Health

Learn more about how the physical well-being of students and staff impact schools
Carroll
The Quantum Frederick Data Center Campus near the Carroll Manor Elementary School.
Map data ©2026 Google, Imagery ©2026
School Climate & Safety 4 Ways AI Data Centers Can Affect Schools
From health to productivity and finances, data centers could pose risks for students and schools.
Jennifer Vilcarino, October 8, 2026
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3 min read
Mansfield Senior High School teacher Tony Davis talks to his health class about the topic of sleep as freshman Zariyah Gregg, 14, snoozes, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Mansfield, Ohio.
Mansfield Senior High School teacher Tony Davis talks to his health class about the topic of sleep as freshman Zariyah Gregg, 14, snoozes, on Dec. 6, 2024, in Mansfield, Ohio. CDC 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey report focuses on five areas — diet, physical activity, sleep, digital behavior, and mental health and suicide risk — while largely leaving out national findings on substance use, sexual behavior, violence and disparities among student groups that were prominent in previous reports.<br/>
Phil Long/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement CDC's Latest Youth Behavior Report Offers a Narrower Look at Teen Health
The new report leaves out national findings on substance use, sexual behavior, violence, and disparities.
Amanda Watford, Stateline, September 30, 2026
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6 min read
Many Philadelphia schools lack adequate electrical service to support effective whole-school air conditioning on Sept. 8, 2023. Bayard Taylor, in Hunting Park , has window units but they do not cool the whole building.
Window air conditioning units at Bayard Taylor School in Philadelpia, pictured here on Sept. 8, 2023, do not cool the whole building. High classroom temperatures can make it harder for students to learn and perform well on tests, a new report outlines.
Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via TNS
School Climate & Safety How Extreme Weather Threatens Student Learning and Academic Progress
Too-hot classrooms put the brain in "survival management mode," one expert said.
Sarah Schwartz, September 28, 2026
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5 min read
DataCenter004
A data center is proposed to be built on a small piece of land about 500 feet near the Carroll Manor Elementary School in Adamstown, Md., pictured on Sept. 10, 2026. The black flags serve as an area marker for where the data center will be built.
Marvin Joseph/Education Week
School Climate & Safety What Happens When a Data Center Is Built Near a School?
In Frederick County, Maryland, the school board was challenging the construction of a data center that would sit only a few feet away from an elementary school.
Jennifer Vilcarino, September 10, 2026
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4 min read
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Student Well-Being & Movement Sponsor Teachers Are on the Front Line of Youth Nicotine Addiction. Here’s How They Can Help.
Schools can help combat youth nicotine addiction with prevention education, compassionate support, and evidence-based quitting resources.
Content provided by Truth Initiative
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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School Climate & Safety Webinar Cardiac Emergency Response Plans: What Schools Need Now
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen at school. Learn why CERPs matter, what’srequired, and how districts can prepare to save lives.
Content provided by American Heart Association
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Image of a student using their phone in bed at night.
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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