Scientific or graphing calculator?

Scientific or graphing calculator? What calculator should students buy?

As your children grow older, that school supply list may get shorter, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily more expensive.

One thing that can trigger sticker shock to parents of high and middle school students is a specialized calculator. Schools generally prefer that students are equipped with a handheld scientific calculator. In higher mathematics classes, such as AP Calculus an graphing calculator may be required.

But, what's the distinction? A scientific calculator performs functions in addition, subtraction multiplication and division. A scientific calculator typically has special buttons for parentheses trigonometric functionsand exponents, pi, and inverses -- among other things.

A graphing calculator does even more. It'll come with a larger screen that lets you input a function and then see a graph of it.

Best to Buy's Geek Squad agent Derek Meister states that scientific calculatorscan run between $10 and $60. Graphing calculators are typically more, ranging from $80 to $150.Should back-to-school students buy scientific or graphing calculators? (KOMO News)

However, Best Buy says you don't necessarily need to buy one , and suggests talking to your school first.

Harmony Weinberg, Edmonds School District's public relations and media supervisor she tells KOMO News each individual school has its own set of rules.

"For higher level classes, like AP Calculus, it is often expected that students have a handheld graphing calculator, such as TI-83, TI-84 or TI-89."

These calculators can be used for AP testing. Weinberg adds that schools have a process in place to allow students to access calculators just like they check out text books , if they're unable or do not want to purchase their own.

In the Edmonds School district, the calculators are handled in the same way as textbooks, with regard to damage or loss, but there is no charge to make use of.

One other option may already exist in the laptops that schools provide. Weinberg says the district of Edmonds "all students have access to scientific and graphing calculators through their district-issued Chromebook." The district is also encouraging teachers to use Desmos online calculators since these are used on state assessments too.

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West Seattle family says school rules on quarantine bias against people who aren't vaccinated

from Joel Moreno, KOMO News reporterSaturday on September 18th, 2021.

https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.485.1_en.html#goog_1206168445Volume 90% Denny International Middle School.

SEATTLE A family from West Seattle say their young son was told to stay home following an incident when his contact with an individual who was positive for COVID-19. This prompted the family to claim that he was singled out and being treated differently by school district officials since the child was not vaccinated..

This week, a 12-year-old student at Denny International Middle School was confronted by a fellow student who was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The school officials told him to stay home for two months because he has not been vaccinated.

His family members said they've learned that if he had been vaccinated the 7th grade student wouldn't be required to miss class as long as he wasn't showing signs of the disease.

"My kid has no symptoms," said Jeremy Gollyhorn, the boy's father. "He's perfectly healthy. Why is it that he doesn't get a negative COVID test and then go back to school?"

Gollyhorn stated that his son is being held to a different standard that students who've had their shots. And even If he passed a positive COVID-19 test, the boy will not be allowed back into school after the two week quarantine has been completed.

Close contacts who have been fully vaccinated and show no symptoms are not required to undergo quarantine. They are able to return to classes, although they are urged to get tested three-to-five days later for confirmation.

Gollyhorn said it makes no sense.

"Vaccinated people can still spread COVID too so what's the difference there?" He said.

A spokesperson for the school said Seattle Public Schools is following the health guidelines of public schools set through the federal government.

Gollyhorn declared that the policy robs people of their choice. The doctor added that his family doesn't trust the vaccines , and incidents like this just make him want to challenge the government.

As of Seattle Public Schools started the school year on Sept. 1st, the school district has confirmed 117 positive cases of COVID-19 and Denny International Middle School has reported four positive cases over that time.

It's unclear how many staff and students have been told to be in quarantine due to exposures. However, absences from school are considered excused.