Hosted by the participate policy center in washington, d. C. We believe good morning, everyone. I want to welcome all of you to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Chief medical adviser here. The title of our convenient today is education and healthy, twin pail ars to thriving zunts students good to see you. For those of you new to bpc our mission here is to actively seek at a take the best ideas from both Political Parties to promote health, security as well as opportunity for all americans. We drive principal and politically viable policy solutions through analysis, negotiation and advocacy. Todays event focuses on the bi direction, health in all policies, the idea that policies outside the Health Sphere have a profound impact on healthy and therefore healthy consideration pb a considering policy make area. Its important that education is an important determinant for Health Outcomes. In addition illustrate ihle understood that healthy facilities learning and thus the Education Sector is equally interested in promoting Healthy Learning i. V. Pmt last week the bc Childhood Initiative hosted an event on appropriate child care in earning learning facilities for children thrive. We are pleased to have an extraordinary set of speaker he is to discuss the topic as part of a Panel Discussion. To start us off id like to introduce Rochelle Davis, rochelle is president and ceo of the healthiy Schools Campaign. Roeshl will be providing framing remarks for all of pups the Healthy Schools campaign is a cosponsor of the event today and played a tremendous role nationally in leading on the ground programs and influencing policy. Roeshl has long been advocate and leaders for Childrens Health from Environmental Health her in her career after over two decades. Following her remarks well have a moderated discussion followed by audience question and answer. As a reminder this event is streamed live online and the recording will be available next week. We also thank the cspan2 watching today, welcome to all of you. And with that id like to ask Rochelle Davis to come to the podium and rochelle will take us away. Rochelle. [ applause ] well, thank you anan and to the Bipartisan Policy Center for partnering with us. And thanks to all of you for being here both in person, threw the webcast and on cspan for this conversation. At Healthy Schools campaign our work is based on the common sense notion that healthy students are better learners. Since 2002 we have worked in chicago and across the country to advocate for policies and practices that ensure that all children, no matter their race, ethnicity or Family Income can attend healthy, safe and Supportive Schools. Healthiy schools can provide positively impact students all around well being, build a Solid Foundation for learning and help address the health and educational disparities impacting our most vulnerable children. This work is more important than ever. Over the past two decades the prevailens of chronic conditions impacting ability to be in school and ready to learn such as asthma, diabetes and observesty has doubled from one in eight to one in four children. And more and more children suffer from range of Mental Health issues like anxiety, depression, Substance Abuse and adhd. One in five children has a diagnosable Mental Health problem and nearly two thirds of them get little or no help. These conditions diss proportionally impact low income africanamerican, latino and immigrant children from disinvested and marginalized communities. These children disproportion knitly suffer from a lack of access to health care and attend schools with less access to physical activity, higher exposure to environmental toxins in the air and water and fewer schoolbased Health Services. Compoundi compounding these challenging many of the same children live in areas less likely to have space for safe outdoor play and many students come to schools suffering the impact of food and security or trauma. The impact of poor Childhood Health compounded by disparities in access to health care and Supportive School environments reverb rates throughout a childs live. A student malnourished or living with an unmanaged physical or Mental Health conditions will have problems concentrating in class and miss more school days than healthy students. Children chronically absent as early as preschool, kindergarten or first grade are much less less likely to be reading at grade level by third grade. And students who cannot read at grade level by the he said of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. Research increasely supports a link between educational success and longterm Health Outcomes, in other words investing in education is essential to supporting a healthy population. And an educated and healthy population is essential to a vibrant and strong america. So lets for a moment imagine what it would look like if every student in this the country attended a school that supports Student Health and School Wellness as a foundation for learning. In a Healthy School teachers are given the resources and training to support students overall well being and build a safe and the Supportive School climates. Parents are welcomed into the School Community and their knowledge and leadership are valued. The school gives students access to healthy food, physical activity and clean air and water. And these are not things we can take for granted. The school actively teaches students to make healthy choice that is allow them to thrive. And physical and mental and Behavioral Health care is available. In a Healthy School students learn through lessons and through example to value their own health. Healthy Schools Campaign has worked in chicago and nationally to make this vision a reality. In chicago we have engaged parent leaders, teachers and principals and helped them advocate at the district level for healthier school food and the return of physical education and recess to the school day. And we have helped schools transform paved and over school yards into vibrant green spaces for play and learning. We see many, many amazing initiatives and programs in chicago and across the country. We applaud the school staff, families and partners who have made these changes happen. The challenge is making these changes scaleable and sustainable. To do that we need systemslevel change, including ending that schools, especially those serving students with the greatest needs, have adequate funding, including the resources necessary to support Healthy Learning. Providing schools with the knowledge and tools to understand the health needs of their students, implement appropriate policies and programs and build the partnerships they need, and incorporating health and wellness into education metrics and accountability systems so that it is prioritized and funded. Now fortunately we are at a moment that offers several opportunities to overcome some longstanding systemlevel barriers. The nations new education law, the every student succeed act, or essa, has given states new opportunities to address Student Health and School Wellness. For example, under essa allstate School Report cards must include chronic absent rates, which can be a powerful proxy measure of Student Health and wellness. In addition to that 36 states have included chronic abseptember rates in part of the States