This and That

 EdWeek has a funny article, 10 Buzzwords Educators Never Want to Hear Again. They are - in no particular order:

• rigor
• fidelity
• pivot
• self-care
• grit
• unpack
• learning loss
• differentiation
• kiddos
• accountability (for teacher, of course)

The word cloud at the end of the article with many other answers includes inclusion, best practice, data-driven and equity. 

For me, I don't know where "kiddos" comes from but I loathe it. 

Oh look, most parents DO like public schools.  From AlterNet:

Who would have imagined that after the past two tumultuous years, when so much was written and said about how the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had convinced American parents that public schools were “failing” institutions, that as the 2022-2023 school year begins, “Americans’ ratings of their community’s public schools reached a new high dating back 48 years.” That’s the stunning finding in the highly respected annual survey conducted by PDK.

Florida is asking health questions of female student athletes via digital platform, why this matters via Fortune:

Before they’re allowed to take the field, female student athletes in Florida are asked about their menstrual history—and as that data increasingly moves to digital platforms, parents and doctors are expressing some grave concerns about the practice.

Asking questions such as when the student got their first period and when they had their last one isn’t anything new in Florida. It’s been an ongoing question for two decades, and it is optional.

Historically, that has been done on paper forms. This fall, however, Palm Beach County will switch to a digital platform that’s held by a third party called Aktivate. And in the post–Roe v. Wade world, that has many people concerned.

“I don’t see why (school districts) need that access to that type of information,” said Dr. Michael Haller, a pediatric endocrinologist based in Gainesville told the Palm Beach Post. “It sure as hell will give me pause to fill it out with my kid.”

In the past, pediatricians who work with the Palm Beach school district say, the final page in the three-page physical evaluation form was the most important. That’s where the doctor signs off on whether the athlete is cleared to participate (and lists any precautions or limitations). Those doctors say that’s the only page that should be shared with the district. And that’s the way it is in other states, but in Florida, all of the medical data is turned over to the school.

Can your student use the bathroom at school on demand? More teachers are saying no, according to Insider.

"One of my child's teachers set a similar policy — not more than three bathroom breaks per nine weeks," Leanne White Lewis, a parent from Pennsylvania, said. "But the policy in one of my kids' classrooms had an additional incentive for not using the bathroom at all: Kids who didn't leave class to use the bathroom all year were exempt from taking the final exam." 

Lewis went on to say she understood why the policy was in place but also called it detrimental to kids, both physically and mentally. "I can kind of see both sides," she said. "The administration feels it's the only solution to stop the fights and vandalism. They just aren't looking at the other side. It's so harmful to the kids, there has to be a course of action."

There have been several recent news stories about kids trying to do some TikTok challenge and wrecking their school bathroom. 

I would say that, especially for the girls, that's pretty inhumane to do limit bathroom use. If you have not been a middle-school girl when you are first getting periods, then you have no idea of the fear of getting to a bathroom in time. 

If schools are having this much trouble, install cameras outside the bathrooms. I'd bet you'd find out fairly quickly who is misusing a bathroom. Or teachers could use a timer and say, "Be back in 8 minutes." 

"Children's needs derive from the biology of their bodies. They need to know their feelings are heard and that adults are trustworthy, and that they won't suffer the humiliation of an accident because they were denied the bathroom. Knowing these things yields a sense of emotional safety," Zeedyk said.

"Limiting bathroom use in school is contrary to keeping kids physically and mentally healthy," Leila D., a registered nurse from Texas with six years of experience working in schools, said. She explained that not using the restroom when you have to "can lead to medical issues, including weakened bladder muscles, constipation, urinary-tract infections, and even more severe issues such as megacolon."