Coronavirus Coverage - Education

It’s school budget season in New Hampshire - and this year, the numbers are more convoluted than usual.

There's a strong push across the state to get students back in the classroom. In Nashua, where schools have been mostly remote since April because of COVID-19 concerns, a group of parents is fighting the school board to resume in-person learning.

NHPR's Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with one of those parents, Wayne Georgiana, about how his family has been handling remote learning for about ten months now.

The past year has been a living civics lesson for our country: two impeachments, a tense election, a split U.S. Senate, and an insurrection at the Capitol. We talk with two New Hampshire educators about how they’re bringing these realities into their classrooms, and how students are tapping into this moment. 

Looking for lesson plans, activities, and podcast episodes for students? Check out Civics 101. 

Air date: Monday, February 1, 2021. 

A group of parents in Nashua is looking to remove multiple members of the city's Board of Education, citing frustrations with the district's decision to forgo in-person learning for most students.

Students with special needs and those in grades K-2 have been given the option of a hybrid learning model, but the majority of students have been fully remote since April. Board members say community transmission of the virus in Nashua remains too high to send students back at this time.

Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with Heather Raymond, president of the board. 

A continuación, encuentra las noticias del lunes 25 de enero.

Escucha haciendo click en el audio o léelas en esta publicación. 

Una nota: Lo escrito es nuestro guión para nuestras grabaciones. Tenlo en cuenta si ven algunas anotaciones diferentes.

Fase 1b de vacunación contra el COVID-19 empieza mañana en New Hampshire

A partir de la mañana del martes, el estado empezará a vacunar a los miembros elegibles para lo que se conoce como la fase 1b [uno be]. 

As we approach the end of a tumultuous year, NHPR is checking in with some of the people we spoke with early on in the pandemic, to see how things have changed. It’s part of a series we’re calling "Hindsight.”

Measuring the impact of COVID-19 in New Hampshire schools is a major concern for officials at the state and local level, not to mention families and school staff.

New Hampshire's school nurses are among the people on the front lines of the pandemic. Emily Donati began working as a school nurse this year at Lamprey River Elementary School in Raymond. She spoke with NHPR's Peter Biello.

The coronavirus pandemic has isolated a lot of us, but it’s also brought community institutions together in a new way. In New Hampshire's North Country, a daily zoom call has become essential for leaders managing the fallout of the pandemic.

As coronavirus cases surge, a growing number of school districts in New Hampshire are closing their doors and offering mostly virtual instruction instead of in-person classes. But Gov. Chris Sununu and state health officials are urging schools to stay open, saying virus transmission in schools is limited and the payoff of in-person learning is high.

NHPR’s education reporter Sara Gibson has been following this and spoke with All Things Considered host Emily Quirk.

In the second episode of our two-part check-in on public education, we talk with New Hampshire teachers about how this school year has been going for them as they manage a variety of learning models and try to stay safe. 

This discussion follows an interview with Commissioner Frank Edelblut on Tuesday, November 10th.

Air date: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. 

Commissioner Frank Edelblut will answer your questions and talk with us about the ways the Department of Education is providing support for K-12 students, teachers, and staff across New Hampshire, and how the pandemic is impacting enrollment and resources. Send your questions to exchange@nhpr.org. 

Air date: Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Many school districts in New Hampshire are open, at least for now, with a hybrid or fully in-person model. But in Nashua, schools have remained mostly closed since March.

Kids in school have had to take precautions to protect them from COVID-19, and that includes during gym class.

New Hampshire's physical education teachers have made efforts to keep kids physically distant, and some have gotten creative with videos and games to keep kids active as they learn remotely.

Classrooms in New Hampshire have changed dramatically to reopen safely in the pandemic, and some of the biggest changes are in music class. Gone are the days of belting out songs shoulder to shoulder, sharing music stands, and swapping instruments. Instead, as NHPR’s Sarah Gibson reports, some schools are following new protocols to bring music back but keep COVID-19 risk low.