skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Keeping Grandparents Safe as AZ Students Return to Classroom

play audio
Play

Thursday, March 25, 2021   

TUCSON, Ariz. -- As Arizona classrooms begin reopening this week, students and educators seem equally enthusiastic over a return to in-school learning.

But there is concern that children from disadvantaged or multigenerational families could bring COVID-19 home to older, more vulnerable family members.

Educators say in-person instruction is the best way to bring kids up to speed on their studies, and fear students who continue learning from home may fall even farther behind.

Ralph Quintana, president of American Federation of Teachers in Arizona, said most districts will need to provide extra instruction and even summer classes for students who must catch up.

"One of the top 10 biggest districts in Arizona is saying that they've already noticed approximately 25% of the kids that stayed virtual learning, the failure rate for those kids is significantly higher," Quintana reported.

While Arizona schools will be following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for ventilation, protection and social distancing, some families, out of an abundance of caution, may still choose to school their children at home until the pandemic is over.

Jaia Peterson Lent, deputy executive director if Generations United and co-director of the National Center on Grandfamilies, said returning to the classroom is forcing some extended families to make difficult choices.

"They may have real fear that if they were to get COVID-19 and be unable to continue to care for the child, that there isn't a backup plan for that child," Peterson Lent explained. "So they're big decisions, they're difficult decisions."

Arizona is among the top states for multi-generation homes, with more than 100,000 families with at least three generations under the same roof.

Peterson Lent pointed out there are both advantages and challenges for extended families.

"Children may have special learning needs, and really need the extra support that comes with in-person learning," Peterson Lent observed. "But there at the same time, maybe a lot of fear around sending children back to school, when you have a caregiver who may, you know, is older or at higher risk."

Although COVID-19 vaccines were made available this week to all adults in Arizona, state health officials say it may be mid-summer before the state reaches "herd immunity," when a sufficient number of people have been immunized to effectively halt the spread of the disease.

Disclosure: Annie E Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Education, Juvenile Justice, and Welfare Reform. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


A 2022 report finds failing to speed up transmission beyond the current pace will increase 2030 U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 800 million tons per year. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021