Students at Mother Teresa Regional Catholic School in Pennsylvania remain with the same group of students throughout the day to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus during in-person instruction. Teachers who want to work with students -- for example, in small groups -- have dividers at desks to allow them to engage safely with students.

A Catholic school in Ohio will offer telehealth services for students through a partnership with Health Partners of Western Ohio. Officials say the option is convenient for students, who can receive care on campus, and for parents, who do not need to leave work to take their child to a medical appointment.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has announced members of the new Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Education Practices Advisory Committee. The committee, selected by the Virginia Department of Education, will be charged with making recommendations for public-school curricula that is culturally relevant and inclusive.

The outcome of last week's runoff elections in Georgia make it likely that Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., will replace Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., as chairwoman of the Senate education committee. Murray worked with Alexander to write the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Lincoln Snyder, superintendent and executive director of schools for the Diocese of Sacramento in California, says Catholic schools he leads have adopted a unique coronavirus testing pilot program. Besides testing, students receive questionnaires and are monitored for symptoms to help protect students and staff during in-person learning.

Students from Trinity Catholic School in New York state are participating in the Souper Bowl Challenge -- a football-themed event to collect canned good for people who need them. The event runs through the NFL's Super Bowl, and the school has set a goal of collecting 2,021 items.

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In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US, NCEA SmartBrief will not publish Monday, Jan. 18. Publication will resume Wednesday, Jan. 20.