Nebraska civil rights panel sets public forum on COVID-19’s impact on K-12 education

LINCOLN — A civil rights panel is seeking in-person comment in August regarding the effects of COVID-19 on K-12 education in Nebraska, with a focus on the digital divide and mental health.

The Nebraska Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is following up a duo of virtual briefings this month with an in-person forum Aug. 9 in Lincoln. Students, teachers and other stakeholders are asked to describe their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and what areas are still in need of support.

The committee’s “primary task” is to forward recommendations on civil rights topics at the conclusion of its study to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Committee Chair Nikitah Imani, a professor of Black Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, noted the committee has heard from subject matter experts so far and now has invited the public to engage.

“We need to hear the stories of directly impacted individuals in order to ensure that the recommendations we develop are relevant to current needs,” he said in a news release.

At a July 10 briefing, a University of California, Davis professor, Drew Cingel, described the “constellation of outcomes” of the pandemic on K-12 education. 

Cingel’s research showed that students who had longer periods of online-only learning struggled more than students who had some in-person learning. Students who identified as transgender or gender-nonconforming also struggled more, regardless of their in-person learning status.

The Aug. 9 forum will be at Embassy Suites Lincoln, 1040 P St., in Room Regents B from 1-4 p.m. The event will be transcribed and recorded for the public record.People wishing to speak at the event are encouraged to register in advance here (same-day registration is available). Written testimony will be accepted until Sept. 11 and can be sent to Victoria Moreno at [email protected].