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IN THIS ISSUE:

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Three Ways States Expanded Prison Education Opportunities in 2024

Michigan Local Government and Law Enforcement Leaders’ Initial Opinions of Michigan’s New "Red Flag" Law


EDUCATION

How States Are Expanding Quality Summer Learning Opportunities

What We Can Learn From Families of Children With Disabilities About Inclusive Family, School, and Community Engagement

Prevalence and Patterns of Social Media Use in Early Adolescents


GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Progress on Priority Recommendations for Red Tide

Cybersecurity Workforce: Departments Need to Fully Implement Key Practices

From Water Supply Crises to Building Urban Water Security


HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES

National One Health Framework to Address Zoonotic Diseases and Advance Public Health Preparedness in the United States

FDA Issues Final Guidance for Industry on Action Levels for Lead in Processed Food Intended for Babies and Young Children



January 24, 2025

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

At least 95% of people who are incarcerated will eventually be released. Many will leave custody without access to postsecondary education and training that could help them successfully transition back into their communities. However, in 2024 there was a flurry of legislative activity to support postsecondary education and training for people who are incarcerated with over 100 bills in 33 states related to education access for people who are incarcerated introduced. Several states enacted legislation this year that seek to expand access to education opportunities to students in carceral settings. For example, Connecticut’s H.B. 5523 requires the office of policy and management to perform needs assessments of facilities, materials and staffing required to deliver postsecondary education programs in correctional facilities. The assessment must include: (1) feedback from higher education providers; (2) an analysis of the department of correction’s policies; (3) an estimate of the level of unmet education demand; (4) an inventory of facilities’ learning spaces, staffing, and materials and technology; (5) a cost analysis of supports needed to meet unmet demand; and (6) a survey of current and former students. Utah’s H.B. 248 makes substantive changes related to postsecondary education in correctional facilities. These included that the Utah Higher Education and Corrections Council facilitates postsecondary education for people in county jails in addition to state correctional facilities, degree-granting providers in correctional facilities are to provide academic and career advising similar to services provided to students who are not incarcerated, higher education institutions are to consider people who are incarcerated state residents for tuition purposes, and case managers are to ensure that necessary personal assessments are completed, referrals to student advisors are made, and that interests, aptitudes and student advisement are incorporated into education plans.

Source: Education Commission of the States

In February of 2024, Michigan enacted the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act — sometimes referred to as a red flag law. This new law authorizes the application of Extreme Risk Protection Orders, or ERPOs, which temporarily prohibit individuals judged to be at high risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing or possessing firearms. As specified in the new law, a petition for an ERPO can be filed with the court by several different categories of people, including family members, mental health professionals, and law enforcement officers. The firearm owner has the right to contest the ERPO in court. This report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders, county sheriffs, local chiefs of police, and county prosecutors regarding Michigan’s ERPO law, including confidence in training on proper ERPO implementation, in officer safety, and in ERPOs’ ability to reduce gun violence, as well as reports on which agencies are developing formal ERPO protocols. As of spring 2024, local government leaders’ familiarity with the new legislation was relatively low, with a bare majority of 53% saying they are somewhat (41%) or very (12%) familiar with it. Meanwhile, 25% are mostly unfamiliar, and 18% are completely unfamiliar with the state’s new red flag law. Few local government leaders (29%), sheriffs and police chiefs (26%), or county prosecutors (21%) were confident that local non-law enforcement petitioners (e.g., mental health professionals or regular citizens) will use the ERPO process correctly. Fewer than half of Michigan local law enforcement agencies have developed a formal protocol that officers use to determine when an ERPO is appropriate, with 39% saying they have developed one they are satisfied with and another 10% with one they feel needs revision. However, larger law enforcement agencies—those with over 41 fulltime personnel—are much more likely to say they have an ERPO protocol they are satisfied with (70%). When asked to describe what additional resources or support would be helpful for implementing the ERPO Act, the most common responses among sheriffs and police chiefs were the need for more training and education and for more clarity on the law.

