How the EPA’s Deregulation Could Worsen Chronic Absenteeism
April 17, 2019
By: Kunal Sindhu
Source: Education Week
Before becoming a physician, I worked as a middle school science teacher in Newark, N.J. My students were constantly forced to navigate immense social challenges, including poverty and violence. However, I often found that the biggest threat to their educational success, especially those with asthma, was their inability to regularly attend school. After all, how could I teach my students if they weren’t in school to begin with?
This spring, after some delay, the Environmental Protection Agency may unravel regulations on existing coal power plants, which has potential consequences for the environment and for human health. The connection to education, though, may not be obvious to everyone. When I think about the likely negative health effects of the rule change, one former science student of mine, who we will call “C,” leaps to mind.