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Healthy schools

Framed in the rhetoric of choice, Tennessee’s new law governing childhood vaccinations is among more than a dozen recently passed or pending nationwide that set parental freedom against community and children’s health.

“Nos dimos cuenta de que realmente podríamos lograr un cambio si nos esforzábamos de corazón”, dijo Niko Peterson, uno de los amigos de McKinney que ayudó a escribir el proyecto de ley.

“We realized we could actually make a change if we put our hearts to it,” said Niko Peterson, a senior at Animas High School in Durango who helped write the bill.

Newark Public Schools is one of five New Jersey school districts receiving electric school buses through an Environment Protection Agency grant program.

Another 35 states have signed on to offer Summer EBT. Among them: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Eligible families will get $120 per child to boost their grocery budgets when school isn’t in session.

Newark schools’ meal programs have been met with mixed reactions in recent years. A new coalition hopes to use a $3.8 million grant to give lunch a healthy update.

At Circle City Prep’s new cafeteria, fresh produce replaces reheated pizzas, and an on-site chef prepares meals daily.

A new federal rule permits 3,000 more districts to give free meals to all students. But without additional funding from Congress, many will likely hold off.

“Kids can’t perform in the classroom if they’re not feeling healthy, well nourished, and sleeping well,” one after-school provider said.

NYC education officials gave schools little guidance during last week’s flooding. This week, a chance of a quarter to an inch of rain prompted a detailed memo.

The downpour affected service on every subway line, delayed dozens of school buses, and prompted both NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul to issue a state of emergency. 

NYC schools no longer will report COVID cases, but students and staff still need to isolate for five days.

Studies have shown Newark is one of the hottest cities in the nation. With temperatures soaring into the 90s, parents are raising concerns about inoperable water fountains and no air conditioning systems in schools.