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Item(s) found: 463
FINAL REPORT OF THE FEDERAL COMMISSION ON School Safety
Date CapturedFriday February 22 2019, 7:21 AM
CYBERBULLYING: A Report on Bullying in a Digital Age
Date CapturedTuesday December 27 2011, 2:28 PM
NY Senate Independent Democratic Conference Sept. 2011 report.
EDUCATION INTERRUPTED: The Growing Use of Suspensions in New York City’s Public Schools
Date CapturedThursday October 13 2011, 4:16 PM
This report analyzes 449,513 suspensions served by New York City students from 1999 to 2009 to draw a picture of zero tolerance practices in the nation’s largest school district. The number of suspensions served each school year has nearly doubled in a decade—even though the student population has decreased over the same period—sending a clear message that public education is a reward for “good” behavior, rather than a fundamental right. This section explains the methodology we used to analyze the suspension data, and provides valuable background on zero tolerance discipline. Section II provides an overview of New York City disciplinary policies and practices. It examines the ever- increasing emphasis on out-of-class and out-of-school suspensions in New York City’s Discipline Code, which governs student behavior. This section also analyzes the impact that NYPD school safety officers have had on the increasing reliance on suspensions and arrests as primary disciplinary tools. Section III analyzes 10 years of school discipline data in New York City, explaining the data behind our conclusions. Finally, the report concludes with our recommendations for the DOE, as well as city and state lawmakers.
Breaking Schools’ Rules: A Statewide Study of How School Discipline Relates to Students’ Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement
Date CapturedTuesday August 02 2011, 10:09 AM
This report was prepared by the Council of State Governments Justice Center in partnership with the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University. Key findings in the report include the following: 1. Nearly six in ten public school students studied were suspended or expelled at least once between their seventh- and twelfth-grade school years. 2. African-American students and those with particular educational disabilities were disproportionately likely to be removed from the classroom for disciplinary reasons. 3. Students who were suspended and/or expelled, particularly those who were repeatedly disciplined, were more likely to be held back a grade or to drop out than were students not involved in the disciplinary system. 4. When a student was suspended or expelled, his or her likelihood of being involved in the juvenile justice system the subsequent year increased significantly. 5. Suspension and expulsion rates among schools—even those schools with similar student compositions and campus characteristics—varied significantly.
Balancing Student Privacy and School Safety: A Guide to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act for Elementary and Secondary Schools
Date CapturedMonday July 25 2011, 1:51 PM
Many school districts employ security staff to monitor safety and security in and around schools. Some schools employ off-duty police officers as school security officers, while others designate a particular school official to be responsible for referring potential or alleged violations of law to local police authorities. Under FERPA, investigative reports and other records created and maintained by these "law enforcement units" are not considered "education records" subject to FERPA. Accordingly, schools may disclose information from law enforcement unit records to anyone, including outside law enforcement authorities, without parental consent. See 34 CFR § 99.8. While a school has flexibility in deciding how to carry out safety functions, it must also indicate to parents in its school policy or information provided to parents which office or school official serves as the school's "law enforcement unit." (The school's notification to parents of their rights under FERPA can include this designation. As an example, the U.S. Department of Education has posted a model notification on the Web at: http://www.ed.gov /policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/lea-officials.html.) Law enforcement unit officials who are employed by the school should be designated in its FERPA notification as "school officials" with a "legitimate educational interest." As such, they may be given access to personally identifiable information from students' education records. The school's law enforcement unit officials must protect the privacy of education records it receives and may disclose them only in compliance with FERPA. For that reason, it is advisable that law enforcement unit records be maintained separately from education records.
Addressing Emergencies on Campus June 2011
Date CapturedTuesday June 28 2011, 6:32 PM
United States Department of Education (USED) : Summary of two applicable Federal education laws administered by the Department of Education (Department): the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended. This Federal component is only one piece of what is necessary to consider in ensuring the safety of our Nation’s students, faculty, and school staff. A comprehensive and effective campus policy must incorporate all Federal and State policies regarding health and safety emergencies, education, student privacy, civil rights, and law enforcement, as well as specific local community needs.
The Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting
Date CapturedFriday March 11 2011, 7:35 PM
FERPA does not preclude an institution’s compliance with the timely warning provision of the campus security regulations. FERPA recognizes that information can, in case of an emergency, be released without consent when needed to protect the health and safety of others. In addition, if institutions utilize information from the records of a campus law enforcement unit to issue a timely warning, FERPA is not implicated as those records are not protected by FERPA. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, The Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting, Washington, D.C., 2011.
Campus Attacks:Targeted Violence Affecting Institutions of Higher Education
Date CapturedTuesday January 18 2011, 1:53 PM
The report included a recommendation that the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Education, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation explore the issue of violence at institutions of higher education. Accordingly, the three agencies initiated a collaborative effort, the goal of which was to understand the scope of the problem of targeted violence at these institutions in the United States. In total, 272 incidents were identified through a comprehensive search of open-source reporting from 1900 [their typo] to 2008. The incidents studied include various forms of targeted violence, ranging from domestic violence to mass murder. The findings should be useful for campus safety professionals charged with identifying, assessing, and managing violence risk at institutions of higher education.
Identifying Violence-prone Students
Date CapturedThursday January 13 2011, 2:02 PM
The fine line higher education officials walk in dealing with troubled students is discussed.
K-12 EDUCATION - Selected Cases of Public and Private Schools That Hired or Retained Individuals with Histories of Sexual Misconduct
Date CapturedFriday December 17 2010, 1:00 PM
GAO-11-200 ; GAO examined show that individuals with histories of sexual misconduct were hired or retained by public and private schools as teachers, support staff, volunteers, and contractors.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Disclosure of Student Information Related to Emergencies and Disasters
Date CapturedThursday June 24 2010, 1:48 PM
The purpose of this guidance is to answer questions that have arisen about the sharing of personally identifiable information from students’ education records to outside parties when responding to emergencies, including natural or man-made disasters. Understanding how, what, and when information can be shared with outside parties is an important part of emergency preparedness.
Freedom Under Surveillance, Part II
Date CapturedThursday December 04 2008, 7:07 PM
Independent Examiner Brian Trent says [On September 17 of this year, the House passed the “School Safety Enhancements Act of 2008.” As part of this $50 million initiative, surveillance equipment is specifically earmarked and encouraged. Why would the federal government be so interested in mandating surveillance equipment for schools? Isn’t that the job of the states in which those schools dwell? And really, isn't this going a little far... for any level of government?] Also says [In 2005, slipped insidiously into an $81 billion bill for "supporting troops" and "tsunami relief" was a tiny law - The Real ID Act - which creates a de facto National ID card. Originally, the law required it be in place by 2008, but it met with ferocious resistance from the states. Yes! The states actually rebelled… but don’t break out the champagne yet. The Feds have "allowed" an extension through 2009 for states that request it. Every driver's license will be required to include "physical security features" and "a common machine readable technology." The cultists who support this National ID card say that it's all voluntary.]
QUEENS PARENTS: OUR SCHOOL'S A MAJOR HAZARD
Date CapturedSaturday September 01 2007, 9:25 AM
NY Post reports, "Angry parents at a Queens elementary school questioned yesterday why portions of the building resembled a hazard zone just days before it was set to open - and whether the rushed project was done aboveboard."
Should Parents View School Security Tapes?
Date CapturedThursday August 30 2007, 11:53 PM
Fulton County News (Pennsylvania) reports, "Board member Kenny Wuertenberg informed the board and administration he had a problem with punishing a child and not allowing the parents to see the incident as recorded by security cameras on school buses and in district facilities. 'It’s fascist ... What happened to due process?' questioned Wuertenberg. 'How is who is riding a public school bus private?'”
Campus Safety 101
Date CapturedSunday August 26 2007, 9:35 AM
NY Times op-ed contributor Carolyn Reinach Wolf opines, "One of the major areas of concern in setting up a coordinating office is confidentiality requirements and parental notification. These issues, however, can be addressed by clarifying federal and state confidentiality laws, educating campus employees and parents about exceptions to these laws, and developing protocols to address those situations in which a choice must be made between liability for breach of confidentiality and liability for serious injury or death."
FACING SCHOOL VIOLENCE
Date CapturedSunday August 26 2007, 9:29 AM
NY Post opines, "All in all, 16 city institutions were added to the list of "persistently dangerous" schools, from which federal law mandates students have the opportunity to transfer. Only two schools in the entire rest of the state enjoy that dubious distinction. Now, before New Yorkers sound the alarm about a renewed school-violence epidemic, some perspective is required: In a system of more than 1.1 million students, 5,000 assaults aren't all that many."
