Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sigh: More Schools Are Shifting Students Online
USA Today: Schools Are Closing For Millions Of Kids As Teachers Get Sick And COVID Cases Surge. Some Districts Are Holding Out.
The dominos are beginning to fall at America's schools. After weeks or months of operating in person, schools are shifting students back to remote learning as the nation grapples with soaring COVID-19 infections. Starting Monday, millions more students will be connected to their teachers only by whatever internet or phone connection they can secure. (Richards and Aspegren, 11/20)
CNN: 'An Incredibly Traumatic 24 Hours': New York City School Closures Set Off New Round Of Infighting
New York City's decision to close schools as coronavirus rates rise has set off a torrent of political infighting and a fresh round of public frustration over muddled -- and occasionally conflicting -- messages from city and state leaders. (Moghe and Krieg, 11/19)
The New York Times: NYC Parents Say School Shutdown Hurts Children: 'Remote Learning Is Not Working'
Laura Espinoza took an hourlong subway ride on Thursday morning from her Brooklyn neighborhood to City Hall, where she joined several dozen families gathered to protest Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to shut down the nation’s largest school system as virus cases have surged across the city. Ms. Espinoza has 6-year-old twins, both of whom have disabilities. They were attending school five days a week, a rarity for city students, but now they will have classes at home indefinitely. (Shapiro and Kim, 11/19)
The Washington Post: A Maskless Teacher With Covid-19 Came To Work. The Day Care Told Parents Covid Was A Hoax.
The complaints started to mount after a teacher who tested positive for the coronavirus had been at work maskless — working with toddlers and infants. In fact, no one was wearing masks at Little Lambs Christian Dayschool, the day care at Fairlawn Christian Academy in Radford, according to Virginia Department of Health records. But on Monday, Pastor Stephen Phillips sent a memo to parents, telling them that there was nothing to be worried about — and that they shouldn’t trust federal health authorities. (Flynn, Pulliam Bailey and Boorstein, 11/19)
In related news —
NPR: Use It Or Lose It: Parents Set Wages Aside For Child Care. Now It's At Risk
Norah Perez's children had been going to day care since they were four months old. That came to an abrupt end this spring when the coronavirus hit and their day care closed. Like many parents, Perez initially thought it might last a few weeks. Turns out, that was wishful thinking. Now, she could lose some of the money she set aside from her paycheck, pre-tax, to pay for day care. She has $2,200 stuck in what's called a dependent-care flexible spending account, money that is "use it or lose it" unless Congress or the IRS act. (Hsu, 11/19)
USA Today: Teens Glued To Screens In COVID Pandemic Need Sleep And Reality Checks, Experts Say
Young people have turned to digital devices to fill holes left by the COVID-19 pandemic, a practice that elevates depression, anxiety and hopelessness, suggests a California study released Wednesday. "Our kids weren't built to live their lives chained to supercomputers," said Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who is married to the California governor and founder of the California Partners Project, which wrote the study alongside the Child Mind Institute. (Aspegren, 11/18)
