Health

Learn more about how the physical well-being of students and staff impact schools
Xerius Jackson, 7, gets an MMR vaccine at a vaccine clinic put on by Lubbock Public Health Department on March 1, 2025 , in Lubbock, Texas .
A 7-year-old receives an MMR vaccine at a clinic hosted by the Lubbock Public Health Department on March 1, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. A recent executive order modifying federal vaccine recommendations may sow confusion for parents and add administrative burdens for school nurses amid rising nationwide measles cases.
Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images via TNS
School Climate & Safety Q&A Trump's Order on Vaccines Sows Confusion as School Starts
The president of the National Association of School Nurses warns of vaccine confusion and pushback.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 14, 2026
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6 min read
Florida SexEd Curriculum 24267748051016
Materials for teens and parents on pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections provided by Teen Health Mississippi are displayed on Sept. 26, 2023, in Jackson, Miss. Dozens of organizations nationwide that ran teen pregnancy prevention efforts had their federal funding abruptly terminated last month.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo
Education Funding School Pregnancy Prevention Efforts Shut Down as Trump Emphasizes Abstinence
The administration has canceled funding for more than 50 teen pregnancy prevention programs.
Mark Lieberman & Lauraine Langreo, July 29, 2026
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9 min read
This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin.
This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin. There are simple steps schools can take to low the risk of cyclospora affecting students, a consultant to districts says.
CDC via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Q&A How Schools Should Manage the Cyclospora Outbreak
A consultant to school systems offers advice on food safety and messaging to families.
Jennifer Vilcarino, July 23, 2026
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5 min read
Oscar-winning actor and women's health activist Halle Berry joins Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., second from left, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, right, and other women of the Senate as they introduce new legislation to boost federal research on menopause, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 2, 2024. The bipartisan Senate bill, the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women's Health Act, would create public health efforts to improve women's mid-life health. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Actress Halle Berry joins federal lawmakers who introduced new legislation to boost federal research on menopause, at the Capitol in Washington, on May 2, 2024. School officials and advocates are paying more attention to the financial cost the health condition brings to schools and individual teachers.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Teaching Profession Talking About Menopause Is No Longer Taboo. Here's Why That's Good for Teachers
One estimate says that schools experience nearly $800 million in lost productivity annually because of the health issue.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 16, 2026
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4 min read
HERMOSA BEACH, CA-NOVEMBER 10, 2023, 2023: People ride an e-bike on the Strand in Hermosa Beach. In Hermosa Beach, it's against city code to use electric power on the Strand, but many e-bike riders do so anyway.
People ride an e-bike in Hermosa Beach, Calif. School districts are developing new policies as students' use of e-bikes rise, as do related crashes and traffic problems.
Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
School & District Management More Kids Are Riding E-Bikes, Causing Headaches for Schools and Hospital Visits
Districts develop new policies as students' e-bike use spikes—alongside crashes and traffic problems.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 3, 2026
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5 min read
A pair of Miami Arts Studio students hug as others walk between classes, on World Mental Health Day, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, at the public 6th-12th grade magnet school, in Miami.
Students hug during World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, 2023, at a public magnet school in Miami. A coalition of school health professionals are asking Congress to invest in school-based health resources.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement The Hidden Force Behind Student Success: School-Based Health Workers Make Their Case
Organizations representing school-based health workers want legislative support from Congress.
Lauraine Langreo, May 21, 2026
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5 min read
Teens are getting less sleep than ever, but schools can help counteract it by establishing a "culture of sleep," experts say. A Mansfield Senior High School student rests during his health class on sleep, in Mansfield, Ohio, Dec. 6, 2024.
A Mansfield Senior High School student rests during his health class on sleep, in Mansfield, Ohio, Dec. 6, 2024.
Phil Long/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Q&A Teen Sleep Problems Are Hurting Academics and Wellness
A new study says teens are sleeping at a record low rate, affecting cognitive ability and health.
Jennifer Vilcarino, May 19, 2026
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5 min read
Mon., May 11, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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Image of a student using their phone in bed at night.
Getty
Classroom Technology This School District Wants Students to Turn Off Their Phones and Sleep
Parents and students are learning about the importance of device-free bedrooms.
Alyson Klein, May 5, 2026
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6 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Video Female Athletes' Physical and Mental Struggle to Recover From Torn ACLs
For many female athletes who tear their anterior cruciate ligaments, the arduous hours spent recovering through physical therapy are only part of the battle.
Kaylee Domzalski & Yi-Jo Shen, April 28, 2026
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1 min read
Plano East varsity soccer player Aliya Jacob's knee brace, left, is visible as she attacks Rock Hill's Adalina Flores during a soccer game, Jan. 30, 2026, in Murphy, Texas.
Plano East varsity soccer player Aliya Jacob's knee brace, left, is visible as she attacks Rock Hill's Adalina Flores during a soccer game, on Jan. 30, 2026, in Murphy, Texas. Experts explain why female student-athletes are more prone to injuring their ACLs and the consequences.
Julio Cortez/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement For Young Female Athletes, the Damage From ACL Tears Goes Well Beyond the Physical
Teenage girls are more prone to ACL tears, and the injuries can upend their mental health and academic achievement.
Jennifer Vilcarino, April 28, 2026
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7 min read
A Mansfield Senior High School student rests during his health class on sleep, in Mansfield, Ohio, Dec. 6, 2024.
A high school student rests during a health class about sleep habits in Mansfield, Ohio, on Dec. 6, 2024. Researchers found that the number of teens getting insufficient sleep, defined as seven hours or less a night, rose from 69% in 2007 to 78% in 2023.
Phil Long/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Teens Are Sleeping Less. Why Schools Should Be Worried
Lack of sleep is directly tied to lower academic performance.
Arianna Prothero, March 17, 2026
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4 min read
The Fifth Ward Elementary School and residential neighborhoods sit near the Denka Performance Elastomer Plant, back, in Reserve, La., Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. Less than a half mile away from the elementary school, the plant makes synthetic rubber, emitting chloroprene, listed as a carcinogen in California, and a likely one by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Fifth Ward Elementary School and nearby residential neighborhoods in Reserve, La., pictured here on Sept. 23, 2022, sit near a synthetic rubber plant that has emitted chloroprene, which California lists as a carcinogen. New research finds thousands of schools are located within a quarter mile of such environmental hazard sites.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Millions of Students Attend Schools Near Toxic Sites, a New Study Shows
The study explores schools' proximity to hazardous sites and students' exposure to pollutants.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 25, 2026
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4 min read
Anna Hicks prepares a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine at the Andrews County Health Department on April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. Measles is highly infectious and even some vaccinated teachers have reportedly been infected.
Anna Hicks prepares a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine at the Andrews County Health Department on April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. Measles is highly contagious and even some vaccinated teachers have reportedly caught the infection.
Annie Rice/AP
Teaching Profession Measles Cases Are Rising. How Educators Can Protect Themselves
As some common childhood illnesses make a comeback in schools, here's what educators need to know.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 13, 2026
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3 min read