Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
K-12 Schools Face Daunting Obstacles Before Reopening
CNN: 260 Employees In Georgia School District Have Tested Positive For Covid-19 Or Been Exposed
Georgia's largest school district has confirmed that around 260 employees have either tested positive for Covid-19 or have been exposed. The Gwinnett County School District (GCPS) employees won't be returning to school just yet as districts across the country continue to adjust their back-to-school plans to prevent the spread of the virus. The situation in Gwinnett is fluid, GCPS spokeswoman Sloan Roach told CNN in an email Sunday evening. (Paget and Silverman, 8/3)
The New York Times: The Coronavirus Infected Hundreds At A Georgia Summer Camp
As schools and universities plan for the new academic year, and administrators grapple with complex questions about how to keep young people safe, a new report about a coronavirus outbreak at a sleepaway camp in Georgia provides fresh reasons for concern. The camp implemented several precautionary measures against the virus, but stopped short of requiring campers to wear masks. The virus blazed through the community of about 600 campers and counselors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday. (Rabin, 7/31)
Indianapolis Star: Indiana Schools Reopening: How Will We Know Districts Are Safe?
The debate about how, when and if schools should reopen for in-person learning isn’t going anywhere. State guidance on reopening made only suggestions for safe reopening, but mandated nothing. No plans are required to be reviewed or approved. (Herron, 8/2)
AP: As School Begins Amid Virus, Parents See Few Good Options
John Barrett plans to keep his daughter home from elementary school this year in suburban Atlanta, but he wishes she were going. Molly Ball is sending her teenage sons to school in the same district on Monday, but not without feelings of regret. As the academic year begins in many places across the country this week, parents are faced with the difficult choice of whether to send their children to school or keep them home for remote learning because of the coronavirus pandemic. Many are unhappy with either option. (Amy, 8/2)
The Wall Street Journal: As Schools Plan To Reopen, Single Parents Have Few Child-Care Options
As U.S. workers look ahead to fall, the realities of remote education and precarious child care are hitting single parents harder than most segments of the workforce. Lacking a co-parent with whom to share the additional workload at home and unable to rely on support systems such as grandparents and babysitters, many single parents are struggling to care for kids while earning a living. They are often the sole breadwinner in their homes, so cutting back hours or taking a leave of absence isn’t feasible. Some say they are simply out of options. (Weber, 8/2)
KQED: Overwhelmed, Stressed, Scared: School Nurses Brace For The Fall Semester
Many nurses have been working with their school districts over the summer to prepare plans for every scenario imaginable. But they say that's not the case for everyone."I know a lot of nurses have asked to be at the table and they're not being invited or disregarded," said one. "And honestly, would you want your child to return to a school where a school nurse was not part of the plan?" (Lombardo, 8/1)
WBUR: Safer Air: To Cut Virus Risk In Fall, Schools Scramble To Improve Ventilation
There’s growing evidence that the coronavirus can linger in the air, including several documented cases that linked poor ventilation to spread of the virus. The state is advising schools that while masks are the best defense against that, better ventilation can help too. (Goldberg, 7/31)
PBS NewsHour: A California Collective Makes The Case For Outdoor Schooling
As school districts across the country are trying to determine how or if they can open their doors in the fall, a California coalition has come together - offering districts everything from curriculum to architecture advice to take their classrooms outside. (Booker, 8/2)
Also —
AP: Barron Trump's Private School To Stay Closed For Now
President Donald Trump insists that schools reopen so students can go back to their classrooms, but the Maryland private school where his son Barron is enrolled is among those under county orders to stay closed. Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles said his order to stay closed for in-person instruction through Oct. 1 and to conduct online classes only will be reevaluated before Oct. 1 to determine whether it should be extended, terminated or amended. (Superville, 8/2)
