The 2023-24 school year saw the highest percentage of kindergarteners exempted from vaccinations, with increases in 40 states and Washington, D.C. In some localities, the so-called health freedom message has led to nonmedical exemption rates as high as 50 percent.
The Livingston Parish School Board has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and Instagram, claiming the platforms are so addictive they have created a mental health crisis among the district’s students.
Experts worry that curfews disproportionately target young people of color.
Baltimore County assigned 133 students to its Virtual Learning Program as a means of punishment, which experts say is opposite of what students facing discipline need to keep them engaged and enrolled.
Federal pandemic aid that supported thousands of child-care providers will end soon, leading to downsizings and closures. There are innovative ways for states, local governments and businesses to mitigate the blow to working families and employers.
Dallas County is locking up minors for months longer than national standards recommend and administering more punitive rulings than other counties. Families worry their children are locked inside for most of the day.
Fluctuations in need and bed availability for foster children is normal, but this year has seen a striking crisis in the regional foster care system, which forced the state’s family agency to house seven children in casino hotel rooms over an 89-day stretch.
Northeastern New Mexico received federal funds to develop rural maternity care networks of hospitals and clinics, which has since helped more than 760 mothers. But the program’s funding will run out in August.
Round Valley Indian Tribes of rural Northern California declared a state of emergency on April 16 after two brutal killings this spring and said the slayings highlight the urgent need for greater investment in youth services and programs.
More than 40 percent of American adults know someone who is transgender and yet 46 percent favor making it illegal to provide transgender medical care to minors. Support for anti-trans bills has been growing for years.
One of the measures heading to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk would recognize Lunar New Year as an observed state holiday. The other two would adopt the ICWA and allow traditional Native American regalia at graduation ceremonies.
While some pandemic-related gaps and inequities in child-care access have been resolved, high cost and low availability continue to strain families across the state, creating barriers for many trying to return to the workforce.
If the Supreme Court strikes down the Indian Child Welfare Act, states are worried that it would displace children from their tribal communities and culture. Lawmakers in several states have put forth legislation to codify ICWA protections.
The death rate of children 19 years and younger increased by 11 percent between 2019 and 2020 and by 8 percent between 2020 and 2021, the biggest increase in U.S. child mortality in more than 50 years.
The share of 16- to 19-year-olds not working is up 22.4 percentage points since 2021. Eleven states have sought to loosen child labor laws to help fill empty positions.
Laws that were enacted to provide community-based alternatives to the state’s youth prisons may actually be fostering a new “shadow” juvenile system in which officials are circumventing transparency laws behind closed doors.
Most Read
