Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Mexico Considers Using National Guard At Short-Staffed Schools
AP: Guard May Help Staffing Shortages At New Mexico Schools
New Mexico’s governor said Thursday she’s considering seeking help from the National Guard to address COVID-19 staffing shortages at public schools, a move that could mark a first in the nation. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the additional help would ensure that students can remain in the classroom. (Bryan, 1/13)
CNN: Parents Asked To Be Substitute Teachers Amid Shortage
Amid concerns of in-person learning cancellations as Omicron cases continues to surge, a school district in Texas is hoping to address the teacher shortage by asking parents to step up as substitute teachers. (1/13)
And more on covid's spread at schools —
The Salt Lake Tribune: 2 Utah Schools Face Pushback After Emails Stating Kids With COVID-19 ‘Allowed To Return’ To Class
Parents are furious after two Utah high schools sent out a message Thursday evening stating that students who tested positive for the coronavirus this week could still come to class. Davis School District reversed course shortly after 9 p.m., about two hours after the school emails were sent, sowing confusion and outrage in the interim. (Tanner, 1/14)
USA Today: Students Don't Want To Learn In A 'COVID Petri Dish.' They're Walking Out To Prove Their Point
As teachers unions and schools battle over in-person and remote learning, students nationwide are demanding a seat at the table. Many are staging walkouts this week. “We are the ones who have been in this environment every day. It's our bodies that we're putting at risk," said Kayla Quinlan, a 16-year-old student activist at Boston Day and Evening Academy. “Students should have a say in what their learning environment looks like, but our voices are always left out." (Fernando, 1/14)
NBC Boston: 41K Mass. Students Test Positive as School COVID Cases Continue to Climb
More Massachusetts students tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week than in the previous two, continuing a sharp upward trend of cases in schools. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the numbers Thursday in its weekly COVID-19 report, which covers Jan. 6 through Jan. 12.In that time period, 41,063 students tested positive for coronavirus, as well as 7,351 staff members, for a total of 48,414 school cases. (1/13)
WCMH: 23,000 New Ohio School COVID Cases This Week As Classes Resume After Break
Coronavirus cases reported by Ohio’s K-12 schools shot up this past week as regular reporting amounts resumed after winter break. Schools reported 23,268 new cases to the Ohio Department of Health in the week ending Sunday, Jan. 9, the first week of the winter semester for most schools as they resumed classes after the holidays. (Orner, 1/13)
KHN: With No End In Sight To Pandemic Life, Parents Find Disruption Is The New Normal
As my kindergartner fumbled with his shoes, I stood at our door sifting through the mental parenting checklist newly lodged in my brain: backpack. Sweatshirt. Snacks. Sunscreen. Water bottle. KN95 mask. Vaccination card. Jesse asked for his cloth mask, and I explained again that if he wore that one he’d need to have on a surgical mask, too, which could make it hard to run around at recess. So I did my best to twist the elastic ear loops on the KN95 into a size that would fit his cherubic face, and we headed out the door. (Gammon, 1/14)
In related news —
The Washington Post: National School Boards Association Stumbles Into Politics And Is Blasted Apart
Until this fall, the National School Boards Association was a noncontroversial, bipartisan lobby group. Then its leaders wrote President Biden a letter. It alleged that the threatening and aggressive acts against school board members across the country might be a form of “domestic terrorism” and asked for federal law enforcement intervention. Now, the association is at risk of total collapse. (Meckler, 1/13)
KHN: As Omicron Surges, Effort To Vaccinate Young Children Stalls
Two months after Pfizer’s covid vaccine was authorized for children ages 5 to 11, just 27% have received at least one shot, according to Jan. 12 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 18%, or 5 million kids, have both doses. The national effort to vaccinate children has stalled even as the omicron variant upends schooling for millions of children and their families amid staffing shortages, shutdowns and heated battles over how to safely operate. Vaccination rates vary substantially across the country, a KHN analysis of the federal data shows. Nearly half of Vermont’s 5- to 11-year-olds are fully vaccinated, while fewer than 10% have gotten both shots in nine mostly Southern states. (Pradhan and Recht, 1/14)
