Santa Clara County Families & Children Digest

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has formally backed an August motion by two law groups to keep the Temecula Valley Unified School District from being able to notify parents about transgender children or censor instruction about race. A hearing for the motion is scheduled for Jan. 24.

The Exclusive Poultry Inc. agreed to pay $3.8 million in wages, damages and penalties in part for hiring children for dangerous work. The case is one of hundreds federal labor officials investigated last year.

By declining to hear a conservative group’s challenge, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a California ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth. California is one of 22 states to ban this practice.

“At Pomeroy Elementary, we have an amazing Garden to Table program,” said Kevin Keegan, principal at Pomeroy, in an informational video. “We have this amazing partnership with our families and outside resources as well to make this community garden a wonderful place. We call it the heart of our school because it’s a place where all kids, all staff, everyone can go to and they have hands-on experiences.”

Although the federal government is providing four free COVID tests per month, that’s not the only way to get them. Aetna and Blue Shield of California members can be reimbursed for up to eight at-home tests per month, while Kaiser Permanente is offering discounts on tests.

California’s “failure to protect” law allows child welfare agencies to take kids from households scarred by domestic violence. Advocates say the separation can worsen a family’s trauma.

In 2020, the state agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed too many students were not learning to read. As part of that agreement, the state spent over $50 million on 75 schools with the lowest reading scores.

San Diego-area nonprofits and faith organizations struggle to provide for tens of thousands of migrants border agents have released on San Diego streets.

Students and teachers alike are decrying the actions of the Temecula Valley Unified School District board, which became conservative in majority following the recent elections of three members. The board’s actions include banning critical race theory and mandating parental notification if their child is transgender.

Utility giant PG&E is set to raise its rates an average of 13% on Jan. 1. That equals an extra $32.50 a month, or $390 for the year.

Parents say flavored medication can help ensure their kids finish a prescription. Far fewer California pharmacies are offering that service as they await new rules from a state regulator.

The number of homeless high school students and families in one East San Jose school district has increased threefold in just three years. 

When it comes to the Santa Clara County Office of Education's performance, parents, teachers and residents are giving it a failing grade.

The state will offer a free mental health app beginning Jan. 1 for people ages 13-25. It is currently being tested in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

At the Santa Clara Children’s Business Fair, shoppers of all ages came out to support local youth entrepreneurs.

California kids have some of the lowest-ranked dental health in the United States, with challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. Here’s a look at the problem and what’s being done to address it.

A new report bolsters the importance of guaranteed basic income programs as a lifeline for families in Santa Clara County who can’t afford the necessities.

In a move that many students and parents wished had been made sooner, the Palo Alto school board approved a pair of resolutions that condemn the Hamas attack on Israel and denounce both antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Members of the community argued during a school board meeting that a statement of support would go a long way in making Jewish students feel safe at their schools.

More than 40 states are suing the social media giant. The legal actions allege that Meta has deceived the public about the harms of Facebook and Instagram, which the attorneys general say “exploit and manipulate” children.

Signed by the governor in September 2022, AB 2881 aims to help student parents in California by offering them priority registration. Advocates are optimistic the law will formalize data collection, allowing them to better serve this student population that represents 1 in 5 students nationally.

A new location for a Magical Bridge Playground, a playground accessible to people of all abilities and ages, opened at El Carmelo Elementary School.

One of San Jose’s most dangerous streets will be getting new safety features to protect children going to school.

Despite an influx of money to counter learning loss during the pandemic, English language arts and math test scores remain low.

Senate Bill 274 bars willful defiance or low-level behavioral issues from suspending students in grades six through 12.

Kaiser patients waited 19 days for follow-up mental health appointments in 2019, nine days longer than state law permits. The settlement includes the largest-ever penalty issued by California’s behavioral health regulator.

By July of next year, it will be illegal for public schools in California to suspend students for low-level behavior issues after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation banning “willful defiance” suspensions among TK through 12th grade.

The Sunnyvale City Council is slated to award a $3.9 million contract for pedestrian improvements in the Sunnyvale Neighbors of Arbor community, which includes La Linda and the San Miguel neighborhood.

An affordable housing development centered on homeless foster youth will break ground in San Jose next month.

The Palo Alto Police Department has assigned a crossing guard to Escondido Elementary School after a 12-year-old boy was hit by a car, galvanizing parents to advocate for traffic safety around campus.

Newsom rejected Senate Bill 799, which would have paid striking workers California unemployment benefits after two weeks, and SB 686, which would have extended workplace safety protections to domestic workers, such as housekeepers and nannies.

Several anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers are advertising abortion pill reversal. California Attorney General Rob Bonta calls the claims false advertising that mislead vulnerable patients.