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Rural Health
News by Topic: Schools

May 16, 2024 - Texas A&M University-Kingsville's Institute for Rural Mental Health Initiatives is providing training to school personnel in rural counties on what signs to look for and how to report a concern with a student's behavior. The initiative will also assist school counselors and teachers in helping students handle grief and loss.
Source: KRIS 6 News
May 13, 2024 - Describes a collaborative program between University of Colorado Boulder researchers and the Cuba, New Mexico Independent School District. Students, teachers, and stakeholders from neighboring rural communities and Navajo Nation chapters participate in an annual six-week summer program. Past sessions have focused on topics such as mental health needs and healthy food access.
Source: University of Colorado Boulder School of Education
Apr 30, 2024 - Summarizes the proceedings of the Alaska Association of Student Government Spring Conference, held in the remote community of Utqiagvik. Highlights student resolutions, including support for Naloxone training and increased mental health resources in rural schools.
Source: The Arctic Sounder
Apr 25, 2024 - Notice of final rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) finalizing long-term school nutrition requirements based on the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, stakeholder input, and lessons learned from prior rulemaking. Among other things, this rule phases in added sugars limits for the school lunch and breakfast programs and in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, implements a single sodium reduction in the school lunch and breakfast programs, and establishes long-term milk and whole grain requirements for school meals. Program operators will not be required to make changes to their menus until school year 2025-2026 at the earliest. This rule is effective July 1, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 19, 2024 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) extending the comment period on the December 29, 2023, interim final rule titled "Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-Congregate Option in the Summer Meal Programs." The interim final rule amends the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program's Seamless Summer Option (SSO) regulations to codify the flexibility for rural program operators to provide non-congregate meal service in the SFSP and SSO. This rule also establishes regulations and codifies a permanent summer electronic benefits transfer for children program (Summer EBT) to ensure continued access to food when school is not in session for the summer. Comments are now due by August 27, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 18, 2024 - Highlights a program in a rural Nebraska school addressing access to food in the community. A partnership between the school and the village offers a non-profit grocery store that is run by the students and managed by the business teacher.
Source: News Channel Nebraska
Apr 11, 2024 - Discusses proposed legislation for a residential high school aiming to address rural healthcare workforce shortages in Alabama. Notes that the school would be the fourth residential school in the state, but the first one in a rural area.
Source: Alabama Daily News
Apr 10, 2024 - Discusses mental healthcare access for children in Michigan schools, noting that workforce shortages most impact rural areas. Discusses funding, recruitment and retention, and training.
Source: The Mining Journal
Apr 10, 2024 - Discusses the need for mental health services in schools and how states around the country have used Medicaid reimbursement to fund those services. Notes recent policy changes that have made this possible and highlights challenges that remain in using Medicaid reimbursement, particularly for rural school districts.
Source: The Commonwealth Fund
Mar 29, 2024 - Announces new provisions giving Head Start programs additional flexibility to serve children in tribal communities and children of farmworkers. Tribally-run Head Start programs can enroll children regardless of family income, and any child who has one or more family member engaged in agricultural employment is now eligible for Head Start.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services