Study finds Texas is one of the worst states for children during the pandemic

Masked students work on computers at Tibbals Elementary School in Murphy, Texas, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. Texas Gov. Greg Abbot's statewide mask order does not mandate face covering for children under the age of 10, allowing some school districts to not require masks for children leaving the choice of mask use up to the parents. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (Lm Otero, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Texas ranks among the 10 worst states in the nation when it comes to child protection amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study.

Approaching the one-year mark since the pandemic was declared, the international non-profit Save the Children has been able to analyze the burden of COVID-19 on families with children.

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Save the Children examined three hardships that it believes most-challenged children in the United States – hunger, lack of tools for remote learning, and difficulty for families to pay bills.

According to the study, 17 million children are living with food insecurity, at least one in four students are unequipped for distance learning and 69% of families are facing financial hardships.

Furthermore, the study acknowledges disparities along geographic, income and racial/ethnic lines.

The study found children of color are more likely to face hunger as well as lack tools needed for remote learning.

Additionally, two-thirds of Black and Hispanic families report losing employment during the pandemic, according to the study.

Out of all 50 states, Texas was ranked No. 48 in COVID-19 child protection.

Among the bottom 10 states included New York (41), Florida (42), Georgia (43), Oklahoma (44), Arkansas (45), Alabama (46), New Mexico (47), Mississippi (49) and Louisiana (50).


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