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Despite extensive debate on the effects of COVID-19 mitigation measures in school settings, little evidence exists on trends in school childrens mental health over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this paper was to identify factors affecting parent reports of school childrens mental health during COVID-19 Omicron variant outbreak in a cohort of high-risk, socially vulnerable children attending public elementary schools. We analyzed four waves of cross-sectional, online-administered surveys completed by parents of children attending public elementary schools in San Diego between November 2021 and March of 2022. Children (n = 684) ranged in age from 2-17 years. We used multilevel linear mixed effects models to assess determinants of parent-reported child mental health status. The outcome was child mental health, as reported by the parent. Parents consistently rated their childrens mental health as very good, though parents who experienced recent COVID-related challenges and who had older children reported lower levels of mental health in their children. Childrens mental health was generally considered to be very good, as judged by their parents during a period of constant in-school masking and the Omicron variant outbreak. Structural support mechanisms aimed at mitigating COVID-related challenges for adults may offer benefit to childrens mental health.

Sustained functionality of rural water systems is a global challenge. Research on factors contributing to rural water system functionality is largely restricted to hand pumps from single geographies. We analyzed monitoring data from 10 drinking water supply programs in nine sub‐Saharan African and South Asian countries collected between 2017 and 2020. Data included 1,805 randomly selected water points (tap stands, spring protections, rainwater collection, and boreholes and hand‐dug wells with hand pumps) from two cross‐sectional samples: older construction (1–12 years old) and new construction (<1 year). Data collection included observations of water point functionality ("water available") and management committee questionnaires. Overall, 79% of older construction and 92% of new construction water points were functional. In a mixed effects logistic regression to identify factors contributing to functionality within the older construction sample, piped water tap stands had lower odds of functioning than boreholes with hand pumps (OR = 0.26, 95% CI:0.15–0.46). Water points in communities with fewer available water points, those with operational water management committees (which meet often, collect fees, and can name someone for maintenance), and those with financial savings were associated with higher functionality. As piped water system provision increases in line with international development goals, our results suggest that the benefits of providing higher levels of water service should be carefully considered alongside the technological, institutional, and financial investment required to operate and maintain more complex piped water systems in rural settings. Key Points: We analyzed monitoring data from 1,258 donor‐funded rural water points an average of 3.5 years old, and found 79% were functionalPiped water tap stands were least likely to be functional and boreholes with hand pumps were most likelyAs rural piped system prevalence increases, the requirements to maintain more complex infrastructure should be considered alongside benefits [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]