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How parents can prepare for students’ virtual return to school

This story is part of “Parenting in a Pandemic,” WTOP’s continuing coverage of how parents are dealing with child care, schooling and more through the coronavirus pandemic.

While many of the D.C. region’s public school systems are turning to a virtual start for the new academic year, learning from home comes with its own, unique challenges parents should prepare for.

Ann Dolin with the Educational Connections Tutoring Center is urging parents to take action to help their students succeed in a nontraditional classroom environment.

Dolin said the first thing parents should do is set up an organized school work space for their child. Ideally, the space would include a desk and a chair, and minimize distractions.

Television, video games, phones and other similar devices should be a good distance away, even during short breaks, because they could make it difficult for some students to disconnect.

She also recommends sprinkling in some online social downtime.


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Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.

Woman killed in Times Square stabbing worked for Bank of America

NEW YORK (AP) — The woman killed in a random stabbing in Times Square was a Bank of America employee, the bank confirmed Tuesday. Police identified her and the attacker, who was killed in a confrontation with officers shortly after the rampage. The woman who died, Erin Pacenti, 32, was one of two people who were stabbed Monday afternoon in the tourist and theater hub, a few blocks from Bank of America's office tower in New York. “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” the bank said in a statement. The company didn't immediately answer questions about the specifics of Pacenti's work there. She had earned a law degree from Fordham Law School, graduating in 2021 alongside her husband, Frank Pacenti, according to the school. Fordham Law said in a statement it was heartbroken by her death.
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