Education Department fixes busing rules
Date CapturedSaturday August 25 2007, 10:08 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Education officials are tweaking several of the school bus eligibility rules that turned last year's route shakeup into a full-blown fiasco. A much-criticized rule requiring students to live a quarter of a mile from a bus stop to receive service - suspended during the debacle - will be scrapped starting this school year. And to prevent young kids from riding public transportation by themselves, students in second grade or under who receive MetroCards can request yellow bus service instead."
Tougher code for students
Date CapturedFriday August 24 2007, 6:37 AM
Times Union reports, "Girls returning to Albany schools next month will have to wear their skirts longer and keep their midriffs covered. Boys will have to remove hooded sweat shirts and wear their T-shirts at least one foot above the knee. Students can carry cellphones, BlackBerries or other electronic devices but they can't be seen or used, even during lunch or recess. If they are, they'll be taken away until day's end."
Speed up school safety audits
Date CapturedThursday August 23 2007, 8:25 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "There should be ongoing, month-to-month audits of every school. Results should be released to parents. Remediation should be immediate, and the public should be informed at every step. An unsafe school should be identified quickly, and dealt with quickly."
27 Schools Named As “Persistently Dangerous” Under NCLB
Date CapturedWednesday August 22 2007, 7:58 AM
All schools designated as “persistently dangerous” must provide school choice to students where transfer options exist. Each school also receives a $100,000 grant to help improve school safety. School districts must also submit an Incident Reduction Plan for each school to show the specific steps that the district will take to reduce the number of violent incidents and improve safety at the school. Staff from the New York State Center for School Safety and Regional School Support Centers also provide help to each school to improve safety.
Educational Facilities Disaster and Crisis Management Guidebook
Date CapturedMonday August 20 2007, 7:26 PM
Florida Department of Education
Emergency Management Planning for Schools and School Districts
Date CapturedMonday August 20 2007, 7:16 PM
Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools.
Toxic dust in SUNY New Paltz dorms, man still insists
Date CapturedSaturday August 18 2007, 10:02 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "Whatever else you think about Eric Francis Coppolino, you can't deny one thing: he's persistent — as persistent as the toxic dust he has accused SUNY New Paltz administrators of sweeping down the memory hole of a long-ago environmental catastrophe there. Sixteen years after poisonous PCBs infested four college dorms, Coppolino will be on campus at Monday's moving-in day, warning parents and students of a danger the college and state SUNY officials say doesn't exist."
RIT campus installing emergency alert system
Date CapturedThursday August 16 2007, 7:04 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "The system will alert students, faculty members and staff employees using text messaging, instant messaging, e-mail and voice calls to cell and dormitory phones."
MIDDLE MANAGEMENT -- $5M BOOST FOR WORST SCHOOLS
Date CapturedTuesday August 14 2007, 7:25 AM
NY Post reports, "The moves come on the recommendation of a task force created to tackle what educators have described as a 'crisis' of declining student achievement and escalating violence in middle schools. The initiatives are aimed at improving the learning and social environment for the schools' struggling students, officials said. The reforms would add the guidance counselors and related social supports, providing free teacher training at high-need schools and introducing advanced-level courses to all city middle schools by 2010. Speaking at Manhattan's JHS 44 yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein also announced the appointment of former Brooklyn Region 8 instructional leader Lori Bennett to the newly created role of director of middle-school initiatives."
MIKE'S TIMELY VETO
Date CapturedMonday August 13 2007, 7:57 AM
NY Post opines, "The issue is the controversial ban on cellphones in public schools, which was only really enforced starting last year. The mayor is a chief supporter of the ban, arguing that cellphones in schools are both distracting and, at times, dangerous. And he's right: Not only are phones a serious classroom disruption, but they've also been used to cheat on tests, bully, deal drugs and coordinate gang activity."
Truth about School Construction Authority
Date CapturedFriday August 10 2007, 9:13 AM
Queens Courier letter to editor contributor Joel I. Klein, Chancellor of New York City Public Schools opines, "We are pleased that Senator Padavan, and environmental advocates, recognize that our present environmental review vastly improves on procedures in place before this administration. The Bloomberg Administration remains committed to protecting public interest and safety."
MIKE KOS CELLS IN SCHOOLS
Date CapturedFriday August 10 2007, 8:25 AM
NY Post Maggie Haberman reports, "Mayor Bloomberg yesterday vetoed a City Council bill that would let parents give kids cellphones to carry to and from school as part of a battle over letting students have them inside the buildings."
US Department of Education -- Office of Inspector General (OIG) Perspective on the Unsafe School Choice Option
Date CapturedFriday August 10 2007, 8:14 AM
We suggest that the Department and Congress, in considering legislative changes, require states to ensure that their USCO policies meet the following basic requirements: 1) All violent incidents, according to state code, are factored into the PDS determination, without the use of disciplinary action qualifiers; 2) Benchmarks for determining PDS are set at reasonable levels that are supported by objective and reliable data; and 3) PDS are identified based upon the most current year of data. These suggestions are intended to affect immediate improvement of the USCO in its current state. However, based on our audit work and further research, there is an apparent reluctance to fully comply with the USCO provision. Therefore, we are also offering our perspective on more in-depth changes to the provision that should help USCO to be better received by the education community, and therefore, encourage more willing compliance. The lack of incentive to comply with USCO will need to be addressed and resolved in order for the provision to realize its full potential as a tool for improving the level of safety in our nation’s schools.
New Jersey Governor Calls for Training Teachers on Internet Safety
Date CapturedThursday August 09 2007, 11:15 AM
School Library Journal reports, "Teachers and administrators would use the training to instruct students, parents and community groups on the potential dangers they may encounter on the Internet, Corzine said in a letter to Attorney General Anne Milgram and Education Commissioner Lucille Davy. The letter asks that the departments of Law and Public Safety and Education work together to strengthen existing Internet safety training and that the program be established and implemented by the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year."
Louisiana Department of Education holds emergency management summit
Date CapturedThursday August 09 2007, 10:45 AM
eSchool News reports, "As the two year anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita nears, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) and the state attorney general's office joined together to co-sponsor the Statewide Summit on School Safety. The one-day summit, held July 27, brought together district superintendents, emergency management experts, and law enforcement from across the state and Florida. Shortly after taking office, State Superintendent Paul G. Pastorek, asked each district to submit its emergency management plans to the state for review."
City schools plan anti-violence event
Date CapturedThursday August 09 2007, 7:20 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "City School District officials announced plans Wednesday for a communitywide violence prevention workshop next weekend. The three-day event will begin with a candlelight vigil and community parade at Wilson Magnet High School on Aug. 17 and will conclude on Aug. 19 at the city's annual Peace Festival, which is scheduled at the High Falls Festival Site."
Guidelines for Working with Law Enforcement Agencies
Date CapturedWednesday August 08 2007, 12:15 PM
By Michael Corn. EQ -- Volume 30 Number 3 2007. Checklist: * Create a policy to address the handling of all legal documents. * Form a team consisting of the security officer, legal counsel, and campus police. * Put campus legal counsel on your telephone speed-dial. * Meet with provost and/or chancellor to discuss law enforcement requests and investigations. * Review and document the salient features of your environment, including your institutional policies on data release and retention. * Understand your obligations with regard to confidentiality. * Discuss with the agent(s) in charge of an investigation whom you wish to inform of the investigation and why. * Work with the agent(s) in charge of an investigation to review what they are looking for and what will not be useful to them. * Develop internal procedures that control the materials and information of legally restricted information. Buy a safe for storing legal materials. * Work with law enforcement agents to better understand your environment and narrow the scope of information requests.
State is on guard to keep schools safe
Date CapturedWednesday August 01 2007, 8:52 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guest essayist Alan Ray, director of communications and policy development, New York State Education Department opines, "During the past year, we have: *Provided help to Rochester's and other schools to create safer, more supportive learning environments and prevent bullying. *Held focus groups with parents, students, teachers and administrators to get more ideas on how to make schools safer. *Given uniform training to school personnel statewide on accurate reporting. *Made site visits to nearly 100 schools statewide to determine the accuracy of their data. *Provided detailed guidelines on the Internet so school officials can refer to them easily as needed. We are constantly adding to a question-and-answer document on the Web site as people seek additional guidance. *Developed a fully automated incident reporting system so schools can submit data electronically. This system has controls to help schools check the accuracy of their data and omit inadvertent errors."
