Mississippi editorial roundup

Recent editorials from Mississippi newspapers:

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Nov. 21

The Greenwood Commonwealth on a chickenpox outbreak:

If there is one place in America that is serious about its spirituality, it must be Buncombe County, North Carolina, where the families of 5.7 percent of kindergarten students have claimed a religious exemption to avoid vaccinating their children against serious diseases.

The county in the hills of western North Carolina is now paying a modest price for this public health skepticism: The Washington Post reports that chickenpox is spreading at a private elementary school in Asheville, where at least 36 children have been treated for the itchy condition.

The school has North Carolina's third-highest rate of vaccine religious exemptions, and 110 of its 152 students have not received the chickenpox vaccine. If that figure is accurate, there are a whole lot more than 36 children who are about to be introduced to the joys of the potentially fatal infection.

The outbreak is North Carolina's largest since the chickenpox vaccine became available in the 1990s. This does not make it a public health crisis on the order of a measles or polio breakout, but it does show the risk of philosophically opposing all vaccines.

One Asheville resident told the local news that she didn't think chickenpox was a big deal. That mind-set is typical when it comes to diseases that have been controlled for a long time.

For the vast majority of people who got chickenpox, usually as children, it was nothing more than a weeklong irritant. The disease introduced many a child to the wonders of Caladryl, a pink lotion that soothed the relentless itching caused by numerous chickenpox blisters.

But the disease is more than an irritant. Before the vaccine's development, there were 4 million cases of chickenpox each year in America, and they resulted in about 10,000 hospitalizations and 100 to 150 deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that the vaccine has not eradicated the virus that causes chickenpox. But the vaccine has reduced the number of cases and their severity. A 14-year-long study said chickenpox infections have declined by about 90 percent. It is a medical success story, one that ought to one day reduce the number of adult shingles cases, since the same virus causes both conditions.

Mississippi, with one of the nation's highest vaccination rates, remains one of the few states in America that does not have what amounts to conscientious-objector status about vaccines. The shots are not required by law, but parents who don't want their kids to get them have little alternative besides home schooling.

The state Legislature regularly considers allowing vaccine exemptions for other than medical reasons. Families lobbying for a choice have compelling stories to tell, on the basis of individual liberty and of fears that vaccines are linked to conditions such as autism.

Some of these parents' questions and concerns are legitimate. They should not be dismissed as silly or uninformed. The fact is that many parents who oppose vaccinations are very well-informed about the subject.

But the chickenpox outbreak in North Carolina — at a school where two-thirds of the children did not get a vaccine — should encourage Mississippi lawmakers to stand their ground.

Anti-vaccine parents most likely buckle the seat belts of their children, or make them wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. Yet they are willing to expose their children — not to mention other children who may be unable to be vaccinated because of compromised immune systems — to diseases that have killed millions?

These parents do have the right to reject protection for their children, but the risk is obvious not just to their families but to others.

Online: http://www.gwcommonwealth.com/

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Nov. 20

The Daily Leader of Brookhaven on Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving is about giving thanks. The name of the holiday makes that obvious. But it is easy to skip over the "thanks" and the "giving" and head straight for the turkey and dressing.

Food is a big part of this holiday. Its roots are tied to a harvest feast early Americans celebrated after surviving a brutal, deadly winter the year before. So by all means, dig into the turkey and dressing. But don't forget the most important pieces of this holiday.

We all have much to be thankful for. America is one of the richest countries in the world, and while there is plenty of poverty here there is also plenty of opportunity. Across the globe, the median annual household income is about $10,000. So, comparatively speaking, Americans are pretty well off.

For that we should be thankful.

But that doesn't mean there isn't hunger here. Nationwide, about 14 percent of Americans live in poverty. What we define as poverty looks different around the world. There are millions of people worldwide who would love to live in American poverty.

In Lincoln County, about 20 percent of the population lives in poverty. There will be Lincoln Countians who do not sit down to a Thanksgiving feast this week. There will be parents who go without so their children can eat. There will be some who have no home and certainly do not have enough food.

It's those people who need to experience the "giving" side of the holiday. ...

When you sit down to a spread fit for a king, be thankful and find a way to give to those who aren't as fortunate.

Online: https://www.dailyleader.com/

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Nov. 20

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal on a way to teacher shortages:

Mississippi needs more teachers.

It's not a new problem, and neither are the attempted solutions. Programs like Teach for America, alternate route certification, and the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program at the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University all aim to attract more people with a diversity of skill sets and experiences into the field of education.

Following along those lines is a new approach from the Mississippi Department of Education, which recently announced a $4.1-million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to fund the Mississippi Teacher Residency program, as reported by the Daily Journal's Dillon Mullan. The residency will pay the undergraduate tuition for 35 members of Americorps, a national network of community service. The participants will be placed in the classroom of a highly skilled or National Board Certified Teacher mentor for two years. They will then be required to teach in a Mississippi public school district for three years.

The program is an encouraging one with the potential to attract bright individuals from across the country to help in Mississippi's classrooms. And while many of those teachers likely won't remain long term, they will undoubtedly boost the state's educational system.

The reality, though, is that the best way for many districts to address their teacher shortages is through homegrown approaches. That means identifying students with the potential to become great educators and encouraging them to enter the field. It means recognizing those individuals at an early age and making them aware of their potential at a time when they're beginning to chart their futures. It means explaining to them the intrinsic benefits of being an educator and the impact they could make on the future of their state.

That's what an innovative program at Tupelo High School aims to do.

Last Thursday, 47 members of the school's Future Educators of America club spent the day shadowing a teacher at one of the district's schools. They worked on art projects, taught math problems and helped students prepare for tests. Mostly, they got a feel for what it is like to teach.

For some of those students, the day spent in the classroom was merely a way to confirm something they had long considered. For others, it planted a seed.

"I was skeptical about teaching," said Tupelo High student Kyion White. ". Shadowing a classroom did a great job of opening my mind to teaching."

The best place for districts to find talented future educators with a vested interest in their communities is right in their own backyards. And the more they can find ways to tap into that pool, the better the state's future will be.

Online: http://www.djournal.com/