ALBANY, N.Y. -- The push is on at both the state and national levels to reopen schools, but will it be done in a way that ensures all families, including multigenerational households, stay safe.

There are more than 300,000 multigenerational households in New York.

Although they are most often found in Hispanic and Asian families, the number of households that include grandparents is growing across all communities, which means older, more vulnerable adults could be at risk as children return to classrooms.

Andy Pallotta, president of New York State United Teachers, said COVID-19 testing is a critical part of reopening schools, but of the state's 700 school districts, only 57 are currently doing regular testing.

"We want to see that as part of the process going forward," Pallotta urged. "An aggressive campaign of testing, and this way we can stop any spread in the community from coming into the schools."

He emphasized all communities need to know the precautions needed to keep students, teachers and families safe, and be satisfied that those steps are being taken.

Jaia Peterson Lent, deputy executive director of the National Center on Grandfamilies, pointed out grandparents in multigenerational households often play critical roles in helping families get through the restrictions brought on by the COVID pandemic.

"Families may be choosing to live together because they are facing economic challenges, or because they need help with child care," Lent explained. "Certainly, families' lives in terms of child-care needs have been turned upside down during the pandemic."

She added families may be hesitant about sending children back to school if they feel it would put a grandparent who is their only option for child care at risk of COVID.

Data suggests many children doing remote learning are keeping up with reading, but math skills have suffered.

And access to technology, such as broadband internet, puts some communities at a disadvantage.

Pallotta said that is why returning to classrooms is important.

"We believe there's no better way of educating a child than having it in person," Pallotta asserted. "We also say, in the same breath, that it has to be done safely."

The federal Department of Health and Human Services announced last week it will give out $650 million in grants to help schools implement COVID testing.


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Ohio's charter schools have been a topic of debate for more than two decades, with strong opinions on both sides.

Charter schools operate independently of traditional public school districts, often promising more flexibility and innovation. However, concerns about funding persist.

Steve Dyer, former chair of the Ohio House Finance Committee and member of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding, highlighted a new report exploring the significance of charter schools in Ohio which pointed out nearly half of all charters in the state have closed.

"Ohio's charter school experiment, which is now about 25 years old, has been an utter failure," Dyer asserted. "Because the state has so heavily invested in charter schools, the average charter school student gets more than double the amount of state funding that a kid in a local public school gets."

Dyer's concerns focus on the disparity in funding between charter and traditional public schools, with charter students receiving significant state support despite some schools underperforming.

According to the Ohio Department of Education, charter schools have higher closure rates, with nearly 50% of them closing by their 10th year. Critics argue the financial investment in a less stable educational system could take away from local public schools, which rely on a combination of state and local funding.

Others contended charter schools offer parents additional choices in educating their children.

William Phillis, executive director of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding, stressed the quality of the options is critical.

"There's no qualifications established by the state of Ohio," Phillis pointed out. "Many operators have no clue as to what education is all about, have no clue in some cases how to operate a business. They just see it as a financial opportunity."

Ohioans remain divided on whether charter schools deliver on their promises. On one side, advocates believe in the value of offering educational options to parents. On the other, opponents question the sustainability and financial strain on the broader public education system.


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Following a Georgia high school shooting in early September, there's been a surge in school threats across the country.

In South Dakota, safety experts are teaching people to report threats - and teaching schools how to field them.

In mid-September, a threatening social media post caused the Meade School District to move into "secure" status.

After it was proven to be noncredible, County Sheriff Pat West pointed out that social media shares "spread like wildfire," and make investigations much more difficult.

Brett Garland is director of the South Dakota School Safety Program, within the Office of Homeland Security. He advised people to - "report, don't repost."

"We would prefer that schools, parents, students, community members, immediately get in touch with their law enforcement agency if they receive information regarding a threat," said Garland. "Definitely we would prefer they not share those threats in any way."

An anonymous tip line for concerns in South Dakota, called "Safe2Say," is available online or by phone 24/7.

Threatening a school, school transit or other place of assembly is a Class 4 felony in South Dakota.

The School Safety Center offers behavioral threat assessment training, teaching school staff and educators to recognize potential flags for violent behavior.

Garland said more than 200 schools have already participated.

"This training that will help schools," said Garland, "hopefully interrupt somebody on that pathway to violence, before it gets to any sort of active attack."

He said school staff learn to develop a "multidisciplinary behavioral threat assessment team," to identify and evaluate threats before deciding on the right intervention.

But he added that there's no specific profile for someone who may be making threats.



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Custodians are often the unseen workers who ensure school buildings operate but in Washington state, understaffing can make their work difficult.

Custodians run a gamut of tasks in schools from cleaning to maintenance.

Amanda Shull, head custodian at Kentlake High School in Kent and a member of the American Federation of Teachers Kent Classified, said when there is not enough staff, they have to pick up more tasks during the day.

"I have to say that all the time: we are understaffed," Shull emphasized. "Somebody called out today and we weren't sent any help. So, it greatly affects us because receiving that extra task determines the rest of our day."

A report from the League of Education Voters found Washington state lawmakers are struggling to properly fund the state's 295 school districts. While the state has increased spending on staff, the costs for other items like food, repairs and natural gas have gone up at an even faster rate since the start of the pandemic.

Shull noted her staff often works out of sight of the rest of the people at the school.

"People see me but you never see the real ones that come after school is out, after the events are over, the quiet ones that clean up and make everything presentable for the next day so classes can happen," Shull explained.

Shull stressed the lack of proper funding affects custodians in other ways, such as with equipment shortages. She added she always tells her team when a teacher or student offers appreciation for their work.