June 27, 2018, Baraboo (WI) News Republic: School nurse: Student health needs growing across Baraboo schools https://www.wiscnews.com/baraboonewsrepublic/news/local/education/school-nurse-student-health-needs-growing-across-baraboo-schools/article_d5eac717-0878-583b-b2af-3be9823dccdd.html Health needs of students in the Baraboo School District are growing, according to medical staff. School nurse Rebecca Christensen delivered a health report to the Baraboo School Board Monday that showed 2,499 of the district’ 3,185 students — about 78 percent — have disclosed health concerns. While the figure includes minor conditions like nearsightedness, 154 students’ families — about 5 percent — reported potentially life-threatening concerns. “Our school district is growing and health needs are increasing,” Christensen said. “If you look at any state or national data trends for health, you’ll see that the health needs of school-aged children are increasing everywhere, and we seem to be right on track with that here at the district with the numbers we’re seeing as well.” Christensen said some challenges facing the school health department include the need for updated facilities and more space to meet the increasing health needs. Christensen said the district also faces challenges meeting the state’s vaccination requirements. The student body vaccination rate was down to 98 percent in 2017-2018 from 99 percent the previous year, according to the health report. Baraboo school leaders asked what the district can do to improve the rate….
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Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
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