Time for a surge in war to save our kids
Date CapturedSunday July 29 2007, 9:18 AM
NY Daily News guest essayist Colin Powell, former U.S. secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and founding chairman of America's Promise Alliance opines, "Research shows that when young people receive four of five basic resources, which we call the Five Promises - caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, effective education and opportunities to help others - they are twice as likely to receive A's in school, twice as likely to avoid violence and 40% more likely to volunteer. Together, we must ensure that 15 million more at-risk American young people experience these promises. Don't look at young people who are angry or adrift, standing on some city streetcorner, and think they're someone else's problem. They're not. By volunteering to help in this battle, you can help us win the war."
Upkeep of Schools Is New Focus For Budget
Date CapturedThursday July 26 2007, 9:10 AM
Washington Post reports, "Howard's schools [Maryland] account for, by far, the largest of any of the county's capital budgets. County Executive Ken Ulman (D) has repeatedly said that the county's highly rated school system is 'the engine that drives the county.' But he cautioned in an interview this week that he and the council must weigh the needs of the schools against other demands on the county budget, from fire stations and libraries to community centers and government buildings, when deciding how to allocate finite resources. 'The bottom line is that we have some pretty tough decisions to make,' Ulman said. 'We'll have to find additional revenue or lower expectations.'"
Illinois schools install cameras despite privacy issues
Date CapturedWednesday July 25 2007, 9:51 AM
Daily Herald reports, "District 128 officials don’t have a formal policy regulating when the DVDs should be destroyed, Todoric said. Administrators declined to say how often discs are destroyed, citing security concerns. U.S. courts have upheld schools’ right to install cameras where students or employees don’t have an expectation of privacy, such as public hallways, said Ed Yohnka, spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. It’s sensible for schools with security concerns to think cameras are a potential solution, he said. But the increased surveillance might affect how students feel about their schools, Yohnka said. For example, students might be reluctant to visit teachers to talk about problems if they feel they’re being monitored, he said."
Fighting toxic school sites
Date CapturedTuesday July 24 2007, 7:17 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Toxic school sites could soon come face to face with a potent enemy - angry, protective parents."
Sex Ed is About Safety
Date CapturedMonday July 23 2007, 9:53 AM
Special Eduction Law blogger Amanda Windom writes, "One of the most controversial topics we face in schools today is sex education. Schools in Illinois vary greatly in the curriculum they offer ranging from none at all to abstinence-only to comprehensive sex education. Putting aside the moral, religious and other debates, the main issue here is safety. Regardless of our personal feelings about the topic the fact remains that children and teens must be educated about sex in a meaningful way, and if they are not educated at school or by parents they will develop ideas based on things they learn from friends or in the media, often to their detriment."
Got a Great Internet Safety Program? ALA Wants to Hear About It
Date CapturedSaturday July 21 2007, 2:25 PM
School Library Journal reports, "If you have a great program on Internet safety, the American Library Association (ALA) wants to hear from you."
Revised school code flags accomplices
Date CapturedFriday July 20 2007, 8:16 AM
Daily Freeman reports, "The Board of Education has amended Kingston High School's code of conduct in an effort to increase accountability among students. Changes to the Jefferson Code include the addition of the phrase 'aiding and/or abetting.' The move was made in response to an administrative request from members at the high school and will serve as an added level of regulations."
Agreement with schools approved
Date CapturedTuesday July 17 2007, 9:03 AM
Buffalo News reports, "The Town Board [Tonowanda] also approved the hiring of three new police officers, two of whom will serve as full-time school resource officers at each of the high schools. Town and school officials are reacting to a rash of bomb threats that plagued the district, as many as 10 during the past school year. Most were at the high schools."
Clarkstown schools push for more seat belt use on buses
Date CapturedMonday July 16 2007, 6:47 AM
THE JOURNAL NEWS reports, "The new provision isn't a mandate, Brockmann said. Making seat-belt use mandatory would leave bus drivers stuck with the continual task of checking that children's seat belts remained fastened during bus rides. That, Brockmann [transportation director] said, could distract the drivers from their defensive-driving practices. Instead, bus drivers and bus attendants will encourage students to wear seat belts during brief lessons at the beginning of the school year. Other school district staff members will be asked to encourage seat-belt use, and 'Buckle up for safety' signs will be posted in schools and on buses."
State measures on steriods in high school sports
Date CapturedSaturday July 07 2007, 1:04 PM
AP reports on state-by-state glance at high school steroid policies: TESTING MANDATED BY LAW.
FUROR OVER SCHOOLS SITE
Date CapturedSaturday July 07 2007, 7:10 AM
NY Post reports, "The plaintiffs, a coalition of environmentalists and community residents, are worried about the engineering controls to contain the toxins. They fear that some of the controls, such as a ventilation system to disperse toxic fumes or using plastic caps to isolate contaminated soil, could break down over years. But, without a long-term monitoring plan, no one would know, Palmer said. The site is contaminated by mercury, lead and benzene, a suspected carcinogen. The city committed $30 million to clean up the 6.6-acre site, which over the years had been home to an industrial laundry, a rail yard, gas station and gas manufacturing facility. That cleanup effort is under way."
Albany schools weigh cellphone use, clothing
Date CapturedThursday July 05 2007, 8:07 AM
Times Union reports, "Harry Corbitt, director of safe schools and violence prevention, said cellphone use can be problematic. 'Cellphone use doesn't help,' he said. 'It hinders law enforcement. Students call their parents, and they rush to school.' Corbitt, a retired State Police colonel, said the district is seeking Homeland Security funds for a system that would alert parents and the media if an incident occurs."
Explain school violence data
Date CapturedTuesday June 26 2007, 8:40 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "Is my child safe at school? There's no more important query for a parent. Government is doing far too little to answer it."
Asbestos in Schools -- The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)
Date CapturedSunday June 24 2007, 7:13 PM
US Environmental Agency
Evaluation of D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program: Impacts After One Year
Date CapturedFriday June 22 2007, 8:56 AM
The report studies five key outcomes of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program: school differences; academic achievement; parental perceptions of school satisfaction and safety; student reports of school satisfaction and safety; and the impact of using a scholarship. The analysis estimates the effects of the program approximately seven months after the start of the students' first school year in the program and finds no statistically significant difference in test scores overall between students who were offered a scholarship and students who were not offered a scholarship. Wolf, Patrick, Babette Gutmann, Michael Puma, Lou Rizzo, Nada Eissa, and Marsha Silverberg. Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Impacts After One Year. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2007.
SENATORS ANNOUNCE NEW LEGISLATION TO COMBAT CASES OF TEACHER-STUDENT SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
Date CapturedTuesday June 19 2007, 12:14 PM
Members of the Senate Majority Conference today announced legislation will be advanced to help combat the sexual abuse of students in New York State. The bill would require the immediate decertification of teachers following a conviction for a serious crime against a child, and also includes a provision that will require schools to contact both the parents of an alleged child victim, as well as law enforcement, whenever a report of abuse is made.
State bill would require campus security plans
Date CapturedTuesday June 19 2007, 9:43 AM
Newsday reports, "State Sen. Kenneth P. LaValle has introduced 'comprehensive campus security plan' legislation that would require all public and private colleges in New York to develop emergency plans, have a relationship with local law enforcement and conduct emergency drills. The bill would also provide $7.1 million to finance more mental health counselors for the state's public colleges in the aftermath of the April massacre at Virginia Tech."
Kids' buses ride a road to peril
Date CapturedMonday June 18 2007, 8:20 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Overall, The News found numerous flaws in the system that's supposed to ensure the buses are safe for city school kids: *Buses breaking down days after winning passing grades from city and/or state safety inspectors. *Drivers saying they are forced to drive unsafe buses. *Bus companies knowing ahead of time about supposedly unannounced inspections."
SCHOOL WEAPON-SCAN 'SUCCESS'
Date CapturedSunday June 17 2007, 9:41 AM
NY Post reports, "Students checked more than 1,500 guns, knives and other dangerous items at the door at New York City schools this year - down 18 percent from last year."
Most School Districts Have Developed Emergency Management Plans, but Would Benefit from Additional Federal Guidance
Date CapturedThursday June 14 2007, 2:07 PM
GAO Report: While most school districts have procedures in their plans for staff roles and responsibilities, for example, school districts have not widely employed such procedures as, academic instruction via local radio or television, for continuing student education in the event of an extended school closure, such as might occur during a pandemic. Likewise, while many districts have procedures for special needs students, GAO found during site visits that some of these procedures may not fully ensure the safety of these students in an emergency. Finally, while most school districts practice their emergency management plans annually within the school community, GAO estimates that over one-quarter of school districts have never trained with any first responders and over two-thirds of school districts do not regularly train with community partners on how to implement their school district emergency management plans. Many school districts experience challenges in planning for emergencies, and some school districts face difficulties in communicating and coordinating with first responders and parents, but most do not have such challenges with students. Based on GAO’s survey of school districts, in many school districts officials struggle to balance priorities related to educating students and other administrative responsibilities with activities for emergency management and consider a lack of equipment, training for staff, and personnel with expertise in the area of emergency planning as challenges. In an estimated 39 percent of school districts with emergency management plans, officials experienced a lack of partnerships, limited time or funding to plan, or lack of interoperability between equipment used by school districts and first responders.