Educational accountability systems. States and School Districts are leveraging the new opportunities fop. For one example, since i only have you know a few more minutes, a School District in tennessee was it was hard to pick which one, okay a School District in tennessee is using funding from essa to support their School Nurses efforts to track why students are absent. In allows the district to get a more complete picture of the problem and identify ways to address it. And the Education Sector increasingly has a powerful partner in the Health Sector which recognizes that health is driven by more than what happens in a doctors office. Recently trinity health, operates in 22 states announced it will require all of its hospitals to include chronic absence in the Community Health needs assessments. Also this year the American Academy of pediatrics release add policy statement highlighting the role pediatricians can clay in addressing chronic and sins. With the education and Health Sector intercept accurating and incorporating metrics in data systems we have created opportunity for partnerships. Another opportunity to address a longstanding barrier is schools faced is recent changes in medicaid. States now have the opportunity to allow School Districts to be reimbursed for a much wider range of Services Provided by to medicaid enrolled students. We have o we are partnering with trust for Americas Health a is astate learning collaborative so schools will be able to access medicaid dollars to pay for School Nurses, counselors, social workers and other Crucial Health services. States are beginning to take advantage of this opportunity. It is important to recognize that these are opportunities. Not mandates for states and communities to address Student Health in School Wellness. There is much work still to be done at the federal and state level to support schools and communities to create the conditions that will allow all children to thrive. That is why the leadership of our panelists on these issues and the efforts of all of you who have joined us today are so important. In event provides an important chance for us to explore how to be successful in building healthy and Supportive School environments to all children can learn and thrive. Thank you. [ applause ] thank you for the opening remarks that sets the seat beautifully for Panel Discussion today. I do want to take the first maybe couple of minutes and just provide brief biography sketch of the throe panelists most know them as Public Servants but so you understand the perspective to my left senator bill frist is a heart and Lung Transplant surgeon and former u. S. Senate marj leader. He represented tennessee in the u. S. Senate for 12 years and elected majority leader in 2003 High Pressure miss service on the Senate Help Committee responsible for all federal education policy inspired him to find score, state collaborative on eggs to propel tennessee to prom enss in ray education reform state. He is currently chairman of Tennessee Store he founded in 2009 appear bps senior fellow and led many health nesht initiatives over the last decade. Thank you. Thank you. John king jr. Is the preponderate the president appear ceo of the National Education trust a nonprofit that seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps from preschool through college. Secretary king served in president Barack Obamas cabinet as the 10th u. S. Secretary of education. He joined the Department Following his tenure as first africanamerican and puerto ricoen serving as new york States Education commissioner. He began his career in education as a High School Social studies teach ner puerto rico and boston massachusetts and as a middle School Principal thank you for being here. And secretary pedro river aire was appointed by Governor Tom Wolf in 2015. Current secretary rivera serves as cht of the board of directors for the council of chief state school officers. A Nonpartisan Organization of Public Officials mo head state departments of elementary and secondary education. Prior to his appointment to governor wolffs cabinet he served as superintendent of the School District of lancaster. Additionally a class room teacher. Assistant principle, principal. Executive direct for the School District of philadelphia as well as a staff member with the philadelphia frags of teachers. Thank you again for all three of you being here. And i think you heard from rochelle, her perspective how important in bi direction alimpact is between health and education. I thought it might be helpful to start based on your experiences to share why its so important and where are you seeing signs of progress across the country. Senator. Anand. And rochelle thank you for your remarks. It set the stage beautifully. 12 years ago i was in the United States senate. After being here for a period of 12 years and having the opportunity to be in no child left behind on the Health Committee. When i came back to tennessee i knew a couple of things. This is being a doctor i wear the doctor hat first that if somebody has a College Degree or four years of continuing education after after secondary school, that they will live 5. 3 years longer than somebody who doesnt graduate from high school. I knew at the time that if somebody spent four additional years of any kind of education after secondary School Education that they would have less heart disease. That theyd have less diabetes. That they would live longer, the five years coming after that. And that knelled have less heart diaz disease, less obesity. Less diabetes. What we didnt know a after he gathered the science and evidence. When you look at health and health care and how long somebody lives or infant moerlgtsty or burden of disease, whatever it is, its not the doctor in me or in you that determines how whatever that measure is. Outcome of health. But twice or three times more important than the doctor or type much insurance or the hospital are the social determine nantz. What we learned is that education is a primary social determinant. For health. Wove health care over here and education here. What we talk about today is the nexus of the two in the just correlation but there is causality involved. Thats how i got involved and stayed on it since. Rest thats great. Secretary. Sure i want to take to the simplest level of the student. When i was a middle School Principal i recall a student who had asthma, chronic asthma. And he would miss a lot of school as a result of the asthma. But our school was in a building that was shared with a nursing home. When got a nebulizer set up in the nursing home ekds access. He went from missing a lot of school to being in school regularly. Grades went up. He was a happier student. His family was happier. Just having access to Quality Health care made the difference for his educational outcomes. So the thing im encouraged by is there is a growing Awareness Among states appear School Districts that as educators we have to be thoughtful about who how we Better Connect kids and families to Quality Health care services. Three quick examples. There is partnership between childrens defendants fund and the superintendents secretion to use the School Enrollment process opportunity to talk with families about their enrollment in health care, whether thats medicare or chip, one of the Health Care Option