April has reported on issues and developments in the health field, particularly as they relate to education and the ability of students to learn and grow.
Physical education is required in most American high schools, but for teenagers with physical and developmental disabilities, there can be greater restrictions on how they can get active. April reported on how schools in Florida's Miami-Dade County are adapting.
Recess and physical education are two things that have been cut in many districts as teachers spend more time on test preparation and getting students ready for the Common Core State Standards. However, a report from the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine reveals those cuts may be counterproductive in the effort to improve academic performance.
Related: Why recess and physical education are making a comeback
Related: Coach Tom recommends his favorite games for a classroom “brain break”
Like two-thirds of Americans, those who develop Alzheimer's disease have usually done very little to plan for their long-term care. More than five million Americans now suffer from the disease and related dementias. Barring a breakthrough, the figure could triple by 2050. April produced this report.
Related: As Alzheimer's takes hold, Mary has trouble painting
Related: Starting the Conversation about Long-Term Care: 10 Things You Should Know
April produced, reported and edited this story about the effects of Detroit Public Schools’ financial decline for more than a decade as its enrollment plummeted. On the brink of insolvency, the district was confronted with decrepit buildings, a chronic lack of resources and fed-up teachers who have staged "sick-outs" in protest of the conditions.
April reported, produced and edited this story that looked into the widespread problem across the country of higher-than-acceptable lead levels in school drinking water due to old plumbing systems. She examined records and meetings from several school districts along the east coast, including Baltimore, Maryland, and Ithaca, New York, and revealed how administrators are confronting the crisis of lead contamination.
April visited students at Oakland’s Life Academy who are getting a head start on health science careers by integrating academics with career-based training and a workplace environment. The high school, which serves low-income and minority students, also has the city’s second-highest rate of graduates who go on to college.
Related story: The reality of life and death intersect for students at two Oakland schools
April produced this story for Channel 4 News Correspondent Sarah Smith in Arizona where people are being told that a massive budget deficit means they have to find the money themselves for life-saving operations.
In 1999 James Marshall, a quadriplegic who recently married, decided after two years of living this way he wanted to have his life support terminated. The night before his ventilator was turned off April interviewed him and his wife about the decision to terminate his life and why it was his right to die. This story was the first of two parts on end-of-life issues, including the difference between termination of life support and physician-assisted suicide.