Health

Learn more about how the physical well-being of students and staff impact schools
Senior Joaquin Garcia takes a drink of water on the sideline during a morning football practice at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2025.
Senior Joaquin Garcia takes a drink of water on the sideline during a morning football practice at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2025.
Noah Devereaux for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Heat Illness Is Preventable Even on a Budget, Experts Say
Building awareness of risk is a critically important strategy for under-resourced school districts.
Jennifer Vilcarino, September 5, 2025
5 min read
Football players gather around a coach during practice at Heard County High School in Franklin, Ga., on Aug. 27, 2025.
Football players gather around a coach during practice at Heard County High School in Franklin, Ga., on Aug. 27, 2025.
Lynsey Weatherspoon for Education Week
School Climate & Safety ‘We Can Save Other Athletes’: How One State Is Fighting Heat-Related Deaths
The state has encouraged schools to modify their practices and monitoring during tough conditions.
Jennifer Vilcarino, September 5, 2025
5 min read
Anna Hicks prepares a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the Andrews County Health Department, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas.
Florida's governor and surgeon general have announced plans to end the state's vaccine mandates. In this photo, a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is prepared at the Andrews County Health Department in Andrews, Texas, on April 8, 2025.
Annie Rice/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Florida Moves to End School Vaccine Mandates. Will Other States Follow?
Florida state leaders announced plans to get rid of all vaccine mandates, including for schools, making it the first state to do so.
Arianna Prothero, September 3, 2025
5 min read
Photo of children’s shadows on pavement.
iStock
School & District Management Is Missing 3 Weeks of School a Problem? A Quarter of Students Say No
District leaders say cutting absences is among their most pressing challenges. Many students don't think it's such a big deal.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 20, 2025
4 min read
The ChatGPT app icon is seen on a smartphone screen on Aug. 4, 2025, in Chicago.
The ChatGPT app icon is seen on a smartphone screen on Aug. 4, 2025, in Chicago. A new study found that ChatGPT can encourage vulnerable teenagers to engage in potentially harmful acts or behavior.
Kiichiro Sato/AP
Artificial Intelligence Researchers Posed as a Teen in Crisis. AI Gave Them Harmful Advice Half the Time
ChatGPT prompted teens to harmful acts, a study reveals.
Jennifer Vilcarino, August 18, 2025
6 min read
Tight cropped illustration of a nurse or doctor in blue scrubs and wearing a stethoscope around their neck. In the upper right corner of the image there is a Caucasian hand being held by a Black nurse's hand. The nurse is wearing a light blue medical glove.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement The Health Trends Schools Should Be Watching This Year
Poor health leads students to miss school. But there are strategies schools can adopt to keep kids healthy.
Arianna Prothero, August 12, 2025
2 min read
Chanel Ferran Gutierrez, a 10th grade student at Newcomer Academy, prepares to be vaccinated during a pop-up immunization clinic in the school's library in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 8, 2024.
Chanel Ferran Gutierrez, a 10th grade student at Newcomer Academy, prepares to be vaccinated during a pop-up immunization clinic in the school's library in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 8, 2024. Sagging student vaccination rates and the highest volume of measles cases in years have prompted fears of outbreaks once students are back in school.
Mary Conlon/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Childhood Vaccinations Are Down. Schools Are Bracing for Outbreaks
But local efforts can put communities in a stronger position to respond to them, a school health expert says.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 11, 2025
4 min read
Third graders Elizabeth Porter, left, and Tilia Thomsen take turns counting sit up reps during P.E. class at Vergennes Union Elementary School in Vergennes, Vt., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Third graders Elizabeth Porter, left, and Tilia Thomsen take turns counting sit up reps during P.E. class at Vergennes Union Elementary School in Vergennes, Vt., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Trauma or Motivation? Educators Reflect on the Presidential Fitness Test's Return
The return of the Presidential Fitness Test sparks memories of shame, fun, and the thrill of victory for educators who did it as children.
Evie Blad, August 7, 2025
2 min read
President Donald Trump hands a pen to professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau after Trump signed an executive order restarting the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools as Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, from left, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Vice President JD Vance watch, July 31, 2025, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington.
President Donald Trump hands a pen to professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau after Trump signed an executive order restarting the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools as Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Vice President JD Vance watch on July 31, 2025, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Federal Trump Revives the Presidential Fitness Test. Will It Look the Same?
A new generation of students could be tested on how fast they run the mile and how many pushups they can do.
Brooke Schultz, August 7, 2025
6 min read
Angela Hayes, a nurse practitioner with Jefferson County Public Schools, prepares vaccines for students at Newcomer Academy in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 8, 2024.
Angela Hayes, a nurse practitioner with the Jefferson County public schools, prepares vaccines for students at Newcomer Academy in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 8, 2024.
Mary Conlon/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Why RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Views Matter for Schools
This year could bring significant changes to how school-age kids are protected from many viruses.
Arianna Prothero, July 15, 2025
7 min read
Photo of teen girl using cellphone.
Georgijevic / E+
Student Well-Being & Movement The Online Behaviors Most Harmful to Kids’ Mental Health, According to a New Survey
A new survey asked 11- to 13-year-olds how they felt when they engaged in certain behaviors online.
5 min read
President Donald Trump signs his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House on July 4, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House on July 4, 2025, in Washington. The bill cuts federal spending for Medicaid and food stamps—cuts that stand to affect students and trickle down to schools.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal How Medicaid, SNAP Changes in Trump's Big Budget Bill Could Affect Schools
The bill will stress a major funding stream schools rely on, leading to ripple effects that make it harder for schools to offer free meals.
Brooke Schultz, July 9, 2025
6 min read
Academic boost sleep circadian start time 1705611814 01
Yutthana Gaetgeaw/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Explainer School Start Times and Student Sleep, Explained
Pediatricians want school to start later so older students can get more sleep. Districts say that's easier said than done.
Evie Blad, June 23, 2025
5 min read
Elsa Estrada, 6, smiles at her mother as pharmacist Sylvia Uong applies an alcohol swab to her arm before administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a pediatric vaccine clinic for children ages 5 to 11 set up at Willard Intermediate School in Santa Ana, Calif., Nov. 9, 2021.
Elsa Estrada, 6, smiles at her mother as pharmacist Sylvia Uong applies an alcohol swab to her arm before administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a pediatric vaccine clinic in Santa Ana, Calif., on Nov. 9, 2021. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is no longer recommending annual COVID shots for healthy children.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement What RFK Jr.'s New COVID Shot Recommendations Could Mean for Students
The health and human services secretary said that annual COVID shots are no longer recommended for healthy children.
5 min read