Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
School Cafeteria Staffs Work At Great Risk, Often Mistreated
The Atlantic: Coronavirus Puts School Cafeteria Workers At Risk, Too
Shannon Spear’s family had just finished dinner when the phone rang. It was a Friday night in March, and Spear’s school district was calling to announce that her daughter’s high school was moving to remote learning. This was no surprise: Like other parents whose children attend the Contoocook Valley schools in New Hampshire, Spear had received dozens of emails from the district preparing families for the change. Earlier that day, teachers had even reminded Spear’s daughter to make sure that her school-issued Chromebook and charger were in her backpack before the final bell rang. (Heyward, 9/7)
The Washington Post: For Pediatricians, Covid-19 Presents A Thorny Problem
Joanna Dolgoff, a pediatrician in Paulding County, Ga., cringed when she saw the photo on Facebook: a crowded high school hallway full of maskless students, an image that quickly went viral. “I was shocked at how closely the kids were packed together and that they weren’t wearing masks,” she says. Then it got worse. “I didn’t know where the photo was from,” she says. The moment she learned these students were from North Paulding High School, where some of her patients attend classes, “I got a sinking feeling in my stomach,” she says. “These are my kids. These are the patients I take care of.” (Cimons, 9/5)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: 'Community Learning Hubs' Pop Up To Help Kids With Distance Learning, But Challenges Persist
The initiative is one of many ways the city and some local charter school organizations are getting creative to help students who are most at risk of falling behind during virtual learning, including those in poverty and kids who are learning English for the first time as they attend class.The community hubs, run at recreation centers around the city, somewhat resemble the privately-run "pandemic pods" that have popped up among mostly middle and upper-class families. (Hasselle, 9/7)
Kaiser Health News: With Schools Starting Online, Vaccinations Head For Recess
Dr. Chris Kjolhede is focused on the children of central New York. As co-director of school-based health centers at Bassett Healthcare Network, the pediatrician oversees about 21 school-based health clinics across the region — a poor, rural area known for manufacturing and crippled by the opioid epidemic. From ankles sprained during recess to birth control questions, the clinics serve as the primary care provider for many children both in and out of the classroom. High on the to-do list is making sure kids are up to date on required vaccinations, said Kjolhede. (Heredia Rodriguez, 9/8)
Also —
The Washington Post: The Four Seasons At Disney World Is Offering A ‘Schoolcation’ Package
With millions of children going to school remotely this fall because of the coronavirus outbreak, the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort (and other hotels) is now trying to corner the very stressed-out parent market by tempting them with “schoolcation” promotions .It’s school, at a luxury resort, with Disney World in your backyard (if you can afford it). Can real school ever feel special again? “This new offering exclusively for our Resort guests will be both helpful to parents, as well as something really fun for kids to experience,” said Thomas Steinhauer, the resort’s general manager, in a press release. (Compton, 9/4)
