Category Archives: Uncategorized

Dec. 2022: An investigation by the Statesman Journal found that throughout the 2021-22 school year, major disciplinary incidents — including physical threats, fights, computer misuse, sexual harassment and other aggressive behaviors — increased in Salem-Keizer Public Schools by nearly 55% compared to 2018-19, the last year students were in person full time. Simultaneously, expulsions inContinueContinue reading “Behavioral incidents spiked in Salem-Keizer schools as discipline measures changed. How is the district responding?”

Oct. 2022: Starting before the pandemic and continuing over the past few years, schools and education advocates in Oregon and nationwide have rung the alarm bells about a growing teacher shortage. They’ve cited low pay, a negative perception of public education, increased workloads and a long list of requirements outside their job descriptions. But anContinueContinue reading “Despite more teachers and fewer students, Oregon schools still struggle with staff shortages”

Oct. 2022: After being closed for two years due to COVID-19 restrictions, Salem’s premier haunted house is back. But the Nightmare Factory isn’t any ordinary haunted house. It also serves as a learning opportunity for students and a key funding source for the Oregon School for the Deaf, the only dedicated school in the stateContinueContinue reading “Nightmare Factory: The annual extravaganza is more than a haunted house for the Oregon School for the Deaf”

Sept. 2022: Yelling during public testimony, arguments between attendees and board members, and an altercation in the parking lot at the Aug. 9 Salem-Keizer Public Schools board meeting led to an indefinite virtual-only option for public participation. This is the second time in two years that Salem-Keizer has made meetings virtual out of safety concerns not relatedContinueContinue reading “In-person school board meetings in doubt after investigation”

July 2022: A second request to have a book removed from Salem-Keizer Public Schools libraries has been denied. Earlier this year, members of the local parents’ group Salem Keizer We Stand Together took issue with the book “Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Anti-Racism, and You” in local elementary schools. A district book review committee voted 8-1ContinueContinue reading “District rejects second book ban request, keeps ‘Gender Queer’ in local high schools”

Sept. 2022: Across the country, from New York to Iowa and Texas, false rumors about students identifying as cats and using litter boxes swept through districts this spring. The New York Times, USA TODAY, Politifact, Reuters and Snopes, among other publications, wrote articles confirming the claims were unfounded. Yet it seems the rumor has reached Oregon,ContinueContinue reading “No, Salem-Keizer did not allow a student who identifies as a cat to bring a litter box to school”

Aug. 2022: Billie Henderson, 20, is about to begin her junior year at Willamette University in Salem. She’s among thousands of LGBTQ students nationwide returning to classrooms at a time when lawmakers and activists are pushing to ban or limit their rights in K-12 schools and beyond. Students and supporters are preparing themselves and pushing schools to doContinueContinue reading “Oregon transgender student’s advice to LGBTQ youth: ‘Find your people’”

Aug. 2022: Oregon’s college enrollment statewide had its worst figures in three years, down 3.3% in 2020 to 5.5% in 2022, according to data analysts at Scholaroo, a scholarship search tool. Compared to other states, Oregon’s 2022 decline was the 10th highest in the nation. Only eight states saw an increase in enrollment. But institutions in theContinueContinue reading “How colleges and universities in Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley are tackling enrollment issues”

Aug. 2022: The state agency responsible for approving and investigating educators’ professional licenses has a backlog of applications following more than two years of COVID-19 school closures and the return to in-person learning. Records provided to the Statesman Journal by the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission show the agency’s processing time increased about 27% —from 48ContinueContinue reading “Licensing backlog, fees add challenges for Oregon teachers”

In Aug. 2022, the Salem-Keizer School Board approved a resolution that further prohibited weapons on district property. The policy expanded existing restrictions to include all concealed firearms carried by campus visitors, including parents and volunteers. This is a breakdown of what community members needed to know at the time to participate in the governing board’sContinueContinue reading “Salem-Keizer school district concealed carry ban impacts campus visitors”