Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NYC Schools Not Ready To Open Next Week, Teachers Union Says
The Wall Street Journal: NYC Teachers Union Says Buildings Aren’t Ready To Open Monday
The head of New York City’s teachers union said he has grave concerns about whether the city’s K-12 schools will be ready to reopen on Sept. 21 as planned, citing a teacher shortage, concerns about safety, and a lack of clarity on how many students will be showing up on opening day. In a Monday briefing, United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said the union will make a decision in the coming days on whether teachers should plan to return to schools on Monday, so that “everyone will have enough time to adjust.” (Hawkins, 9/14)
The New York Times: Parties Delay The Start Of In-Person Classes At Some U.S. High Schools
Several K-12 school districts in the U.S. Northeast have delayed the start of in-person classes in recent days after high school students attended large parties, leading to concern about increased spread of the virus. After several weeks of partying college students complicating their schools’ reopening plans, high school students are now creating the same disruptions, underscoring the yawning gap between policy and enforcement — and the limitations of any school to control the behavior of young people. (9/14)
Boston Globe: Teachers At High Risk For Coronavirus Still Don’t Know Whether They’ll Be Allowed To Work Remotely
While most districts have given teachers an answer, scores of educators across the state are still in limbo, waiting to hear whether their own, or loved ones', preexisting health conditions qualify them to work remotely, adding mightily to the confusion of the most tumultuous back-to-school season in modern history. Without state guidance for how districts should handle this issue, teachers in different communities face a variety of responses — on a variety of timelines, according to Beth Kontos, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts. Several have yet to finalize teachers' assignments, including Boston, Lowell, and others, Kontos said. (Martin, 9/14)
In other school and education news —
GMA: Free Lunch May Not Be Enough To Aid Hunger As Pandemic Impacts Food Security In US
Back to school looks different in 2020 and as many students stay home for remote learning due to the pandemic, those who depend on free lunches are facing new challenges and disparities around food. The National School Lunch Program, managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recently extended its flexible summer waiver program through the end of the year to help keep kids nourished. While the way meals are being prepared at school cafeterias, served, distributed and consumed will change, accessibility to those free lunches remains the driving force in keeping students fed. (9/14)
The Washington Post: Open-Air Schools: Before Coronavirus, Kids With Tuberculosis Learned Outside
Nine schoolchildren sat at their desks wrapped in chunky layers of flannel, their feet resting on heated soapstones as the frigid New England air stung their faces. In January 1908, amid a tuberculosis epidemic, these Rhode Island students were part of a unique experiment to combat the infectious disease: America’s first open-air school. More than a century later, educators are touting outdoor classes as a way to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus among America’s schoolchildren. (Water, 9/14)