Source: The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy

EDUCATION

As federal funding for summer learning as a pandemic recovery strategy phases out, state governments face decisions about their future role in supporting students’ access to quality summer learning opportunities. This brief summarizes findings from nine states—Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont—that have adopted different approaches to state-level summer learning investments. The findings highlight the following key strategies: (1) garnering support for investment by articulating clear goals, developing coalitions to generate political will, and identifying sustainable funding sources for summer learning; (2) implementing competitive grant programs that minimize administrative burden for applicants and grantees, allow for implementational flexibility, and are administered in partnership with nongovernmental entities; (3) directing investments toward increasing access for student groups that stand to benefit most from summer learning investments; (4) promoting high-quality implementation either through grant requirements, voluntary quality guidance, and/or technical assistance; and (5) collecting and using data to evaluate quality and improve implementation. When students have access to well-implemented summer learning programs, they have the opportunity to improve academic achievement, socialize with peers and trusted adults, and cultivate their emotional and physical well-being during the summer months. These summer experiences matter for addressing opportunity gaps and achievement gaps that exist between students from families with low incomes and those from families with higher incomes.

Source: Learning Policy Institute

Children with disabilities and their families continue to face substantial barriers to accessing quality and inclusive education within their communities. Significant work remains to ensure that inclusive education serves the needs of the estimated 10% of children with a disability around the world. Families are engaged in their children’ education in a multitude of ways. In the field of family, school, and community engagement, there are six major types of family engagement: 1) caregiving; 2) learning at home; 3) communicating; 4) volunteering time and resources; 5) decision making and leadership; and 6) building community. Families of children with disabilities are involved in all these areas, but the time and energy they spend in areas like caregiving and supporting learning at home is often far greater than other families. Families of children with disabilities also have to frequently communicate with schools in order to ensure that their children have their basic needs. As family members, educators, school leaders, and community organizations, it is important to have dialogues in our communities and schools on how to build stronger partnerships between schools and families of children with disabilities.

Source: Brookings Institute

The research team analyzed the social media use data in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (2019-2021, Year 3), which includes a national sample of early adolescents in the U.S. Specifically, they compared social media use patterns across demographic characteristics stratified by age and sex. In the sample of 10,092 11-to-15-year-old adolescents, 69.5% had at least one social media account; among social media users, the most common platforms were TikTok (67.1%), YouTube (64.7%), and Instagram (66.0%). A majority (63.8%) of participants under 13 years (minimum age requirement) reported social media use. Under-13 social media users had an average of 3.38 social media accounts, with 68.2% having TikTok accounts and 39.0% saying TikTok was the social media site they used the most. Females reported higher use of TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Pinterest, while males reported higher use of YouTube and Reddit. Additionally, 6.3% of participants with social media accounts reported having a secret social media account hidden from their parents’ knowledge. The research team’s findings reveal a high prevalence rate of underage social media use in early adolescence. These findings can inform current policies and legislation aimed at more robust age verification measures, minimum age requirements, and the enhancement of parental controls on social media. Clinicians can counsel about the potential risks of early adolescent social media use.

Source: Academic Pediatrics

GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

The Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force recently released its third consensus document, which outlines significant strides made in addressing the challenges posed by red tide. This milestone report highlights advancements achieved in the focal areas of health, communications, and management and response, with research to advance pertinent knowledge in each area since the publication of its previous recommendations in 2021. Innovative tools such as Imaging FlowCytobots and satellite sensors, combined with expanded sampling efforts, have improved the ability to detect and forecast red tide blooms effectively. In addition, the creation of multilingual educational materials, public awareness campaigns and a video series addressing basic information on red tide, seafood safety during a red tide and navigating key red tide resources were produced. Also, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission funded over 25 projects, including economic and oceanographic forecasting and modeling, shellfish depuration techniques, and advanced modeling to predict bloom dynamics.” Looking ahead, the task force will prioritize expanding research, enhancing monitoring and detection, and fostering partnerships to address harmful algal blooms statewide. Upcoming initiatives include a State of the Science symposium and the development of new diagnostic tools for human and animal health.

