public schools
Some progress but gaps remain in mental health care for Whatcom adolescents
Summer services in the Bellingham and Nooksack Valley school districts aimed to fill gaps with a new option this year: mental health therapy.
Will Kennedy decision change the religious landscape in public schools?
School officials in Whatcom County say policies regarding religious practices for all parties have not and will not change as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District.
Law into action: teaching sexual inclusivity in school sexual education
Local public school districts are preparing to meet new state mandates for teaching about sexuality and gender.
Tribal sovereignty education comes—slowly—to school curriculum
Public school districts are working with tribes to develop a crucial new curriculum on tribal sovereignty and treaty rights.
Confrontations, demands for parents’ rights challenge local school boards
Impassioned conversations are occurring nationwide as sometimes large groups of parents show up at once sparsely attended school board meetings — including in Whatcom County — with local issues including COVID-19 mask mandates, critical race theory and sexual health education.
San Juan school districts face big budget shortfalls due to levy cap
A law to make state education funding more equitable has had the opposite effect in the San Juan Islands. While San Juan property owners are paying more in state education taxes, less funding is going towards local schools.