Education Archives

Cathedral City Council directs staff to move forward with agreement to bring officers back to city’s high schools

September 29, 2021 7:48 PM Jesus Reyes

School resource officers may soon be back to Cathedral City school campuses. The four armed police officers that are typically on local high school campuses were temporarily removed from schools in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, and Rancho Mirage earlier this year due to concerns about the disciplinary roles those officers were playing On Wednesday,

Air quality in the classroom: new technology deployed to fight Covid-19 and wildfire smoke

September 28, 2021 7:17 PM Jake Ingrassia

One valley school district is working toward cleaner air in the classroom, deploying new technology – and spending millions of dollars on it. Thousands of portable, commercial grade air filters have been installed in every Palm Springs Unified School District classroom plus some work spaces, purifying all of the oxygen in a 1,300 sq. ft.

Two valley cities to vote on new proposed contracts for school resource officers

September 28, 2021 5:31 PM Madison Weil

The Cathedral City and Palm Springs city councils are set to vote this week on new proposed contracts for school resource officers (SROs). This is after ongoing discussion on the school resource officer program and its role on Palm Springs Unified School District campuses. The four armed police officers typically on high school campuses were

Special education teacher selected as September ‘One Class At A Time’ winner

September 24, 2021 9:23 PM Jennifer Franco

September’s One Class At A Time winner is Christopher Thompson from Benjamin Franklin Elementary in La Quinta. After receiving his award during a Zoom ceremony due to COVID restrictions at his school, he said he is “super excited because that means I can do my job better and these kids can reach their potential, which

CSUSB Palm Desert campus professor Pablo Gomez reflects on teaching during the pandemic

September 23, 2021 2:15 PM Jesus Reyes

Thomas Jefferson Middle School students take part in discussion on mental, physical health

September 22, 2021 5:14 PM Madison Weil

A Marine Corps recruiter and nurse stopped by Thomas Jefferson Middle School on Wednesday morning to host an open discussion with students about the importance of healthy eating habits, exercise and mental health. “We want to make sure students are staying out of trouble, eating right, living a healthy lifestyle,” said Sgt. Jorge Guzman, Marine

Hunter Lopez Memorial Scholarship Fund established to honor fallen Marine, aid students pursuing public service

September 22, 2021 4:15 PM KESQ News Team

A scholarship fund has been established in the name of Coachella Valley native and fallen Marine Corporal Hunter Lopez. Lopez was among 13 U.S. servicepeople who were killed in the bombing at the Kabul, Afghanistan airport last month. He was laid to rest last weekend after three days of local ceremonies and events to honor

After the destructive ‘Devious Licks’ trend may come ‘Angelic Yields,’ social media posts to atone for school vandalism

September 20, 2021 2:30 PM KESQ News Team

Coachella Valley School Districts have not escaped the destructive vandalism in the wave of so-called “Devious Licks” videos on social media platform TikTok. The premise of the trend: middle school, high school, and college students vandalize school property, most commonly bathrooms, and post their results on the social media app. TikTok has been quick to

COD to require proof of COVID vaccination for on-campus students, staff in 2022

September 17, 2021 1:10 PM KESQ News Team

Students and employees of the College of the Desert will need to prove their vaccination status to attend in-person instruction or events on campus next year, with few exceptions. This plan was announced Friday by the College of the Desert Board of Trustees, COD community members will have until January 31, 2022, which is the beginning

PSUSD, CVUSD, DSUSD report active COVID case numbers

September 17, 2021 12:02 PM City News Service

Here are the latest numbers from the COVID-19 trackers of active cases in the public school systems, according to the Coachella Valley school districts. Palm Springs Unified School District PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – The Palm Springs Unified School District reported 43 active COVID-19 cases among students and staffers today. According to the district’s online

Desert Healthcare District hosting COVID vaccine Q&A for students and parents

September 14, 2021 4:22 PM Jesus Reyes

The Desert Healthcare District & Foundation is hosting a special COVID vaccine Q & A session for local students and parents. The Q & A will take place Wednesday, Sept. 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. To register, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/covid-19-response-webinar-for-parents-of-riverside-county-school-children-tickets-170060263827

Shadow Hills High School community mourns teacher who died from complications of coronavirus

September 13, 2021 7:30 PM Jesus Reyes

Students at Shadow Hills High School in Indio gathered to remember a teacher who has died. Chris Trujillo, an English teacher at the school, died over the weekend, Mary Perry, spokesperson for the Desert Sands Unified School District, confirmed. Our collective hearts are heavy with sympathy. We truly feel blessed and honored that Chris Trujillo

Los Angeles to require vaccine for all students 12 and up

September 9, 2021 3:58 PM City News Service, Jesus Reyes

The Los Angeles board of education has voted to require students 12 and older to be vaccinated against the coronavirus if they attend in-person classes in the nation’s second-largest school district. The board’s vote Thursday makes Los Angeles by far the largest of a very small number of districts with a vaccine requirement. Nearby Culver

Classes to resume at Rancho Mirage High School Friday following A/C issue

September 8, 2021 7:38 PM Jesus Reyes

Update 9/9/21 PSUSD spokesperson Joan Boiko has confirmed that in-person classes will resume at Rancho Mirage High School on Friday. Classes were canceled on Thursday after an issue with the air conditioning system. That issue has since been resolved. Original Report – 9/8/21 The Palm Springs Unified School District announced that in-person classes at Rancho

Rep Ruiz highlights how local schools are using American Rescue Plan funds

September 8, 2021 9:13 PM Jennifer Franco

Millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds are on full display at schools across the valley. One of the lawmakers behind the help, Congressman Raul Ruiz, visited Andrew Jackson Elementary in Indio on Wednesday to see firsthand how students and teachers have been able to safely start the school year. “It’s good that our children

Virtual learning options available for students in the Coachella Valley

August 30, 2021 12:12 PM Madison Weil

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, some families are considering taking their kids out of the classroom and searching for schooling options from home. “We had very big concerns about what was going to happen with our kids since they’re so little. We’ve been very cautious with them,” said Priscilla Waggoner. Waggoner is a Bermuda

Delta variant brings jitters and joy to 2021 school year across the Coachella Valley

August 25, 2021 4:25 PM Jennifer Franco

Coachella Valley students are officially back to in-person learning, after more than a year of remote education. The new school year represents a chance for the COVID generation to regain lost opportunities that they missed out on in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Being back is really nice, its refreshing,” said Valeria Gutierrez Senior

PSUSD approves negotiations of law enforcement agreements with cities to bring back school resource officers

August 24, 2021 9:10 PM Evan Sanford, Marian Bouchot, Timothy Kiley

The Palm Springs Unified School District has approved negotiations of law enforcement agreements with the cities of Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Springs, and Riverside County to bring back school resource officers. This process is fluid and the details have yet to be worked out. During the meeting, it was discussed that PSUSD would

Students return to CSUSB Palm Desert campus after a year and a half of remote learning

August 23, 2021 8:34 PM Jesus Reyes

For the first time since the start of the pandemic a year and a half ago, students are back inside classrooms at the Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert campus. Monday marked the first day of the fall semester at the Palm Desert campus. The campus was bustling with energy and activities for students pursuing

Valley school districts clarify extracurricular safety policies

August 19, 2021 6:19 PM Madison Weil

After a difficult year of isolation, several social and extracurricular activities are resuming at valley schools. “It’s very important. It’s connectedness to the school. It’s been very long since our students have had that opportunity,” said Deanna Keuilian, Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction, PSUSD. “It’s being able to get a sense of normalcy and