This week saw a Duluth high school go on lockdown because of a threat received by authorities. School social workers across Minnesota say with campus safety still a big priority, they're carrying out approaches to make their environments less ominous and more welcoming.

The latest threat follows last month's nationwide social media scare on TikTok, as well as a deadly school shooting in Michigan.

Sarah Mages - licensed social worker at the St. Peter Middle School - said students have increasingly dealt with more anxiety over the past couple of decades, with threats of violence playing a part.

She said emotional connections between staff and students are important.

"We've just found that if there's that connection," said Mages, "kids are able and willing to talk to those adults because they feel like they're cared for."

Her district has conducted surveys with high-school students and fifth-grade students, asking if they feel supported by at least one adult in their building. In both surveys, three quarters of students said they do.

Social workers in other districts say home visits and crisis-intervention teams are also helpful approaches that complement standard security measures.

Prior Lake High School Licensed Social Worker Nancy VanHorne said social media messages often blend the outside world with campus environments.

If those scenarios make a student not want to come to school, her staff might visit them at home to make them feel reassured or accompany them on campus.

"You know, I had a student come in before students got here one morning," said VanHorne, "and we kind of walked the building and we talked through some anxieties she was having."

Kathy Kimani is the director of the Office of School Support for Saint Paul Public Schools. She said de-escalation efforts are important when trouble arises.

But she said there are other important ways to foster a safe environment, including social and emotional learning.

"We might do things like implement some restorative practices," said Kimani, "which would start off as students actually sitting in a circle, building community, getting to know one another. "

All three of these professionals, members of the Minnesota School Social Workers Association, said the pandemic has added to the anxiety students are feeling.

Nearly 1,200 Hoosiers are about to have some of their student-loan debt forgiven, as part of a multistate settlement with the student-loan-servicing company Navient.

The settlement includes more than $31 million for Indiana.

Scott Barnhart, chief counsel and director of consumer protection for the Indiana Attorney General's Office, said more than $26 million of Indiana's cut will go toward loan forgiveness for borrowers. He advised borrowers to visit navientagsettlement.com to determine if they're eligible.

"And that provides a lot of information for consumers who believe that they may be within that group," Barnhart pointed out. "To find details on whether they qualify and what they need to do."

In 2019, Indiana joined a coalition of more than three dozen states and Washington, D.C., in accusing the Delaware-based company of deceptive and unethical lending practices. Navient denied breaking the law and said the allegations were based on unfounded claims.

Barnhart noted the remainder of Indiana's portion of the settlement will go toward compensating more than 16,000 people who have already paid into their Navient-handled loans, and about $700,000 will go directly to the state.

"And I think this is a win for consumers to move forward," Barnhart contended.

The deal also requires Navient to follow several new rules going forward, including changes to its payment processing system, and limiting or reducing certain fees for late payments. Including Indiana borrowers.

More than 400,000 people across the country will have some of their loan amounts forgiven as part of the settlement, and 66,000 will have their loans cancelled.

Open-source textbooks, free for anyone to use, are a rising trend at colleges and universities looking for a way to make higher education more affordable, and now the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) is on board.

Students in the freshman seminar in the College of Liberal Arts can save $80 each by downloading the required textbook for free.

Denise Tillery, associate dean for students and professor of English in the College of Liberal Arts at UNLV, said the cost of textbooks can be a significant barrier for many low-income students.

"A lot of times, students will have to wait until their financial aid has been disbursed, or even then they can't afford it," Tillery observed. "Or they're scrambling around getting used copies that might be a different edition than the one that's being used in the classroom."

Collectively, the 375 students taking the class will save about $30,000. The average full-time undergraduate at UNLV spends more than $1,200 a semester on books. The book is one of many offered free on the internet at a site called OpenStax, run by Rice University. The University of Minnesota offers a similar service called Open Textbook Library.

Tillery pointed out other departments are taking initiative as well.

"Some faculty at UNLV in the computer science department," she explained, "are writing their own textbook, and they're going to make that freely accessible for any other class that might want to use it."

Students also should be aware of the American Opportunity Tax Credit for educational expenses, worth $2,500 a year. If the credit brings the tax you owe to zero, you can get up to $1,000 dollars in refunds.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

The State of California is launching a new program that will pay college students $10,000 to volunteer doing public service work for a year.

Announced on Tuesday, some 6,500 students will be able to join the new Californians for All College Corps and will be required to put in 450 service hours, working on issues such as COVID-19 recovery, climate change and education.

Josh Fryday, chief service officer for the state, said it's a way to help low-income students afford college, earn credits and gain valuable work experience.

"Like the G.I. bill," he said, "if you are willing to serve your community and give back in meaningful way, we are going to help you pay for college."

Across the state, 45 campuses will take part - including schools from the University of California and California State University systems, plus community colleges and some private institutions. On a Californians for All College Corps website, you can find a list of schools and details on how to apply.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the shared experience of giving back is intended to foster a new generation of civic-minded leaders.

"And if this thing works, we can go back to the Legislature and take it to a whole another level," he said. "We can take it to the rest of the country, because nobody else is doing this. Nobody!"

Unlike AmeriCorps, this program will be open to the "Dreamers" - undocumented students who were brought to the United States as children. Students who receive Pell Grants also will be able to count the $10,000 grant toward their required personal contribution to their education expenses.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.