Parents and others with close ties to the Aptos community turned out to support students and deal with their own grieving process Friday morning along Freedom Boulevard. Said one: “It hurt my heart. It’s tragic and unfathomable … and there’s gonna be trauma.”
COVID K-12
Posted inK-12 Education
Aptos High tragedy: Campus police program back on table; sheriff says suspects have gang affiliation
On Tuesday afternoon, Aptos High School was locked down for nearly three hours after a student was fatally stabbed and two others were taken into custody in an attack officials said was gang-related. County and school leaders convened in a virtual community meeting Thursday to discuss safety measures for the school moving forward.
Posted inK-12 Education
A fearful Friday looms: Aptos High parents grapple with emotions of sending children back to school
With Aptos High students set to return to school Friday in the wake of this week’s fatal stabbing, parents are dealing with the inevitable trauma of whether the school environment is safe. Counselors say those emotions are very normal.
Posted inK-12 Education
Happy Masks became a COVID must-have. That sparked a back-to-school frenzy
Happy Masks’ face coverings for kids are a back-to-school sensation amid heightened COVID-19 anxiety — but good luck buying one. “It felt like I was trying to get tickets to the Rolling Stones,” said one mom after a recent failed attempt.
Posted inEvents, K-12 Education
Pencils, paper, PCR testing: Start of school year in Santa Cruz County amid Delta brings hopes and concerns
Dozens of students and school staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, but county and district officials have markedly stepped up testing procedures while keeping steady with masking and hygiene protocols.
Posted inK-12 Education
‘It doesn’t make sense’: County’s top cop decries PVUSD decision to break relationship with sheriff’s office
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart says he doesn’t understand the Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s decision to sever ties with his office. “I hear the advocates for defunding the police and about the school-to-prison pipeline,” he said, “but with this county, we know that’s not true.”
Posted inK-12 Education
‘Heartbreaking’: Student dead after stabbing at Aptos High, two other students to be charged with murder
Tragedy strikes Aptos High on Tuesday after 17-year-old is stabbed and killed on campus. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 17-year-old and 14-year-old who Sheriff Jim Hart says will be charged with murder.
Posted inCOVID Today
FDA approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 shot brings temptation to vaccinate kids under 12
Now that Comirnaty has full FDA approval, doctors can recommend the COVID-19 shot to anyone for “off-label” use, including children under 12. The prospect has pediatricians bracing for impact — and worried that some parents may be jumping the gun to vaccinate kids who have not yet turned 12.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
What impact will the pandemic have on early literacy?
New Leaf Community Markets brand manager Lindsay Gizdich said the store is moving from Pacific Avenue in order to have…
Posted inCOVID Today
Child COVID-19 hospitalization rates hit record in U.S. — but not in California and here’s why
A boom in COVID-19 hospitalizations for children has been driven by states like Florida, Texas and Georgia, but the numbers in California have been less dire.