Tag: Jefferson County schools
BW Recommends | Nov. 23, 2025
‘Keep Doing What You’re Doing,’ JefCoEd Superintendent Tells Commission
Walter Gonsoulin, who was named national Superintendent of the Year, touted the Jefferson County Commission’s support of the JefCoEd Foundation.
Jefferson County School Leader Becomes the National Face of Education
JefCoEd Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin Jr., newly named National Superintendent of the Year, works to give students a chance to achieve their dreams.
BW Recommends | March 9, 2025
JeffCo Commission Honors Walter Gonsoulin as Superintendent of the Year
Commissioners presented a proclamation to Jefferson County School Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin for having been named Alabama/Schneider Electric 2025 Superintendent of the Year. Read more.
As More Students Return to School, Officials Brace for ‘Rolling Blackouts’
Following the release of a new dashboard, state education officials are optimistic about the number of coronavirus cases in Alabama schools. But challenges remain. Read more.
Jefferson County Schools Plan to Expand Broadband to Serve Students Learning Virtually
Help is on the way for remote learners who have had little to no access to Wi-Fi. Meeting in Bessemer Thursday, the Jefferson County Commission amended the Cares Act Coronavirus Relief Fund subgrant agreement with the Jefferson County Board of Education to award an additional $4,648,600 to expand broadband capacity to reach students taking classes virtually. Read more.
JeffCo Schools Moving Toward On-Campus Classes Starting Later this Month
Jefferson County Schools will begin accepting students back onto campuses in just more than a week.
Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin announced on Facebook Thursday that the system would resume traditional learning starting Sept. 21. Grades will have staggered starts on the in-person learning. Students will go to class two days a week at first. Wednesdays will be set aside for remote learning for children and cleaning schools for staff. After two weeks, they will transition to five days a week on campus.
Students who want to may continue with virtual learning. Read more.
Jefferson County Schools to Go Virtual-Only for First Nine Weeks; Some Student Athletes and Staff Have Tested Positive for COVID
UPDATED — The Jefferson County Board of Education voted Tuesday to begin the 2020-2021 school year Sept. 1 with nine weeks of online education only and no option for traditional classroom learning, as educators and parents continue to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak.
The recommendation came from Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin after weeks of town hall meetings with parents, faculty, staff and other stakeholders, as well as an online survey in which Gonsoulin said 80% of JefCoEd families responded. In that survey, 56% were in favor of online learning, and 44% wanted traditional face-to-face classroom learning.
The board approved the recommendation by a 4-1 vote in Tuesday’s online meeting.
Gonsoulin in a later press conference said that some student athletes have tested positive for COVID-19, as have some faculty and staff members, as the schools gear up to reopen. He said no employees will be furloughed because of the return to virtual learning. Read more.
The Beginning of the End? Court Motion Starts Process to Declare Desegregation in Jefferson County Schools Complete
In 1971, when the U.S. District Court first ruled that Jefferson County Schools were segregated and required the court’s supervision to integrate, most of the people who would be directly affected had not yet been born — in numerous cases, their parents hadn’t born yet, either.
But that era might be coming to an end at long last, though that end may still be three or four years away.
JefCoEd is scheduled to file a motion with District Judge Madeline Haikala that seeks to amend an order handed down in Stout v. Jefferson County Board of Education, the landmark case that found the county system operated separate schools for white and African American students. The motion to amend comes after lengthy negotiations with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, which originally filed the lawsuit in 1965, and the U.S. Department of Justice. Read more.
