The report card measures academic achievement, academic growth, graduation rate, progress in English learner proficiency, chronic absenteeism and college and career readiness. - Anniston Middle’s academic growth fell sharply from about 91.8 to 71.8. - Achievement dropped from ~40.6% to ~35.6%. - ELA proficiency declined (e.g., ~22.5% from ~28.2%). - Science proficiency slipped slightly. - Math proficiency saw a modest increase, but remained very low (single digits). Each indicator tells a piece of the story: - Academic Growth dropped → students made less progress year‑over‑year. - Academic Proficiency remains low → many students aren’t yet meeting grade‑level standards. - Absenteeism improved only modestly → chronic absence is still a barrier. Taken together, these patterns explain the “F” grade and signal where supports — instruction, early intervention, and enrichment (like CTE) — could focus to reverse the trends. Middle school is where trajectories are set. By sixth grade, kids are already being sorted academically, emotionally, socially. When schools are under-resourced, unstable, or disconnected from students’ lived realities, the outcomes show up fast: absenteeism, behavior issues, disengagement. Public health has a name for this—it’s called toxic stress. And Anniston’s kids are swimming in it. Let’s be real: many of our students are growing up with environmental exposure, housing instability, food insecurity, and community trauma. School should be the protective factor. Instead, too often, it’s another stressor. When curriculum feels irrelevant, when discipline is punitive instead of restorative, when students never see how learning connects to real life, their nervous systems check out long before graduation. From a public health lens, failing middle schools predict: - Higher dropout rates - Increased justice system contact - Poorer mental health - Lower lifetime earnings - Shorter life expectancy That’s not dramatic. That’s data.

🧠🖤 Black Public Health Nerd Moment Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t just fight for voting rights and desegregation—he fought for health equity. In 1966, MLK said: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” — Speech to the Medical Committee for Human Rights, Chicago, 1966 That wasn’t a metaphor. He meant it literally. MLK understood—long before the term existed—that where you live, work, worship, and play determines how long and how well you live. He spoke openly about: • Poor housing • Environmental hazards • Poverty and unemployment • Segregated neighborhoods • Lack of access to quality health care In other words: social determinants of health. He recognized racism and poverty as life-shortening forces and believed government, medical systems, and faith institutions had a moral obligation to act—principles later reflected in the Poor People’s Campaign and his advocacy for guaranteed income, housing, and health care. Fast forward to today, and the same patterns show up in: • Higher asthma rates • Lead and toxic exposures • Shorter life expectancy • Preventable chronic disease • Maternal and infant mortality MLK’s message is clear: 👉 Health inequity is not accidental. 👉 It is produced by unjust systems. 👉 And addressing it is a civil rights issue. Public health is justice work. Always has been. #BlackPublicHealthNerd #MLKDay #HealthEquity #PublicHealthIsJustice #EnvironmentalJustice #SocialDeterminantsOfHealth

Homelessness is not just a housing issue. It is not just a safety issue. It is absolutely a public health issue—especially here in Anniston. When people are unhoused, the entire community feels the health impacts: • Higher rates of untreated chronic illness • Increased emergency room use • Greater exposure to infectious disease • Mental health crises without consistent care • Substance use driven by trauma, not morality • Shorter life expectancy—by decades This isn’t accidental. It’s structural. In Anniston, we already live with: • Legacy pollution and environmental trauma • Limited access to healthcare and behavioral health services • Intergenerational poverty tied to disinvestment • Few crisis stabilization or supportive housing options When housing is unstable, health becomes unstable. When health is unstable, public spaces absorb the crisis—parks, libraries, sidewalks, ERs, jails. That’s not a failure of individuals. That’s a failure of systems. Public health teaches us something simple but powerful: 👉🏾 You don’t solve homelessness with fear or exclusion. 👉🏾 You solve it with housing + healthcare + harm reduction + prevention. Evidence-based solutions exist: • Supportive housing • Mobile health and mental health teams • Community health workers • Crisis response that isn’t law enforcement • Prevention through affordable housing and income stability If Anniston wants safer neighborhoods, healthier families, and less strain on emergency services, we have to stop treating homelessness as a nuisance—and start treating it as the public health emergency it is. Healthy communities don’t push people out of sight. They build systems that keep people alive. Source:https://www.apha.org/policy-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-briefs/policy-database/2018/01/18/housing-and-homelessness-as-a-public-health-issue

If you keep up with the local civic engagement- you know a local tire storage site was a hot topic of discussion at the Ward 2 meeting-Here’s the community’s Public Health impact: 1. Tires under RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) - RCRA is the federal law that governs solid and hazardous waste management in the U.S. - Tires are classified as solid waste, not hazardous waste, under RCRA. What that means: 1. Tires are regulated as waste material, but they don’t automatically carry the same restrictions as hazardous waste. 2. Why it matters: Even though tires aren’t hazardous by default, they can create hazardous conditions if mismanaged: 3. Standing water → mosquito breeding → public health risks 4. Fire hazard → toxic smoke containing PAHs, dioxins, and heavy metals 5. Leachate → zinc, oils, and other chemicals that contaminate soil and water More Info: https://adem.alabama.gov/waste/scrap-tire-program

Hey Public Health Nerds! ✨ New year, new goals—but why not make them impactful for your community too? Being a Black public health nerd means using curiosity, data, and heart to tackle inequities, from chronic disease to environmental hazards. 3 Tips to Kickstart Your Year: 1. Track Local Health Trends: Know your community’s stats. Knowledge is power. 2. Volunteer: Even a few hours a month with a local health program can change lives. 3. Share Your Nerd Pride: Write, talk, or teach about health equity issues. Your voice matters. Let’s make 2026 a year of brains, heart, and action.