A recent state law lifted the statute of limitations on sex abuse lawsuits, driving a huge increase in payouts by school districts and government agencies. It has also increased insurance premiums for all agencies.
Author Archives: Carolyn Jones, CalMatters
Carolyn Jones covers K-12 education at CalMatters. A longtime news reporter, she’s covered education for nearly a decade, focusing on everything from special education to state funding policies to inequities in student achievement. She’s won numerous awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association, and was a finalist in 2020 for beat reporter of the year (small newsroom) by the Education Writers Association. In 2023, she spent five weeks in Albania as a Fulbright Specialist working on media literacy and promoting a free press. At CalMatters, she’s written about how culture wars play out in schools, the challenges facing Native American students, lack of funds for rural school repair, the revolution in school meals and other topics. She always tries to include student voices in stories, linking broader policy issues to their impacts on young people, their families and communities. Previously, she worked at EdSource, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Oakland Tribune, covering government, breaking news, the environment and other beats. Jones attended public schools in California, where she got her start in journalism at the San Rafael High Red & White, and graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in English. A longtime Oakland resident, she has two children and a Siberian husky.
Posted inEducation
Will this be the year California makes kindergarten mandatory?
California is one of 32 states that doesn’t require 5-year-olds to attend school.
Posted inEducation
California schools will have to do more to prevent sex abuse under new law
The law creates an array of measures to educate school staff, beef up reporting requirements and stop teachers credibly accused of abuse from getting jobs at other districts.
Posted inEducation
Rural California gets a lifeline in school funding as Congress restores money it cut
A century-old program pays for schools, roads and other services in 39 California counties.
Posted inEducation
Newsom signs bill to prevent sex abuse in schools
The law requires a database intended to stop teachers facing credible accusations of abuse from quitting and getting rehired at another school, potentially abusing more children.