Three people — two students and a staff member — were injured in two related attacks, including a stabbing, at Watsonville High School on Thursday morning, authorities said. Four students, ages 14 to 16, were arrested and face multiple felony charges, while police continue investigating possible motives and any links to a recent on-campus gun arrest.
K-12 Education
Posted inEducation
Pajaro Valley Unified School District delays controversial issues policy update after teachers, parents protest
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board voted Wednesday to continue revising its controversial issues policy and to form a committee of teachers and students to help rewrite it.
Posted inEducation
In PVUSD, an update to a policy on controversial issues in the classroom faces accusations of censorship
Teachers in Pajaro Valley Unified School District are protesting proposed policy changes they say could suppress classroom discussions on controversial topics by requiring prior approval from administrators.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
PVUSD’s ‘controversial issues’ policy isn’t about neutrality – it’s about silence, fear and control
Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s proposed “controversial issues” policy pretends to protect balance, but instead threatens to silence teachers and sanitize truth, writes the Pajaro Valley Teachers Federation. By demanding teacher neutrality and forcing teachers to ask permission before they can discuss tough topics, the district is engaged in censorship, they write. California law already guards against bias, and they believe the proposed policy changes are overreach. They demand the district’s board of trustees reject them in a vote set for Wednesday.
Posted inLatest News
Soquel Union Elementary begins studying cost savings from closing a school to tackle budget deficit, declining enrollment
Soquel Union Elementary School District is exploring preliminary cost-saving estimates from closing one of its schools amid declining enrollment and a growing budget deficit. District officials stress the discussion is in the “very early” stages, with no specific school identified or closure process underway.
Posted inEducation
Santa Cruz County teachers, staff see health insurance costs increase dramatically
Teachers and school staff across Santa Cruz County are facing steep health insurance premium hikes — with some monthly payments increasing by more than 70% — prompting fears of educator departures amid already strained school budgets and a soaring cost of living.
Posted inEducation
As immigration raids shake families, school counselors help students cope with fear and loss
Kindergartners repeat worries heard at home. Older kids text to check on parents during class. As the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues, therapists say mental health is at risk now and in the long term.
Posted inEducation
Santa Cruz City Schools recognized among nation’s healthiest
All campuses in the Santa Cruz City Schools district were among 1,120 nationwide to be named to the America’s Healthiest Schools list put out by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a nonprofit focused on children’s health.
Posted inLatest News
Big Creek Lumber offers its School Garden Grant Program for 2026
A grant program sponsored by Davenport-based Big Creek Lumber that gives students and teachers the opportunity to learn through hands-on projects in science, biology, agriculture, carpentry and forestry is continuing in 2026, the company announced in a media release.
Posted inLatest News
Watsonville activist nears end of monthlong hunger strike after brief hospitalization
Tuesday marks the final day of Watsonville activist Omar Dieguez’s monthlong hunger strike to protest the application of pesticides near schools in the Pajaro Valley. On Friday, Dieguez checked into the hospital after experiencing intense stomach pain, but told Lookout that he’s feeling better and on track to finish out his fast.