School safety: It’s time to hold CMS superintendent and board accountable

Welcome to NC Voices, where leaders, readers and experts from across North Carolina can speak on issues affecting our communities. Send submissions of 300 words or fewer to opinion@charlotteobserver.com.

Hold CMS leaders accountable

One of the top priorities of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools should be the safety of all students. The facts support the contrary.

The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners has asked the school system questions regarding safety but doesn’t seem to get answers. For example, how is it that administrators in CMS who have disregarded the Title IX law by ignoring or dismissing complaints of sexual abuse at Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, are not fired and prosecuted? Without repercussions, they are placed in other positions in CMS.

Also, how is it that CMS purchased a security system that never worked, yet they haven’t been reimbursed for this huge expense?

CMS is funded with our tax dollars and the superintendent and board members need to be held to account.

Ellen Martin, Charlotte

How to help homeless children

Regarding “Four takeaways from Mecklenburg plan to reduce homelessness,” (Dec. 16):

Under the leadership of Gene Woods and Cathy Bessant an exciting new Mecklenburg initiative will seek to reduce homelessness by increasing affordable housing.

A critically important priority for immediate progress is a reduction in the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that result from housing insecurity, especially homelessness. ACEs in these children often lead to their homelessness as adults.

Many studies confirm the existence of an “ACEs Pyramid” for homeless children, resulting in social, emotional and cognitive impairments, chronic illness, high-risk behaviors, impaired neurodevelopment, major disabilities, early death, and an inter-generational pattern.

As a pediatrician, I witnessed the devastating effects of prolonged toxic stress, especially if experienced in early childhood. It is important to point out that significant progress has been made in other communities, such as the work by Nadine Burke Harris, a pediatrician and founder for the Center for Youth Wellness in San Francisco. Or, the 2015 study by Washington State and the CDC that linked housing insecurity to adverse health outcomes and unhealthy behaviors.

It’s encouraging to see that several cities, including Charlotte, have endorsed resiliency training for young children in order to overcome the effects of ACEs.

Dr. Michael Norman, Charlotte

Latinx kids need better healthcare

The writer is a pediatrician and primary care research fellow at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Latinx children are the fastest growing segment of North Carolina’s child population, but more than three times as likely to be uninsured compared to non-Latinx kids. Approximately 11% of the N.C. population is Latinx, and almost 40% are children and teens. This leads to a large proportion of our children who aren’t getting the care they need, a trend that’s worsening.

One solution we can support is a statewide outreach campaign in English and Spanish to increase Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment of eligible children. By creating partnerships with schools, federally qualified health clinics and community organizations, we can reach families to increase enrollment.

We can also make current policies more inclusive. Oregon’s Cover All Kids program, which expanded Medicaid to undocumented children, could be implemented here. In Oregon, it decreased avoidable emergency room visits and increased teen vaccination rates. We can also implement Express Lane Eligibility, which simplifies the eligibility process for Medicaid and CHIP.

When discussing Medicaid expansion we must remember it’s not just adults who benefit. We can do better to cover our children. Those of us in leadership positions can engage with community organizations to advocate for enrollment opportunities in a culturally and linguistically focused way.

If we work together toward inclusive policies, North Carolina can become a state known for its dedication to our children’s well-being.

Dr. Brittany Raffa