Eye on Education 5/17/2019

May 17, 2019

Your daily synopsis of education news

Appeals court upholds teacher's firing for using sick days for vacation

The Champaign News-Gazette reports on an appeals court decision that recently upheld a ruling that a Chicago school district could fire a teacher for using sick days for vacation. From the story:

When Dorothy Crawley, a tenured Chicago elementary school teacher, felt like taking a vacation, she didn't let her job get in the way.

So on three occasions in 2015, she called in sick and hit the road. Crawley took a "pre-planned" Caribbean cruise and another trip to Norway. Her Facebook posts documented her travels.

All was fine until some anonymous tipster dropped a dime on Crawley. The caller informed Chicago school officials that Crawley wasn't sick when she took her time off, she was on a vacation.

Among Crawley's defenses to the disciplinary charges filed against her was that she didn't know she couldn't use sick time to take a vacation.

Champaign News-Gazette

Open house for home being built by Woodstock students

The Northwest Herald reports a home Woodstock students have been working on is nearly complete. From the story:

There’s something distinctive about the class project that a few dozen Woodstock and Woodstock North high school students have been working on during the past two years.

One lucky family will call it home.

Woodstock School District 200 Building Trades Program students have been putting the finishing touches on the 1,650-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom home at 1401 Sandpiper Lane in the Country Ridge Subdivision.

Northwest Herald

Lunch to Learn: Disaster Preparedness

In May 2011, disaster struck in Joplin, Missouri, in the form of an EF-5 tornado. The tornado destroyed one-third of the town, including 10 of 19 buildings in the school district. Dr. CJ Huff was superintendent at the time. In this Lunch to Learn webinar, Huff discusses how Joplin Schools responded to the unexpected tragedy and shares tips on disaster preparedness. Dr. Huff also addresses work-life balance for school administrators.

Lunch to Learn - Disaster Readiness, with former Joplin, MO, School Superintendent Dr. C.J. Huff

Report: SAT will have new adversity scores for students

WGN writes about a report from the Wall Street Journal about changes to the SAT. From the story:

The nonprofit group that administers the SAT will assign an adversity score to each student who takes the test to reflect social and economic backgrounds, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The move comes amid heightened scrutiny that colleges are facing over the admissions process and the diversity of their student bodies.

“There are a number of amazing students who may have scored less (on the SAT) but have accomplished more,” David Coleman, chief executive officer of the College Board, told the Journal. “We can’t sit on our hands and ignore the disparities of wealth reflected in the SAT.”

The number will be calculated using 15 factors, the Journal reported, including the crime rate and poverty levels of a student’s high school and neighborhood. Colleges will be able to see the number when considering applicants, but students themselves won’t be told their scores.

WGN