School bus bill stalled in Assembly: GOP
Date CapturedThursday June 14 2007, 9:16 AM
NY Daily News reports, "A measure intended to spare kids from the types of school bus abuses documented by the Daily News in a series of reports this year is in danger of dying because of Assembly inaction, Republicans said yesterday. "
Fuzzy Understandings of FERPA
Date CapturedThursday June 14 2007, 8:16 AM
Inside Higher Ed reports, "A federal report on the Virginia Tech shootings considers the misunderstanding of federal and state privacy laws to be a 'substantial obstacle' to the information sharing needed to protect students."
Report to the President on Issues Raised by the Virginia Tech Tragedy
Date CapturedWednesday June 13 2007, 8:11 PM
Key Findings -- *Critical Information Sharing Faces Substantial Obstacles: Education officials, healthcare providers, law enforcement personnel, and others are not fully informed about when they can share critical information on persons who are likely to be a danger to self or others, and the resulting confusion may chill legitimate information sharing. *Accurate and Complete Information on Individuals Prohibited from Possessing Firearms is Essential to Keep Guns Out of the Wrong Hands: State laws and practices do not uniformly ensure that information on persons restricted from possessing firearms is appropriately captured and available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). *Improved Awareness and Communication are Key to Prevention: It is important that parents, students, and teachers learn to recognize warning signs and encourage those who need help to seek it, so that people receive the care they need and our communities are safe. *It is Critical to Get People with Mental Illness the Services They Need: Meeting the challenge of adequate and appropriate community integration of people with mental illness requires effective coordination of community service providers who are sensitive to the interests of safety, privacy, and provision of care. *Where We Know What to Do, We Have to be Better at Doing It: For the many states and communities that have already adopted programs, including emergency preparedness and violence prevention plans, to address school and community violence, the challenge is fully implementing these programs through practice and effective communication.
Law aims to shield kids -- Schenectady County passes housing rules for sex convicts
Date CapturedWednesday June 13 2007, 7:53 AM
Times Union reports, "Convicted sex offenders across Schenectady County will be forced to move if they live near schools, day care centers and playgrounds, under a new county law enacted late Tuesday. The change requires sex offenders -- at every level -- to leave their homes starting Oct. 1, should they reside within 2,000 feet of public parks, pools and playgrounds, as well as schools, day care and youth facilities. Under a second law which takes effect immediately, offenders cannot move within 2,000 feet of such areas."
A+ on school safety
Date CapturedSunday June 10 2007, 10:04 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Schools have experienced a 33% drop in serious crime, a 40% decline in weapons changes and a 50% drop in sexual assaults since the NYPD took over security five years ago, Kelly [Police Commissioner] notes. This academic year alone, the NYPD has seized 23 guns, 111 pellet guns, 224 knives and 135 box cutters. The department has placed a mix of regular police officers and NYPD-trained school safety agents, who are not armed, in city schools."
Send charter law to reform school
Date CapturedSunday June 10 2007, 9:44 AM
Times Union op-ed contributor Thomas Rogers, executive director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents opines, "Until the state pays the bulk of the costs, local districts -- whose taxpayers finance charter schools -- must have more say regarding charter school approval and renewal. The current system makes charter schools and district schools into enemies, instead of collaborators. Other statutory reforms must include: Robust oversight and consequences for academic failure. A state-financed safety net to accommodate enrollment fluctuations. Penalties for charter schools that plan poorly or send students back to the district schools. Downward recalculations in funding if charters do not enroll disabled students in proportions similar to district schools. Timelines for major decisions, scheduled to permit adequate planning by school districts and informed voting by the public. Prohibitions on management companies taking profits from academically failing schools."
Boosting safety on campuses
Date CapturedThursday June 07 2007, 6:33 AM
Newsday reports, "James McCartney, president of the New York State University Police Officers Union, which represents about 400 university police officers and investigators, said more officers are needed, and some officers on smaller campuses in particular are not adequately trained."
Dealing with a batty situation: Wood vs. metal
Date CapturedMonday June 04 2007, 11:17 AM
USA Today Jack Carey reports, "Proponents of the new law say metal bats increase the risk of injury because balls come off faster, giving players less time to react. Metal bat advocates say there's no proof they're less safe than wood."
Local schools make radical changes to battle dropout rate
Date CapturedSunday June 03 2007, 10:10 AM
The Journal News reports, "From creating evening and weekend classes to instituting formal programs that allow students five years to graduate, the schools have made radical changes in an effort to boost achievement and keep kids in school. But officials say there are more complex reasons behind this life-changing decision made by too many teens. Often, schools are blamed for a student's choice to leave, but educators say many drop out for myriad reasons, including incarceration, drug abuse, problems at home or other reasons outside the purview of the classroom."
Greece schools seek alternate plan for buses
Date CapturedSunday May 27 2007, 4:07 PM
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "On May 15, voters rejected a proposition that called for $1.6 million in financing to purchase 27 new buses to replace old buses the district planned to retire. Voters also rejected the school budget; $21.4 million in state aid-funded repairs and renovations; and setting up a savings account to pay for future bus replacements. The board of education adopted an austerity budget on May 22."
Schenectady City schools could lose police presence
Date CapturedFriday May 25 2007, 8:51 AM
Times Union reports, "The assignment of police officers to the city schools could be a casualty of the Police Department's effort to get more officers on the street. Police Department spokesman Lt. Peter Frisoni said no decisions have been made, but the six school resource officer positions and the single officer assigned to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program could be reassigned to new beats as the department tries to overcome a persistent staff shortage."
Calling All Principals
Date CapturedFriday May 18 2007, 10:04 AM
The Queens Courier opines, "We say to all principals, it is up to you to set policy. Make the right choice in this issue and allow the kids to carry a cell phone to and from school. Let us not wait for a tragedy in our schools to change a wrong-headed policy made by Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein."
U.S. Education Official Testifies Before House Homeland Security Committee
Date CapturedThursday May 17 2007, 6:26 PM
Today, Holly Kuzmich, deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Education, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee to discuss ways the federal government can help keep our nation's schools and college campuses safe learning environments.
Schools in Tier step up security to tighten access: Officials stress ongoing process
Date CapturedSunday May 13 2007, 10:52 AM
Press & Sun-Bulletin reports, "Several Tier school districts plan to improve security this year, including making upgrades at some of the buildings where the Press & Sun-Bulletin found vulnerabilities last month. But despite efforts in Binghamton, Whitney Point and other places to protect students and staff against violence, several U.S. senators say America's schools need another $20 million a year to make them safer. Days before voters decide if school budgets will be adopted, a look at spending plans across districts in three counties shows some looking to tighten door security, others slated to buy surveillance cameras, and all hoping that their particular anti-violence measures will prevent the attack that many believe could happen somewhere, but all hope they don't have to face."
School survey: Syracuse parents pleased
Date CapturedSunday May 13 2007, 7:53 AM
Post-Standard reports, "The first major survey in more than a decade of Syracuse school district parents shows about 75 percent of them - be they black, white, more educated or less educated - generally are satisfied with the education their children receive. On the flip side, about one-quarter of parents or guardians are not satisfied, and school environment and discipline are big concerns."
How should schools react to threats?
Date CapturedThursday May 10 2007, 10:13 AM
uticaOD.com reports, "Young people sometimes say things they don't mean, and it may be difficult to determine the seriousness of threatening statements. How schools should react and when they should alert parents to a situation is a complicated question, parents and school administrators said. The State Department of Education mandates that districts have a safety plan in place, but does not give specifics."
Newburgh's busing policy up to voters
Date CapturedWednesday May 09 2007, 8:46 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "Every weekday, buses in the Newburgh School District move a small-town-sized mass of kids to and from school. Orange County's largest district shuttles more than 11,600 students (public, private, parochial and special needs) to 88 Hudson Valley facilities. It's a pricey undertaking. The proposed 2007-2008 pupil transportation budget is roughly $12.6 million, a 14 percent hike over this school year. That transportation slice accounts for about 6 percent of Newburgh's $203.71 budget proposition, which goes before the voters May 15."
