The enrollment window for GetCoveredNJ, the state-based health insurance marketplace, has been extended through May 15 for uninsured residents through a COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period, per a Jan. 29 email from NJ.gov.
For coverage to be in effect Feb. 1, however, New Jerseyans seeking health insurance are encouraged to sign up by Jan. 31.
For more information, click here.…
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Dr. Anthony Fauci closed his Jan. 28 fireside chat with AFT President Randi Weingarten and NEA President Becky Pringle by acknowledging both the importance and the needs of the educational community during the pandemic.
“The only message I can say is, and I mean this sincerely, that the educational community — the teachers and the teams associated with education — are such an absolutely critical part of society in general but also a very critical part of our response to this outbreak,” Fauci said.…
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College faculty cite “significant and persisting concerns” when it comes to student equity and success within their respective courses and across their two-year and four-year institutions, according to the latest report in a series from Tyton Partners done in partnership with Every Learner Everywhere.
“Time for Class: COVID-19 Edition, Part 3 — The Impact of 2020 on Introductory Faculty and Their Students” contains results from a November survey of 852 college faculty members representing more than 600 institutions.…
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Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s Twitter comment Jan. 27 referring to an unnamed “national teachers’ union” not wanting to return to work until 2022 did not go unnoticed by AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Weingarten’s full response reads as follows: “Marco Rubio is lying. Our union has been talking about reopening since April, in fact I published an OpEd on it this week.…
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Registrations are due Feb. 4 for AFT’s Center for School Improvement Leadership Institute sessions, which will be held virtually from Feb. 9 through April 7.
CSI 2021 will focus on public education as a vehicle to social justice and democracy. Teams will learn about the school-improvement elements of centering student identity and culture.
For more information and to register, click here.…
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In an interview with CNN on Jan. 27, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said educators are “in the on-deck circle” for COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, but when they can step up to the proverbial plate was not made clear.
“When we add groups, I want to be able to add educators as fast as we can,” Murphy said.…
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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Jan. 27 that the state’s digital divide stands at 1,928 students as of Jan. 20. That’s a 62.9 percent decrease from Jan. 13.
“Closing the digital divide has remained a priority for Acting Commissioner Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan and her team,” Murphy said.…
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According to three researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rapid spread of COVID-19 found in “congregate living facilities or high-density worksites” was not reported in public schools during the fall semester.
“As many schools have reopened for in-person instruction in some parts of the U.S. as well as internationally, school-related cases of COVID-19 have been reported, but there has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission,” they wrote in a report published Jan.…
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Citing efforts made in New York and Colorado schools, AFT President Randi Weingarten and Rockefeller Foundation President Dr. Rajiv J. Shah write in a USA Today op-ed about the need for regular and rapid coronavirus testing so that in-person instruction can resume in America’s public schools.
“Even after effective and safe vaccines become more widely available, regular testing is going to be needed to avoid outbreaks and protect children, and their families, because children do not yet have a vaccine approved for use,” they write.…
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Dr. Anthony Fauci will join AFT President Randi Weingarten and NEA President Becky Pringle for a fireside chat Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. ET to discuss the pandemic and the coronavirus vaccines.
The chat will be streamed on AFT’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
AFT members are welcome to submit questions in advance by clicking here.…
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“Implementing What Works for Latino Students,” presented by the American Council on Education, is a two-part workshop for higher education faculty and administrators offering tools to assess the strengths and needs of Latino students.
The sessions will be held Feb. 2 and 23. Cost is $149 for ACE members and $199 for nonmembers.
To register, click here.…
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The AFT has scheduled a series of reopening clinics providing strategies and tools for union leaders to use when talking with members and management about how to reopen schools safely.
Clinic dates and times along with AFT’s descriptions are as follows for the virtual sessions:
Jan. 27 at 3:30 p.m. ET — Expanding Access to Testing and Vaccines
Widespread access to testing and vaccines must be the centerpiece of any school reopening plan.…
Near the end of his Jan. 22 media briefing, New Jersey Gov. Murphy was asked where college professors and students fit in with the coronavirus vaccine priority schedule.
“I think college professors and students are going to be in the same bucket as educators and students from Pre K through 12, and we want to get there ASAP … It is also a fact that different universities are pursuing a very specific plan for their own campuses,” Murphy said.…
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As many as 100 faculty positions could be eliminated from William Paterson University, said professor Dr. Susanna Tardi, president of Local 1796, on Jan. 21 during a meeting of the state Senate Higher Education Committee.
Preliminary negotiations are underway to save the faculty jobs, said Tardi, AFTNJ’s executive vice president-higher education. She was informed by university officials that William Paterson is dealing with a $20 million budget deficit for the upcoming academic year.…
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