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BACKGROUND: The COVID‐19 pandemic disrupted routine school operations, including school health programs. This study aims to describe the pandemic's impact on school health service delivery from the perspective of Maryland school health partners. METHODS: We conducted semi‐structured interviews with health service representatives from public schools (K‐12) between July and December 2021. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded through an iterative process to develop analytic themes. RESULTS: Twenty school health partners from 15 Maryland school districts participated. Participants identified key impacts of COVID‐19 on school health: (1) COVID‐19 disrupted delivery of services such as dental, mental health, and preventative care, (2) COVID‐19 necessitated changes in service delivery platforms, (3) COVID‐19 affected school health staff through increased responsibilities and staffing shortages, and (4) COVID‐19 prompted schools to become hubs for community outreach and health education. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: Consideration of school health service disruptions and the increased demands on service providers may inform future priorities for school administrators, health departments, and policymakers. CONCLUSIONS: COVID‐19 impacted the timing and method of service delivery as well as the roles of school health staff and schools themselves in public health and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only led to massive global mortality and morbidity, but it has also fueled an infodemic of false and misleading information about COVID-19 and vaccines. The spread of misinformation and disinformation on vaccine safety and efficacy has contributed to vaccine hesitancy and distrust of public health institutions and has undermined the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because communication plays a monumental role in pandemic preparedness, a promising approach to countering the COVID-19 infodemic is empowering peers to serve as trusted messengers to provide accurate information using evidence-based communication approaches. With this in mind, we developed a massive open online course (MOOC) to provide the general public with the knowledge, skills, and resources to effectively navigate potentially contentious vaccine conversations with their peers, with a specific focus on parents. Within the first year of the course launch, 29,000 people had enrolled. Learners appreciated the information related to vaccine development, communication tips and techniques, and identifying and responding to vaccine misinformation. Over 1,000 learners who completed the course participated in an online evaluation survey. To address public distrust in healthcare providers, government, and science, our survey results indicate that peer-to-peer approaches to addressing vaccine hesitancy can empower community members to educate others and promote vaccine acceptance at scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The academic, socioemotional, and health impacts of school policies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have been a source of many questions that require accurate information about the extent of onsite schooling occurring. This article investigates school operational status datasets during the pandemic, comparing (1) self-report data collected nationally on the household level through a Facebook-based survey, (2) county-level school policy data, and (3) a school-level closure status dataset based on phone GPS tracking. The percentage of any onsite instruction within states and counties are compared across datasets from December 2020 to May 2021. Sources were relatively consistent at the state level and for large counties, but key differences were revealed between units of measurement, showing differences between policy and household decisions surrounding children's schooling experiences. The consistency levels across sources support the usage of each of the school policy sources to answer questions about the educational experiences, factors, and impacts related to K-12 education across the nation during the pandemic, but it remains vital to think critically as to which unit of measurement is most relevant to targeted research questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 2020–21 academic year, COVID-19-related educational disruptions impacted school-based vision screenings. However, limited information regarding changes in vision screening and the number of students impacted has been reported. Delayed screenings can negatively impact students' referral to eye care providers, which may affect a child's ability to see clearly and academic success. This study aims to describe changes in school-based vision screening practices through a survey of National Association of School Nurses state representatives (n = 49). Among states with vision screenings mandates, participants reported that 23.7% (9/38) states waived screenings, 31.6% (12/38) continued screenings, and 36.8% (14/38) modified requirements, such as grades screened or assessments included (e.g., color vision and stereoacuity screenings). These results suggest that millions of students across the United States missed vision screenings during the 2020–21 academic year. Efforts by education and school health stakeholders should be directed towards addressing the pandemic-related disruption in vision screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pediatric vision screening detects children at risk for visual conditions with the goal of connecting those in need with an eye care provider for evaluation and treatment. The primary aim for vision screening in younger children is the detection of those at risk for amblyopia, which can result in irreversible vision loss if left untreated. In older children, screening goals broaden to include the detection of risk for uncorrected refractive error. In the United States, professional organization guidelines and state-mandated requirements for vision screening vary widely across both the timing and components of screening. In this article, we describe the goals and components of pediatric vision screenings, current challenges, novel approaches to providing follow-up services through school-based vision programs, and future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 posed a challenging situation for all educational programs. This perspective provides an insight into what three instructors in a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program in the United States did to overcome these challenges and provide quality education to the students. In addition, strategies are provided on how to conduct lectures, laboratories, and clinical competencies and practicums across eight courses. Technologies utilized in the delivery of these courses are provided with an emphasis on what worked best for different classes. Feedback from the students validated that the educational format used was beneficial to them in furthering their knowledge. The insights gained from this experience have helped the instructors to improve their knowledge of technology, increase their flexibility, and design their courses in innovative ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of Just-In-Time Training (JITT) is to provide critical information specific to a public health crisis, allowing individuals to understand and respond to an urgent situation. The design of the JITT curriculum appropriate for school-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic is vital, as every individual has a role to play in mitigating the spread of SARS-CoV-2. When working with various communities, considering culture and religion is essential, as aligning values and beliefs with the JITT curriculum's objectives may significantly change the community's behavior toward a public health crisis. In this narrative, we describe how a JITT curriculum for the COVID-19 pandemic, created in Maryland, US, and implemented in a Catholic school system, aligned with core Catholic social teachings. This alignment allowed for implementing and delivering the COVID-19 curriculum in Maryland's Archdiocese Catholic school system, culminating in a medical-religious partnership that serves as a model for future public health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses school-based health centers (SBHCs) have become one important solution for increasing access to care for children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the United States. Topics include the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the necessity for SBHCs to consider strategies on how to ensure parental knowledge; and the national discussion is focused on how schools has operated during the pandemic.

Understanding provider perspectives on telemedicine adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic can help inform best practices for delivering pediatric ophthalmic care safely and remotely. In this online survey distributed to two national pediatric ophthalmology list-servs, respondents in July-August 2020 (n = 104) compared with respondents in March-April 2020 (n = 171) were more likely to report not using and not planning on using telemedicine. The July-August respondents who did not use telemedicine were concerned about the limitations in care provided, challenges with implementation, and perceived negative effects on the doctor-patient relationship. These findings demonstrate a lack of sustained uptake of telemedicine in the first 6 months of the pandemic and concerns that should be addressed to facilitate integration of this approach in pediatric ophthalmic care.▪ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]