Cell ban upheld - principals get leeway
Date CapturedTuesday May 08 2007, 9:15 AM
NY Daily News reports, "The city's controversial school cell phone ban will stand - but principals may make exceptions, a Manhattan judge ruled yesterday. Judge Lewis Stone wrote in a 50-page decision that the Education Department's cell phone policy is not unconstitutional."
Illinois Efforts to Promote Internet Safety Education for School Age Children
Date CapturedTuesday May 08 2007, 9:08 AM
Government Technology reports, "Joined by educators from Chicago Public Schools (CPS), CPS Board President Rufus Williams and area lawmakers, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan unveiled new and concentrated measures designed to help protect today's school children from threats not known to school kids of just a few years ago: online predators and other criminals that use the Internet to perpetrate crimes against children."
NYSUT says more funding needed for violence prevention
Date CapturedMonday May 07 2007, 10:51 AM
Legislative Gazette reports, "The resolution approved by delegates urges amendments to SAVE that would increase funding for violence prevention programs and school-based mental health services, provide whistle-blower protections to those who report school districts not doing enough to maintain a safe environment, fund alternate settings for students who have been removed from the classroom and provide training to help teachers understand their rights in removing disruptive students."
Law gives parents more access to childrens' incident reports
Date CapturedMonday May 07 2007, 8:42 AM
AP reports, "A key provision of 'Jonathan's Law' will require residential health facilities to notify parents and guardians within 24 hours of incidents affecting the health and safety of their children. The law will require facilities to provide parents and guardians with incident reports upon request and it will give parents access to records pertaining to allegations of patient abuse or mistreatment."
Funds for school safety, crime programs
Date CapturedThursday May 03 2007, 8:08 AM
Ithaca Journal reports, "The Secure Our Schools program, which is part of COPS, provides grants that can be used for metal detectors, locks, improved lighting, school security assessments and security training for students and staff. The federal government pays for half the cost with states and local governments covering the rest."
Schools seek money, clarification of privacy laws to become safer
Date CapturedWednesday May 02 2007, 9:26 AM
The Journal News reports, "Meanwhile, the head of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities said state and federal lawmakers need to give more direction about when schools can notify families without violating student privacy."
STEPS pilot program a great resource for Rockland schools
Date CapturedWednesday May 02 2007, 8:34 AM
The Journal News opines, "This program can mitigate the self-evident price society pays from the stigma that stops identification of treatment of emotional problems. Look at teen suicide rates; look at what happens when that violence is turned outward."
An appeal for help at SUNY
Date CapturedWednesday May 02 2007, 8:25 AM
Times Union reports, "The recommended ratio of counselors to students on a college campus is one counselor for every 1,000 to 1,500 students, a range that takes into account the availability of off-campus support, according to data Ryan cited from the International Association of Counseling Services. At SUNY's state-operated campuses, which doesn't include community colleges, the ratio is one counselor for every 1,700 students. At the University at Albany, with 17,000 students, it is one for every 2,000 students."
School culture can breed violence
Date CapturedTuesday May 01 2007, 8:39 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guest essayist Alex Zapesochny, president and chief operating officer of iCardiac in Rochester, and a Community Member of the Democrat and Chronicle Editorial Board opines, "Most teenagers are good-hearted, but they feel pressure not to risk their social standing. But like most hierarchies, the ones within schools are highly fragile when challenged. All it takes is for some teens to start saying 'enough' and reach out to others, especially the loners. It won't prevent all future shootings, but it's humane and a good start. "
Rochester school funding accord reached
Date CapturedTuesday May 01 2007, 8:10 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "City aid to Rochester public schools will remain about $119 million for another year under a deal Mayor Robert Duffy and outgoing city school Superintendent Manuel Rivera announced Monday. As part of the deal, the City School District will reimburse the city $1.1 million for the cost of school resource officers and the city will seek a third-party ruling on whether the city must pay $119 million next year. Resource officers are city police officers who serve in the schools."
Schools survey sez... $3.3M plan will quiz all PS teachers, students & parents for overall grade
Date CapturedTuesday May 01 2007, 7:37 AM
NY Daily News reports, "In anonymous surveys going out this week, parents will describe their perceptions of schools, while teachers will rate their principals - and reveal whether parents respond to calls home. And kids in grades six through 12 will rate the quality of their assignments and disclose whether their classmates are in gangs or use drugs."
Most Tier classroom doors lack effective lock systems
Date CapturedSunday April 29 2007, 9:22 AM
Press & Sun-Bulletin reports, "Most Southern Tier classroom doors can't be locked from the inside, despite evidence that locking doors can help protect children during a threat to a school."
Secretary Spellings Seeks Public Comment on Campus and School Safety
Date CapturedSaturday April 28 2007, 10:35 AM
As part of this effort, Secretary Spellings today met with state and local leaders, educators, mental health experts, parents, students, and local law enforcement officials in Albuquerque, to determine how the federal government can best help states and localities keep students safe. Secretary Spellings announced that she is seeking public comment online at http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/dialogue.html in an effort to expand this important discussion and gather thoughts and suggestions from across the country. Secretary Spellings will consider these suggestions as she develops recommendations for a report to President Bush next month. "Nothing is more important to American parents than the safety of their children," said Secretary Spellings. "I invite all concerned Americans—parents, educators, law enforcement officials and students—to share their ideas about school safety online at safeschools@ed.gov. Together, we can strengthen our best practices, raise awareness of warning signs and help prevent tragedies."
Metal-bat ban set for September in NYC high schools
Date CapturedTuesday April 24 2007, 10:02 AM
AP reports, "The measure outlaws metal bats under the theory that they crack harder and faster hits, raising the risk of injury because young players have less time to react to speeding baseballs. Opponents, including Little League Baseball and sporting goods makers, say there is no evidence metal bats are more dangerous. Youth leagues and lawmakers are proposing similar bans in other areas, including New Jersey, where a 12-year-old boy went into cardiac arrest and suffered serious injuries after a batted ball struck him in the chest."
Senators Discuss Preventing College Attacks
Date CapturedTuesday April 24 2007, 9:08 AM
NY Times reports, "Much of the testimony focused on the difficulty of securing campuses that are essentially small towns and the challenges of balancing the rights of individuals to privacy with the need for community safety. Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the committee’s ranking Republican, questioned witnesses about whether they believed that some of the laws that govern privacy of medical and school records needed to be changed. None had a ready answer, but they agreed that the most difficult situations involved students who were clearly troubled yet refused treatment. They also agreed that university officials often hesitated to act because they feared litigation."
Schools Revisit Gun Policies After Virginia Tech Rampage
Date CapturedTuesday April 24 2007, 8:52 AM
NPR Talk of the Nation reports, "Last week's deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Tech shattered the image of college campuses as idyllic sanctuaries of safety. Virginia Tech — like most American universities — forbids students from carrying guns on campus. Now many schools are re-evaluating their gun policies."
Local colleges evaluate safety in wake of Virginia Tech
Date CapturedMonday April 23 2007, 9:33 AM
Newsday reports, "Even before last week's massacre at Virginia Tech, colleges and universities across Long Island had been quietly upgrading campus security for years. Even so, Virginia Tech is a new wake-up call, and it has spurred college officials and local police to re-evaluate security, in particular how to respond to an emergency."
At city universities, NYPD is vital asset
Date CapturedThursday April 19 2007, 9:35 AM
NY Daily News reports, " A City University of New York official who asked not to be named said that a 2002 internal review by former NYPD commissioner William Bratton encouraged all 22 colleges in the system to establish close relationships with the NYPD, and to use the department without hesitation."
Laws Limit Options When a Student Is Mentally Ill
Date CapturedThursday April 19 2007, 9:14 AM
NY Times TAMAR LEWIN reports, "For the most part, universities cannot tell parents about their children’s problems without the student’s consent. They cannot release any information in a student’s medical record without consent. And they cannot put students on involuntary medical leave, just because they develop a serious mental illness. Nor is knowing when to worry about student behavior, and what action to take, always so clear."
BACKFIRING BAN, RETHINK THE DRINKING AGE
Date CapturedThursday April 19 2007, 8:45 AM
NY Post Op-ed contributor George F. Will opines, "Students may not care about McCardell's cause because they have little trouble finding fake IDs, or getting older friends to purchase their alcohol. His strongest argument, however, may be that delaying legal drinking until 21 merely delays tragedies that might be prevented with earlier instruction in temperance. The age that has the most drunk driving fatalities? Twenty-one."
