TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Despite the raging pandemic, college students are flooding Florida classrooms and campuses this week as the fall semester begins. At the same time, allies of President Joe Biden contend in order to "Build Back Better," as his plan is dubbed, the first two years of community college should be free.

During a Thursday virtual news conference by the labor union United Faculty of Florida, Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., said the change would make drastic improvements in students' lives, who are often saddled with debt.

"Two years of free community college would be a life-changer, a game-changer for so many," Soto asserted. "Additional investments in education in the American Family plan reduce student debt for future teachers as well, which we know is critical for so many."

A divided U.S. House on Tuesday passed a $3.5 trillion budget resolution with the free college proposal, which now has to gain approval of the spending hawks in the Senate.

Republicans have been blasting the overall American Families Plan as a "reckless tax and spending spree," arguing it would lead to higher inflation and a suffering economy.

Rep. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, is a community college graduate, and used the proverb about teaching a man to fish to explain the need for free community college.

"All those of us that are Latinos and Latinas in the minority community, you know, that's all we're asking for," Cruz remarked. "You know, we're not asking for the handout of your fish, we're asking for the opportunity, and a chance to equalize our opportunity."

According to the Pew Research Center, among all U.S. adults, 63% favor making tuition at public colleges free. However, the issue is heavily favored by Democrats, while Republicans are divided by age and education level.

Research is emerging about the secondary trauma school staff members face after helping students during the pandemic. As summer moves forward, school social workers in Minnesota say there are ways to seek a manageable environment when classes resume this fall.

New findings in the journal Psychology in the Schools noted teachers and support staff have had difficulty finding time for self-care as work demands pile up. It coincides with more students needing mental-health support.

Brooke Davis, a school social worker at Hopkins Public Schools, recommended colleagues collectively reflect on their jobs this summer, and express to administrators which duties should be prioritized.

"Honestly, that reflection, and teaming and collaborating, has brought me more comfort and peace than any hobby," Davis acknowledged.

School districts had hoped for more funding this spring to add staff in light of Minnesota's historic budget surplus. But talks fell apart as the session ended. And with leaders from both major political parties still at odds, a special session seems unlikely right now.

Davis, a member of the Minnesota School Social Workers Association, said for staff still feeling burnout, therapy is an option to consider.

"Not only for yourself, but also, it creates this parallel process where we are getting support from someone, and we are supporting other people," Davis explained. "And we can see how those two processes are happening at the same time."

She contended it allows staff to better serve the students they work with. Davis added the increasing demands in the last two years include responding to behavioral issues as students get re-acclimated to classroom settings.

Separately, a recent Surgeon General's report suggests school districts establish realistic workloads and student-to-staff ratios in addressing concerns about well-being.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has approved a new law, requiring schools to consider installing a silent, panic-alarm system.

Approval of what's known as "Alyssa's Law" comes in the wake of several mass shootings, which have made many elected officials consider more strict gun safety and school safety laws.

Andy Pallotta, president of New York State United Teachers, believes the new provision in school safety plans will quell some of the anxiety students and teachers feel about whether they can be safe in the classroom.

"Well, I think that we are in a position where we support anything that can make students feel safer and staff feel safer," Pallotta explained. "And then, the entire community feel that everything is being done to keep their schools as safe as possible. So, this makes sense."

The bill passed unanimously. The law is named for Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old who lost her life in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018.

Pallotta thinks after hearing input from students, parents and teachers, school districts across the state will find ways to adopt new methods to urgently call first responders.

"In a state like New York, which just came through with a very good budget for education, I think that there are ways they can come up with different methods of making this happen," Pallotta contended.

New York is the third state to approve Alyssa's Law, following its approval in New Jersey and Florida in 2019 and 2020, respectively. It has also been submitted for votes in the state legislatures of Arizona, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia, as well as a national version in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A program in Oregon aims to ramp up the number of technicians in aviation just as the industry is predicting a major shortage.

Over the next two decades, according to a report from Boeing, the United States could have 192,000 fewer aviation technicians than it needs. The two-year Aviation Maintenance Technology Program at Portland Community College could help address this gap.

Thomas Laxson, faculty department chair of the program, saw the effects of the shortage and said it could benefit students.

"I have employers calling my desk phone daily asking to come and speak with our students to offer them jobs," he said. "It's manifest in the way that the majority of our students have job offers before they've even graduated the program."

This year, the program partnered with Horizon Air, sister company to Alaska Airlines, to create the Horizon Technician Development Program. It provides more than $12,000 in scholarship money and a guaranteed job after graduation. Laxson said technicians can start at $30 an hour.

The industry also needs more pilots. The same Boeing report projected the North American fleet will need an additional 208,000 pilots by 2040. Laxson said he believes one reason for the shortages of pilots and maintenance crews is that technical education has been de-emphasized.

"An entire generation of people - frankly, my generation - whose parents all told us, 'University, university, university,' and we didn't see a lot of people entering the trades," he said. "And so, there's this generational skip that's happened. And as a result we've got this very strong, current need for additional folks."

Portland Community College also is trying to fill this gap by reaching out to high school students, such as with its Oregon Aerospace Careers for Everyone Program. Laxson said the program isn't just an opportunity to learn about airplanes and how they work, but also how to think inside of the aviation industry.

"It is really a remarkable industry in the sense that it changes you," he said. "For you to be successful in it, it's going to change you. You turn into a checklist person, and you turn into a very detail-oriented person."


Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.