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Building and maintaining a cybersecurity workforce is vital to protecting the IT systems that support government operations. But a shortage of skilled workers has made that challenging. The federal Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Workforce Planning Guide outlines a five-step process for workforce planning efforts: (1) setting the strategic direction, (2) conducting workforce analyses, (3) developing workforce action plans, (4) implementing and monitoring workforce planning, and (5) evaluating and revising these efforts. Within the five steps are 15 applicable practices that are central to effectively managing the cybersecurity workforce. Of the 15 applicable practices, the Department of Homeland Security fully implemented 14 of them. However, the other four selected departments (Commerce, Health and Human Services, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs) were not as consistent in their implementation of the practices, with between 1 and 5 practices fully implemented. Of the 15 applicable practices, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security fully implemented 14 of them.

Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Secure, affordable, and equitably delivered high-quality water supplies are central to human health, well-being, and economic development—especially in urban areas. Despite efforts by many policymakers to invest in healthy ecosystems and responsible management practices, a quarter of the world’s 500 largest cities already experience water stress, affecting nearly 400 million people and $4.8 trillion in economic activity. Because of varied combinations of climate change, population growth, overextraction of natural resources, and pollution, cities around the world have had to navigate severe water supply crises. Many cities have been to the brink—they have had to confront near-catastrophic risks to their water supplies. Policymakers face a variety of challenges and constraints when developing plans for urban water security, such as (1) navigating financial, political, environmental, and administrative contexts; (2) accounting for cascading effects and linked systems; and (3) identifying solutions that reinforce collective rights and security rather than entrench hierarchies and barriers. Using interviews with experts and policymakers, and after closely reviewing policy reports and academic analyses, the authors identified five ways cities can act now to build urban water security in the future, including to invest and plan ahead of a crisis; to build capacity to take a systems-level approach; to strengthen collaboration between governments; to embrace innovation; and to build trust and communication. Mobilizing the resources and expertise needed to make these shifts will require strong local leadership, public engagement, and intergovernmental support.

Source: RAND Corporation

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

To meet Congressional directives, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) partnered with other federal agencies beginning in November 2021, to plan the establishment of the United States One Health Coordination Unit. This report about this collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach that seeks to improve the health of humans, animals, and the environment by recognizing their close connections. It provides a framework to navigate health threats shared between people and animals, such as COVID-19, mpox, avian influenza, Ebola and other shared One Health issues. The seven outlined goals are in the following areas: (1) Coordination, Collaboration and Communication; (2) Prevention; (3) Preparedness; (4) Coordinated Outbreak Investigation, Response, and Recovery; (5) Surveillance; (6) Laboratory; and (7) Workforce.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Closer to Zero initiative is a science-based, iterative approach to decreasing toxic elements, including lead, in foods over time, including by setting action levels. Although action levels are levels at which FDA may regard a food as adulterated, this initiative outlines other actions that can be taken to further reduce lead (as well as other toxic elements) in food. Additionally, this document presents the background and rationale for FDA’s action levels for lead in processed food intended for babies and young children. The action levels are part of the efforts to reduce exposure to toxic elements from foods eaten by babies and young children to the lowest possible levels, while maintaining access to nutritious foods. The FDC reports that action levels have been effective tools for encouraging manufacturers to lower the levels of contaminants in their products and are achievable by industry when control measures are taken to minimize the presence of lead. Processed food refers to packaged food (e.g., in jars, pouches, tubs, or boxes) represented or purported to be for babies and young children less than two years old. It may include ready-to-eat foods (e.g., purees) as well as semi-prepared foods (i.e., dry infant cereals). The action levels for processed foods intended for babies and young children are as follows: 10 parts per billion (ppb) for fruits, vegetables (excluding single-ingredient root vegetables), mixtures (including grain- and meat-based mixtures), yogurts, custards/puddings, and single-ingredient meats; 20 ppb for single-ingredient root vegetables; and20 ppb for dry infant cereals. These action levels reflect levels of lead at which FDA may regard the food as adulterated.

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration


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