SUNY EYEING TEXT-MESSAGE ALARM SYSTEM
Date CapturedThursday April 19 2007, 8:40 AM
NY Post reports, "The SUNY system is "actively considering" mandating that all of its 64 campuses adopt emergency text-messaging programs that could instantly warn students via their cellphones in the event of a massacre like the one at Virginia Tech, officials said. SUNY - which has more than 417,000 students - may also adopt a 'reverse 911 system,' in which students and staff would be called en masse on their cellphones with 'a specific' voice message about a threat or emergency, said SUNY spokesman David Henahan yesterday."
ASBESTOS FURY; CITY TOO CHEAP TO SAVE SCHOOLKIDS: DOE VET
Date CapturedMonday April 16 2007, 8:23 AM
NY Post reports, "DOE spokeswoman Marge Feinberg insisted that the city's schools are safe and that the agency removes exposed asbestos as soon as it's alerted. But a lab hired by Kielbasa and Gleason found asbestos in samples obtained from the eight sites last November and December. 'I find it in libraries. I find it in classrooms. I find it in hallways. I find it in machinery rooms, near ventilation ducts,' he said."
Incident adds urgency to an issue
Date CapturedFriday April 13 2007, 9:24 AM
Times Union reports, "Board of Education members say they hope the problem of underage drinking will be a topic of conversation in the community now that 18 students have served in-school suspensions for attending a pre-dance party where alcohol was consumed."
Educrat on buses: Yep, we goofed
Date CapturedThursday April 12 2007, 8:56 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has created a new managerial position overseeing the investigations unit and has promised to hire four new investigators."
School bus big to face City Council
Date CapturedWednesday April 11 2007, 8:15 AM
NY Daily News reports, "The new bureaucrat in charge of city school buses is scheduled to appear before the City Council today to answer questions about abuse aboard buses, which was exposed by the Daily News' 'School Bus Disgrace' series."
CITY SUED OVER SCHOOL PLAN FOR TAINTED LAND
Date CapturedSaturday April 07 2007, 8:59 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "A coalition of South Bronx community groups sued yesterday to stop the city from building what would be New York's largest school complex ever - on contaminated ground. The organization claims the city has failed to live up to a deal to adhere to recommendations made by an environmental consultant for the $235 million plan."
Shamed into action
Date CapturedSaturday April 07 2007, 8:49 AM
NY Daily News reports, "In reaction to the Daily News investigative series 'School Bus Disgrace' Schools Chancellor Joel Klein announced March 22 that he was ordering a complete overhaul of the system that oversees school bus safety."
Computer security issues cited in Webster schools
Date CapturedFriday April 06 2007, 9:54 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "The audit released this week has been discussed with school officials who have responded with a plan to correct the problems. Some of the changes have already been implemented. Last summer, auditors found that the district's network server computers and other equipment were installed in 13 separate rooms throughout the district. Only three of the rooms were locked and only one was equipped with an adequate cooling and ventilation system. Auditors found that the district's system of passwords was inadequate. The district did not require employees to use complex passwords and users were not required to change passwords periodically. The district's financial software also does not turn off after being inactive for a period of time. As a result, users often stay logged on throughout the day, even when they were not at their computers, which increases the risk of unauthorized users accessing the computer system and the data stored there."
Into School, Out Of Control
Date CapturedThursday April 05 2007, 5:35 PM
Hartford Courant reports, "The problem of violence among older children at the high school and middle school levels has been present for years in New Britain and across the country. But now, school officials say, an increasing number of elementary school children are resorting to physical and psychological abuse to resolve conflicts."
New Jersey bill would boost school bus safety standards
Date CapturedThursday April 05 2007, 4:27 PM
The Times of Trenton reports, "The new legislation would require potential school bus drivers to go through classroom and behind-the-wheel training and pass a written test, Turner [Senate Education Committee Chair] said. School bus drivers also would be required to complete at least four hours of classroom training every four years in order to renew their certification, and undergo biennial medical exams and random drug testing."
Safety first
Date CapturedThursday April 05 2007, 10:01 AM
Staten Island Advance opines, "If Mayor Michael Bloomberg has his way, New York City, which bans smoking in bars, the use of trans fats in restaurants, noisy ice cream trucks and countless other practices and behaviors city officials don't condone, will never ban the use of dangerous metal bats in youth baseball games."
Internet Safety: Newest School Subject
Date CapturedWednesday April 04 2007, 3:09 PM
VOA reports, "More and more schools across the country are taking on the task of teaching Internet safety to students and parents. School officials are stepping in, even though the online luring or harassment is primarily happening off campus."
When Schools Stay Open Late: The First Year Findings
Date CapturedTuesday April 03 2007, 6:20 PM
The first-year findings reveal that while 21st-Century after-school centers changed where and with whom students spent some of their after-school time and increased parental involvement, they had limited influence on academic performance, no influence on feelings of safety or on the number of “latchkey” children and some negative influences on behavior. [A “center” refers to after-school services operated in one school, and a “program” refers to one or more centers operated in one school district. The study measured impacts at the program level but not at the center level.] U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Under Secretary, When Schools Stay Open Late: The National Evaluation of the 21st-Century Learning Centers Program, First Year Findings, Washington, D.C., 2003.
Public has right to bus-stop data
Date CapturedMonday April 02 2007, 10:02 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal opines, "Freeman [Committee on Open Government] says the names of the reviewers should have been identified. It's not always easy to get volunteers to sit on school committees and, thus, officials may be inclined to shield them from a possible public backlash when they do. But Freeman said they were performing a governmental function. As he often does in these cases, Freeman pointed out the Freedom of Information Law is based upon a presumption of access. He is correct. If the bus routes are to remain as is, the public should at least have all relevant information about the decision-making process that led to these results."
Bills target gangs that prey on New York state’s students
Date CapturedMonday April 02 2007, 9:48 AM
Legislative Gazette reports, "'Gang Free School Zones,' as the plan has been designated, would amend New York State penal law and increase the penalties for engaging in gang activity on school grounds. But the bills need to be amended to include a definition of what constitutes gang membership because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that language in some anti-gang bills was too vague, according to Guillermo Martinez, legislative director for Rivera. The Supreme Court determined that under freedom of association, gang membership must be specifically defined in all legislation, said Martinez. Under the new language that is to be added to the bill, gang membership will be defined as a group of three or more people forming a formal or informal alliance, network or arrangement who use common identifying signs, symbols, tattoos, physical markings or a common dress code, and who conduct in or engage in criminal activity."
New York school uniform legislation debated
Date CapturedMonday April 02 2007, 9:42 AM
Legislative Gazette reports, "According to the bill, there is a 'strong co-relation between school gang violence proliferation and the distinctive and casual clothing school kids wear to school.' Proponents say uniforms would decrease the ability of students to show gang affiliation or hide weapons. Uniforms would also impact the social and economic status of families by providing 'inexpensive uniforms' and improving student concentration by placing a greater focus on academics, according to the bill. Jane Hannaway, the director of educational policy at the Urban Institue, said the basic idea of school uniforms is to create school order, which is 'very important.'”
‘Warehouses of violence’ label disputed as schools list efforts to improve behavior
Date CapturedThursday March 29 2007, 5:38 PM
Buffalo News reports, "Some community activists and Council members say part of the solution to school violence involves expanding or restoring programs that have been ravaged by budget cuts in recent years. They cited the need to properly fund after-school programs in community centers and school-based efforts that teach life management skills. School officials said students also must be included in devising solutions. The system will hold a focus group Friday with youngsters."
School bus disgrace spurs Assembly panel to OK cams
Date CapturedWednesday March 28 2007, 8:28 AM
NY Daily News reports, "At least two other safety bills have been proposed in addition to the two camera proposals, including a measure before the City Council to require bus monitors on all school buses."
O-A urges drivers to stop when its buses do
Date CapturedMonday March 26 2007, 5:45 PM
Press & Sun-Bulletin reports, "On Tuesday, the Owego-Apalachin Central School District will work with local law nforcement to promote Operation Safe Stop Day, a statewide effort to educate motorists about school bus safety. The O-A district has informed the state police, Tioga County Sheriff's Office and Owego Police Department of specific locations where violators are known to pass a school bus, transportation supervisor Anthony Quaranta said. If violators are caught, they will be ticketed, he said. Drivers are supposed to stop for buses in both directions when the red lights are flashing, even if the bus hasn't come to a complete stop. 'New York state estimates 50,000 vehicles a day pass school buses,' Quaranta said."
Now, mayor sees school bus woes
Date CapturedSaturday March 24 2007, 8:17 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Mayor Bloomberg yesterday admitted that the city should have done a better job in protecting school kids from physical and sexual abuse aboard school buses."
