can go to work.
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More than 1,000 students throng downtown Santa Cruz in anti-ICE protest
More than 1,000 students from local schools staged a walkout and marched through downtown Santa Cruz on Friday to protest against ICE and Trump administration policies before settling in outside the county courthouse.
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries receives $20,000 gift from Andrew Carnegie foundation
The Carnegie Corporation of New York recently gifted $20,000 to the Santa Cruz Public Libraries to honor the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
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Sheriff’s office confirms gun found at Aptos High linked to winter break incident
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed a gun discovered earlier this month on the Aptos High School campus was in fact connected to a December incident. The statement released Wednesday said there’s no ongoing threat to the community.
Posted inEducation
Bachelor’s degrees at community colleges: Lawmakers say yes, UC and CSU say slow down
A bill making its way through the California Assembly would allow Southwestern College to create up to four additional bachelor’s programs aimed at workforce needs in south San Diego County.
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Trump administration says San Jose State broke the law by allowing a transgender volleyball player
The Trump administration has concluded that San Jose State University discriminated against women by letting a transgender athlete play on the women’s volleyball team, the U.S. Education Department said Wednesday.
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Judge rules Trump administration must keep funding child care subsidies in five states, including California, for now
A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must keep federal funds flowing to child care subsidies and other social service programs in five Democratic-controlled states — including California — at least for now.