Skip to main content

Congressman Panetta Urges U.S. Department of Education Secretary DeVos to Provide Distance Learning Resources to Communities Across the Country



SALINAS, CA – On Wednesday, March 25 Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) led a bipartisan group of six lawmakers in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urging the Department to develop guidance and resources for primary, secondary, and higher education institutions in creating distance learning curriculums, including best practices and guidance regarding remote learning equipment procurement.  The members of Congress ask the Department to publicly publish information regarding resources for the benefit of educators across the country.



“The outbreak of COVID-19 presents new challenges for educators and in a stressful environment.  The Department should do all it can to ensure educators have the guidance and resources they need to support students temporarily out of the classroom at all levels of learning,” the members wrote. 



Full text of the letter here and below:



Dear Secretary DeVos,



As schools and colleges across the country close to combat the spread of COVID-19, some for the remainder of the school year, educators are working on contingency plans to facilitate distance learning and mitigate the instruction interruptions.



Given the challenges local education providers will face in setting up distance learning programs, we ask the Department of Education (the Department) to develop guidance and resources for primary, secondary, and higher education institutions in creating distance learning curriculums, including best practices and guidance regarding remote learning equipment procurement. We ask the Department to publicly publish information regarding resources for the benefit of educators across the country.



On March 21, the Department issued a notice clarifying that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) should not prevent schools from offering distance learning instruction, instead instructing them to provide free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to students with disabilities. While we applaud this guidance, further resources are needed to support the permitted distance learning for all students, including those with disabilities.



At the federal level, the Smithsonian Learning Lab has already begun to provide distance learning resources for teachers and students. It would benefit our educators if the Department would coordinate with other federal programs such as the Smithsonian so that educators have a single repository for these resources. We are confident our educators will be creative in finding new ways to educate our students during this outbreak, provided they are aided by a single set of resources to build upon.



The outbreak of COVID-19 presents new challenges for educators and in a stressful environment.  The Department should do all it can to ensure educators have the guidance and resources they need to support students temporarily out of the classroom at all levels of learning.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

King City Man Arrested on January 6 for Rape, Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Minor and Kidnapping

  According to King City Police Department, on December 30, 2024 a 17-year-old minor female victim reported that she had attended a party on the 100 Block of Bedford Circle on December 24, 2024. During the party, the suspect provided her with alcohol. He then pulled the victim into a bedroom, forcibly removed her clothing and had sexual intercourse with her against her will. This case was investigated by the King City Police Department Investigations Unit which resulted in the apprehension and arrest on January 6, 2025 of the suspect identified as 21-year-old Jesus Oseguera Briseno of King City. Briseno was also booked into the Monterey County Jail charged with Rape, Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Minor and Kidnapping. Anyone with further information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the King City Police Department at (844) 844-3382; Sergeant Josh Partida (831) 385-4848 or jpartida@kingcity.com; or the WeTip line at 1-800-78-CRIME. Your call may remain completely ano...

3 Vehicle Wreck on Highway 101 Outside of King City on December 26

  A 3 vehicle accident happened on Highway 101 Northbound near the Central Avenue exit outside of King City at 12:07 pm on Thursday afternoon, December 26. One of the vehicles overturned as a result of the crash. Minor injuries were reported from the collision. 

Greenfield Man Arrested for November 26 Attempted Murder Incident in King City

  On November 26, 2024, at approximately 4:05 PM, officers from the King City Police Department were dispatched to the 900 block of Broadway Street for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers learned that the victim had been shot multiple times and was transported by family members to a local hospital for treatment for non-life-threatening wounds. Through investigation, detectives identified a possible suspect vehicle. A subject associated to that vehicle was contacted and later arrested for his involvement in the shooting. He is identified as 20-year-old Adrian Justo of Greenfield. Justo was booked into Monterey County Jail for attempted murder. There is no additional information at this time and the investigation is on-going. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the King City Police Department at (831) 385-4848; Sergeant Joshue Partida at (831) 386-5988 or jpartida@kingcity.com; or the WeTip line at 1-800-78-CRIME. Your call may remain compl...