District Attorneys, Police Associations, Lawmakers and former Gang Members to Unveil Proposal to Stop Gang Activity in New York Schools, other measures
Date CapturedThursday March 22 2007, 9:00 AM
Increase in gang related criminal activity is on the rise throughout New York State. A state commission report on the growing problem and its recommendations have not been acted upon by the state legislature. Lawmakers and law enforcement agencies will unveil will criminalize gang activity on and near school grounds and renew calls for other anti gang measures lingering in Albany.
Fix bus mess: Pols
Date CapturedWednesday March 21 2007, 8:10 AM
NY Daily News reports, "In separate announcements yesterday, two state senators and a member of the City Council each proposed bills to reduce the growing number of cases of physical and sexual abuse aboard school buses. The measures propose requiring video cameras on all buses, expanding the use of monitors for buses with special-needs students to all buses, and requiring criminal background checks and fingerprinting for all monitors."
News spurs ed chief to review bus oversight
Date CapturedTuesday March 20 2007, 8:13 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Reacting to an ongoing Daily News investigation, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said yesterday that he'll consider expanding the number of investigators who probe abuse incidents on school buses."
Buffalo Schools Superintendent Williams says severe staff shortages allow student unrest to boil over
Date CapturedMonday March 19 2007, 10:01 AM
Buffalo News reports, "Efforts to curtail violence in Buffalo public schools are hampered by a severe shortage of teachers, counselors and social workers to help troubled students, School Superintendent James A. Williams says. Williams suggests that part of the answer may be a strict code of everyday conduct and expectations such as those at Catholic, private and charter schools. Even so, the underlying causes of school violence are so broad and deeply rooted that it will take Buffalo at least several years to dramatically reduce the incidence of fighting and assaults, Williams said."
Sex & secrecy in back of the bus
Date CapturedMonday March 19 2007, 9:04 AM
NY Daily News reports, "A four-month Daily News investigation into the troubled network that transports 142,000 New York City public and private school students daily has documented a secret history of physical and emotional abuse, from broken bones to shattered psyches. But the most gutwrenching, nauseating behavior uncovered has been sexual in nature. On many occasions, the sexual abuse victims have been especially vulnerable special-needs students, mercilessly violated within a transportation system designed to protect those most at risk."
NYPD UNCOOL IN SCHOOL, ACTIVISTS CHARGE
Date CapturedMonday March 19 2007, 8:48 AM
NY Post reports AP story, "The New York Civil Liberties Union said that, in recent years, it has received hundreds of complaints from both students and teachers about foul language, rough treatment and unwarranted arrests by the NYPD's 4,827 school-safety agents."
A valuable lesson
Date CapturedSunday March 18 2007, 9:20 AM
Newsday Op-Ed contributor Joseph A. Laria, acting superintendent of the North Babylon Union Free School District opines, "In the effort to restore human and civic values into the fabric of children's lives, schools have a very important role to play. It's easy to forget this in a climate in which standardized testing scores preoccupy state education officials, school boards, administrators, teachers, parents and students. Schools can and must teach values. In fact, New York State education law requires instruction in civility and character education, focusing on basic civic values such as justice, honesty, self-discipline, due process, equality, majority rule with respect for minority rights, and respect for self, others and property. The law speaks for a shared value in our state that education is not just about the basics."
Little Consistency in Bus Safety Standards
Date CapturedSunday March 18 2007, 8:58 AM
NY Times reports, "Nationally, about 25 million children ride school buses to and from school, and a study released in November showed that bus-related accidents account for about 17,000 injuries a year — more than most previous studies, which used data from different sources. There are about 20 deaths a year involving drivers and students on school buses or in loading zones, the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences said. 'No one had ever taken a look at the entire spectrum of injuries before,' said the senior author of the study, Dr. Gary A. Smith, the director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The study looked at emergency room visits for school-bus-related injuries from 2001 through 2003. It found a total of 51,000 injuries, 3 percent serious enough to require admission to the hospital. (The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, using information from a sampling of school districts, has estimated 8,500 to 12,000 injuries a year.) Most injuries occurred in September and October and involved children 10 to 14 years old. About 42 percent of the injuries involved another motor vehicle coming in contact with the bus, Dr. Smith said. More than half the injuries to children younger than 10 were to the head; lower-extremity injuries were the highest in children 10 to 19."
Reynolds spotlights school safety programs
Date CapturedSaturday March 17 2007, 10:02 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Flanked by County Executive Maggie Brooks, Greece Supervisor John Auberger, Greece Central School District Superintendent Steve Achramovitch and other officials, Reynolds, R-Clarence, Erie County, outlined three federal initiatives in which schools may take part: The Safe School/Healthy Students initiative, a U.S. Department of Education program that provides school funding for violence and substance abuse prevention. The U.S. Justice Department's Weed and Seed program, which promotes collaboration with law enforcement, community service groups and schools to reduce community crime, weed out' criminals and 'seed' positive, proactive community groups throughout communities. The Department of Education's Emergency Response and Crisis Management Grant program, which provides money so schools can improve their emergency response plans. Reynolds also outlined the Gang Elimination Act of 2007, legislation he sponsored that is pending in the House and would require the U.S. attorney general to develop a national strategy to eliminate the illegal operations of international drug gangs in the United States."
FBI: Extremists Seek School Bus Work
Date CapturedSaturday March 17 2007, 9:52 AM
AP reports, "Suspected members of extremist groups have signed up as school bus drivers in the United States, counterterror officials said Friday, in a cautionary bulletin to police. An FBI spokesman said, ''Parents and children have nothing to fear.'''
Utica schools cited for 129 fire code violations
Date CapturedThursday March 15 2007, 9:18 AM
Observer Dispatch reports, "However, [Utica School District Superintendent] Skermont emphasized that several of the violations were due to new regulations and many of the hazards can easily be corrected. While Skermont stressed the violations were being taken seriously, she pointed out Education Department did not decide to close any schools due to the violations."
State Implementation of Supplemental Educational Services under the No Child Left Behind Act
Date CapturedThursday March 15 2007, 8:48 AM
This CEP report was written by Angela Minnici, CEP senior research associate, and Alice P. Bartley, CEP research intern."Key Findings: Limited capacity to monitor -- Many states (38) are unable to monitor 'to a great extent' the quality and effectiveness of SES providers; only 10 states reported being able to do so. The greatest capacity challenges for states in meeting this federal SES monitoring requirement are insufficient numbers of staff and inadequate federal funding. Use of criteria in law -- Almost all (between 47 and 49) of the state education agencies we surveyed reported using the criteria required by NCLB law and federal guidance to review and approve applications from potential supplemental service providers. These criteria are intended to ensure that providers are financially sound, have a record of effectiveness, use research-based strategies, provide services consistent with district instruction, and adhere to health, safety, and civil rights laws. w Frequent updating. NCLB requires states to promote maximum participation of SES providers so that parents have as many choices as possible. Therefore, it is important for states to provide parents and school districts with a current and accurate list of SES providers that they can choose from. On our survey, 20 states said they review new SES provider applications more often than once a year (the minimum required by the NCLB law), and 22 states reported updating their SES provider lists more than once a year. Different reapplication policies -- The reapplication process varies widely by state. In 13 states, SES providers never have to formally reapply, and in 12 states, SES providers have to reapply every year." Nancy Kober, a CEP consultant, edited the report. Jack Jennings, CEP’s president and CEO, and Diane Stark Rentner, CEP’s director of national programs, provided advice and assistance.
Legislation would breathe new life into South Carolina's aging school bus fleet
Date CapturedSunday March 11 2007, 5:08 PM
AP reports, "For the second time in two years, a bill introduced in the Legislature would require the state Department of Education to create a system to replace South Carolina's aging school bus fleet. The buses that transport the state's public school children are among the oldest - and least safe - in the country, according to a study by The (Charleston) Post and Courier. Most of the buses lack safety features like antilock brakes and alarms that signal when the bus backs up, the paper reported. More than 2,000 buses also were without roof and window exits."
School Safety in Urban Charter and Traditional Public Schools
Date CapturedSaturday March 10 2007, 8:49 AM
Jon Christensen authored this working paper. Christensen writes, "Charter schools covered by the survey served similar proportions of elementary versus older students, had higher proportions of minority students, slightly higher proportions of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch, and tended to be considerably smaller, serving an average of 560 students compared to 900 in traditional public schools. However, it is not possible to say from this analysis whether differences in safety are due to school size, the students enrolled, teacher and family attitudes, or some other factors."
