Local news in the classroom: Weekly roundup 9/9/25
As the new school year gets underway, many students and families in Santa Cruz County are feeling the ripple effects of decisions made in local government, health care, and beyond. From the sudden closure of a key mental health service to shifting rules around COVID vaccines, these stories highlight the real-life challenges and questions shaping our community – and they offer meaningful entry points for classroom discussion.
Remember, high school educators and students in Santa Cruz County receive free Lookout memberships, giving full access to our reporting, perks, and member events.
This week’s highlighted stories:
A key Santa Cruz mental health service closed amid funding turmoil and months of missed paychecks
Why it matters: The sudden closure left vulnerable community members without care and raised bigger questions about how mental health services are funded and delivered. Across the country, shortages in mental health support affect young people and families, making this both a local and national issue.
In the classroom: Invite students to consider: What role should the government play in ensuring access to mental health care? How do funding decisions – at the county, state, or federal level – impact the lives of everyday people?
As Santa Cruz County’s summer COVID surge wanes, confusion mounts over new federal vaccine rules
Why it matters: Though COVID may feel like “old news,” changing federal guidelines and local health trends continue to affect schools, families, and workplaces. The tension between public health messaging and public understanding offers a window into how policies are communicated and interpreted.
In the classroom: Ask students to analyze how public health information spreads. Where do they – and their families – get updates? How does confusion around rules affect trust in institutions? Students could compare today’s communication challenges with past public health campaigns.
Local news makes learning personal. By tying current events into the classroom, students see how decisions at every level ripple into their daily lives. Check out even more stories below.
Current events to use in your classroom
Here’s a roundup of recent articles that could help you with your students, or ones you could use in your classroom. Interested in more stories? Browse all our recent coverage here.
LOCAL NEWS
Santa Cruz County homeless services dealt double blow as MHCAN, Downtown Streets Team abruptly shutter
By Christopher Neely
Santa Cruz’s homeless services network faces new uncertainty as the Mental Health Client Advocacy Network abruptly closed “until further notice” and Downtown Streets Team announced plans to shut down statewide this fall.
Judge rejects activist claims in pesticides lawsuit but appeal could be forthcoming
By Christopher Neely
A Monterey County judge sided with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation in a case that challenged the agency’s approval of the use of highly restricted pesticides on six berry farms in the Pajaro Valley.
Why do UCSC students have the worst mental health in the UC system? Let’s start with housing
By Kevin Norton
UC Santa Cruz students report the worst mental health in the UC system, citing stress, anxiety and housing insecurity. Activist Kevin Norton calls on UCSC to provide more on-campus housing, slow enrollment growth and establish stronger ties between students and the wider community.
CALIFORNIA NEWS
Newsom promised real progress on mental health with CARE Court. Here’s what the numbers show
By Marisa Kendall / CalMatters, Jocelyn Wiener / CalMatters, and Erica Yee / CalMatters
In the most comprehensive look yet at whether people are using Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court, CalMatters found that far fewer Californians are enrolled in the mental health program than he projected.
EDUCATOR RESOURCES
Check out our Discussion Guides
- Our current event discussion guide is a great activity to engage with local news and can be used for any article. Below is the lesson plan and the bilingual guide.
- Current Event Discussion Guide Lesson Plan (PDF)
- Bilingual Current Event Discussion Guide (PDF)
Sign up for your free access on our Educator Page
- Make sure to get your free access for a full year and utilize our resources on our Educator Page.
Reminder on student access
- Lookout believes that all students deserve to know deeply about the place they live in. For all High School students in Santa Cruz County, Lookout offers free student memberships. Encourage them to sign up.
Book a class visit
- We’d love to visit your classroom! Lookout staff can come to your classroom and lead a workshop about various different things from journalism to elections. These workshops last the length of one class period and are a great way to get your students engaged in different aspects of learning. Reach out if you are interested.
Thank you for all the hard work you do in the community and for supporting our educational programs, helping the younger generations learn media literacy skills and become invested community members and democratic citizens. If you’d like to learn more about our school programs, get more involved or have any questions, please reach out to me jamie@lookoutlocal.com.
Best,
Jamie