Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How Back-To-School Is Going
USA Today: Between COVID-19 And Layoffs, Schools May Not Have Enough Teachers To Get Through The Year
In Las Vegas, where more than 1 in 6 workers are now unemployed, Fernando Valenzuela decided to quit his job this summer. He’s one of nearly 4,300 substitute teachers in the Clark County School District earning roughly $100 per day, without sick leave or health coverage. Though Valenzuela, who filled a full-time teaching vacancy at the Nevada Learning Academy, earned a bit more — $120 a day — than the Clark County average, it was still not enough for him to brave the risks of working at a school during the escalating coronavirus pandemic. (Harris and Morton, 9/3)
ABC News: 'Monumental' Task Remains As NYC Delays Opening Schools, Leaders Say
Families and educators pushing for a delay to the start of the New York City school year breathed a sigh of relief this week, as city officials announced in-person learning is postponed. But for some, the relief was temporary. With a majority of the district's 1.1 million students planning to return to buildings during the coronavirus pandemic, city officials have acknowledged the task is no easy one, and questions on details remain, leaders say. (Deliso, 9/2)
The Wall Street Journal: A Texas School Reopens And Everyone Holds Their Breath
On the eighth day of opening a school to students, Superintendent Eddie Conger marveled that there were no reported Covid-19 cases. He had established safety measures, some beyond federal guidelines, but still was braced for the virus to strike. In a conference room that day, he got a jolt. An administrator told him a laser temperature check in the drop-off lane revealed a student with a fever. Everyone with a temperature under 100 can enter school, but 100 or over requires another check. A second high reading means a trip back home.“The kid never left the car,” the administrator assured Mr. Conger. (Hobbs, 9/2)
In other school news —
NBC News: Active Shooter Drills Are Meant To Prepare Students. But Research Finds 'Severe' Side Effects.
A few things go through Tim Tredwell’s mind when he’s in the middle of an active shooter drill, leading his physical education class into the locker room at John Winthrop Middle School in Deep River, Connecticut. He thinks about which student has a special education plan, whether any of them do not handle trauma well, or if there’s one he’d have to carry if they had to run. He thinks of his own children. Even when Tredwell knows it’s only a drill, he still feels a jolt of apprehension when the principal comes by to shake his door to ensure it’s locked. It’s been this way since the drills began shortly after the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. (Kingkade, 9/3)
And children return to school in Wuhan, China —
Reuters: Students Return To Class In Wuhan, But Parents And Teachers Wary Of Coronavirus Risk
Tears and excitement from students greeted teachers on the first day of school after seven months in the Chinese city of Wuhan, but parents and teachers warned that while the coronavirus has retreated, no one could afford to let down their guard. The central Chinese city - where the global coronavirus pandemic began - allowed more than 2,800 educational institutions to start their new term on Tuesday, opening their doors to nearly 1.4 million students for the first time since January. (Stanway, 9/3)
