Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Especially Tragic': LGBTQ Advocates Push Back Against Texas Curriculum
ABC News: Texas Board Of Education Rejects Proposed LGBTQ Lessons As Part Of Sex Education Revision
LGBTQ rights advocates are pushing back against the Texas Board of Education's recent rejection of a proposed curriculum to teach middle school and high school students about gender identity and sexual orientation. The Republican-dominated board rejected a batch of proposed curriculum changes last week, striking down mandates to require students to learn about the differences between gender identity and sexual orientation as well as a proposal to teach middle schoolers about consent. The board is expected to take a final vote on any changes in the sexual education curriculum in November. (Allen, 9/15)
Dallas Morning News: Garland ISD Teams Up With Nonprofit Group To Offer Free Eye Exams And Glasses To Students
Some students in Garland Independent School District will be able to receive free eye exams in October as part of a partnership between the district and the Essilor Vision Foundation, a Dallas-based nonprofit organization. The offer is available to students who attend in-person instruction as well as those in e-learning courses. (Strickland, 9/15)
In COVID-related news —
The Hill: LSU Football Coach Says 'Most Of Our Players Have Caught' Coronavirus
Louisiana State University football coach Ed Orgeron said Tuesday he believes a majority of the team has already caught the coronavirus. "I think most, not all of our players, but most of our players have caught it," Orgeron told reporters Tuesday, according to The Advocate. "So hopefully they won't catch it again, and hopefully they're not out for games." (Budryk, 9/15)
Fox News: Coronavirus Cases Prompt Lock Down Of NYU Dorm: Officials
Six cases of coronavirus in a freshman dorm at NYU caused the building to be placed on mandatory quarantine this week. This comes as the school ramped up testing protocols to help negate the transmission of the novel coronavirus.“Last week’s ongoing testing in Rubin Hall indicated six (6) positive cases out of the approximately 400 students living there. We have isolated all the students with positive findings and quarantined their close contacts, in line with our protocols. Out of an abundance of caution, we are also retesting all residents of Rubin Hall (and employees, too), and instructed them on Saturday to begin quarantining until at least Tuesday night," reads a Monday statement from NYU officials and the NYU COVID-19 Prevention & Response Team. (McGorry, 9/15)
CIDRAP: WHO, Partners: Safe School Reopening Top Priority
Some of the world's top health and education officials today warned that delays in safely reopening schools will cause lasting damage and that many communities heading into winter months will face tough choices needed to keep schools open. In other developments, COVID-19 levels are rising to worrying levels in several Middle Eastern countries. The global total today climbed to 29,398,712 cases, and 930,910 people have died from their infections, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard. (Schnirring, 9/15)
The Washington Post: Northern Virginia Schools Adjust To Online Learning
One week into remote schooling, students, parents and teachers throughout Northern Virginia — where all major public school districts are conducting online-only learning — are slowly adjusting to their new, virtual reality. The first week of school-from-a-distance saw no massive technological or privacy failures, according to interviews with more than two dozen educators, parents and students. Just a whole lot of bizarre. (Natanson, 9/15)
Boston Globe: Baker Says State Is Keeping An Eye On College Coronavirus Testing And Tracing Efforts
State officials worked together with the Broad Institute and the colleges and universities “to put together a very robust platform for testing and contact tracing in Massachusetts ... and we are currently reviewing all of the protocols associated with testing and tracing and isolation and quarantining and notification, and plan to engage with the colleges generally on this,” Baker said at a news briefing in Fitchburg. (Reiss and Finucane, 9/15)