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
Date CapturedSaturday March 10 2007, 8:10 AM
Saving kids
Date CapturedSaturday March 10 2007, 7:54 AM
Times Union opines, "Fight Crime: Invest in Kids has found four approaches to early intervention that work well. One is a nurse-family partnership that provides in-home parent coaching. The goal is to begin during pregnancy and continue until the child's second birthday. A study involving mothers who signed up for a partnership program had 61 percent fewer arrests than those who did not participate. There were 59 percent fewer arrests of children whose parents were enrolled in the program, compared with kids whose parents did not participate. Fight Crime: Invest in Kids' other goals include universal access to pre-kindergarten; access to after school youth development activities, and early intervention with troubled teens."
School safety gets a tuneup
Date CapturedFriday March 09 2007, 7:15 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "At its most basic, effective emergency response requires organization, effective direct communication by a trained school administrator, and a coordinated effort by police and in-school security personnel. In most cases, it's up to each school principal to set and enact policies on the use of police officers in schools. But, because some high school buildings — including Franklin and Edison — have been split into three or four schools, each with a principal, school officials could be unclear about the chain of command during emergencies unless they make plans ahead of time."
New York City schools Chancellor Klein's boasts fail to impress Albany skeptics
Date CapturedWednesday February 28 2007, 7:14 AM
NY Daily News Joe Mahoney reports, "In his two hours before a state legislative committee yesterday, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein tried to accentuate the positive - but the lawmakers weren't buying it. For every success story Klein spouted, legislators had a parallel horror story, questioning whether mayoral control of schools was working."
Educators, Youth Workers Tackle Student Issues
Date CapturedTuesday February 27 2007, 5:29 PM
Tennessee Department of Education announces, "Two outstanding lottery for education after-school programs (LEAPs) will present at the conference: TOPS and New Directions Academy. These lottery-funded after-school programs provide students enrichment activities to reinforce the academic goals for all Tennessee students."
School sex abuse: State report troubling
Date CapturedTuesday February 27 2007, 8:44 AM
Ithaca Journal opines, "Children deserve to attend schools that are safe and allow them to grow as students. They shouldn't be subjected to improper advances from the very people who are supposed to be educators and role models."
Tracking bad behavior will help students' parents: Misconduct data will show school trends
Date CapturedTuesday February 27 2007, 8:34 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "One of the lingering problems with education is that the public has little sense of continuity, the way that a strong pre-kindergarten program, for example, leads in a quantifiable way to better scores in second, third and fourth grade. Or, on the negative side, how intermittent stories of teacher misbehavior reveal not isolated events but an increasing problem."
School bond projects pose a moral and financial choice
Date CapturedMonday February 26 2007, 8:04 AM
Times Herald contributor Roger Ramjug, Newburgh resident and director of facilities for the Marlboro School District opines, "First and foremost, however, is the responsibility to provide a safe environment for children to learn. Both teachers and principals alike will attest to the most disruptive element as being inadequate facilities. It is extremely difficult to keep children focused on academics amidst leaking roofs and pipes, crumbling walls, insufficient heating and ventilation, not to mention inadequate lighting."
New York City principals powerless to quell violence - Public advocate charges DOE is not helping administrators get a handle on woes
Date CapturedSaturday February 24 2007, 2:25 PM
Brooklyn Heights Courier reports, "Some Brooklyn parents suggest that the DOE implement intervention services to prevent disagreements between students from escalating into all-out brawls that put school administrators and staffers in danger. They’ve called for the creation of school-based health centers in more local schools, as the facilities provide medical and psychological care to youths."
Between Policy and Reality: School Administrators Critical of Department of Education School Safety Policy
Date CapturedThursday February 22 2007, 7:26 AM
A REPORT BY PUBLIC ADVOCATE BETSY GOTBAUM, FEBRUARY 2007. "The Public Advocate makes these recommendation: The Public Advocate made these recommendations: • The DOE must solicit the input of teachers, students, principals, parents, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders in the development of school safety policies that are conducive to teaching and learning. • The DOE, in conjunction with the Office of Management and Budget, should list all school safety budget allocations as line items in the city budget, including items such as Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act (SAVE) provisions. • The DOE must ensure that all schools have “time-out” or SAVE rooms on-site for disruptive students, as required by state law. • The DOE must substantially enhance the role of conflict education and resolution programming in schools and make training for teachers and administrators mandatory. 'The DOE must provide the resources needed to ensure a safe environment for students and school staff,” Gotbaum said. “School safety must be a top priority. ”
SCHOOL SAFETY GETS AN INCOMPLETE
Date CapturedThursday February 22 2007, 7:21 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Charges that the DOE underreports school violence data are not new. The state Education Department last year questioned the accuracy of the city's figures, which are maintained by the NYPD, and said it would review the city's method for collecting school safety data."
New Jersey Schools Told to Protect Gay Students
Date CapturedThursday February 22 2007, 7:13 AM
NY Times reports, "Students who are bullied by other students because of their sexual orientation are protected by New Jersey’s antidiscrimination law, and school districts must take reasonable steps to stop such harassment, the state’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled yesterday."
School Violence -- What Can Be Done to Make Schools Safer?
Date CapturedTuesday February 20 2007, 9:55 AM
Date of Debate: 1/22/2007. Justice Talking debate, " The school shooting in an Amish community near Lancaster, Pennsylvania points out that school violence can occur anywhere in the nation, from inner city neighborhoods to suburban or rural schools. But will lock-downs, random searches and metal detectors make students safer? And do programs to reduce bullying really work? "
Empower, support Rochester city teachers to give students their best effort
Date CapturedTuesday January 16 2007, 6:26 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle contributor Adam Urbanski, president, Rochester Teachers Association opines, "What is to be done? Here are some suggestions based on the collective wisdom of city teachers: Improve school safety and student discipline. There can be no effective teaching or learning in an atmosphere of fear, disorder and chaos. The perception of city schools as unsafe and disorderly is the major reason why families and 'highly qualified' teachers avoid them. Stop ignoring the needs of city kids. Too many city kids do not get the services they so desperately need. There are not enough alternative programs for students who cannot function effectively in the regular settings. Treat teachers as professionals. Growing numbers of city teachers complain that their administrators treat them with disrespect and disregard. The most important dynamic in education is what occurs between teacher and student. All else, and everyone else, must serve to support this. So, if the administrators' role is to serve and support teaching and learning, teachers should have a yearly opportunity to affirm their administrator's leadership or to fail to affirm it. And logical consequences should ensue. Let teachers teach. City teachers are saddled with prepackaged instructional programs that micro-manage teaching and rob teachers of much of their professional prerogative. 'Highly qualified' teachers do not want to be educational sales clerks who are not trusted to make instructional decisions for their own students."
New Jersey bill removes all mercury products from facilities
Date CapturedMonday January 15 2007, 9:19 AM
Gloucester County Times reports, "Six months before the Kiddie Kollege day care center in Franklin Township was shut down due to mercury contamination, a county environmental group proposed legislation that would have reduced and possibly eliminated mercury in educational facilities statewide."
State aid fuels school construction projects
Date CapturedSunday January 14 2007, 8:28 AM
Post-Standard reports, "Each district was allocated a share of EXCEL aid in the state budget, based on enrollment and its financial need.However, districts must submit project applications that meet state criteria in order to collect. The project must involve school expansion or renovation, health and safety, accessibility, energy conservation and education technology. More than a dozen districts in Central New York have passed or are putting expansion and renovation projects before voters in coming months. And other districts are beginning to explore their needs to take advantage of the state's largesse. "
Connecticut School Bus Safety Reform
Date CapturedSaturday January 13 2007, 9:59 AM
The Hartford Courant reports, "[Connecticut] School bus drivers will now be subject to the same screening standards as teachers and coaches, Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Robert M. Ward announced Friday. 'If you're not allowed in the classroom, if you're not allowed to coach children, you should also not be able to drive them to school,' said Ward."
District to ask voters for fix-up funding
Date CapturedSaturday January 13 2007, 7:07 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Courts have ruled that the state must increase spending in New York City schools to ensure that all pupils receive a 'sound and basic education.' The state Legislature plans to increase funding to all New York schools and has set up the EXCEL fund to provide $1.8 billion to New York City districts for capital renovation projects and $800 million to schools in the rest of the state. Under the formula, which considers enrollment and student needs, East Irondequoit is eligible for $1.1 million. The state already reimburses the East Irondequoit School District 73.4 percent of the cost of renovation projects. The district says EXCEL funding, plus interest earned by investing project money until needed, could eliminate the local share for the $5.1 million worth of improvements. No tax increase is on the table. The district plans to use the money for projects including roof repair at four schools, safety upgrades at Eastridge High School and electrical work. "
SUNY board approves no smoking policy for dorms
Date CapturedThursday January 11 2007, 5:25 PM
AP reports, "The State University of New York's trustees on Thursday adopted a policy to ban smoking from all dormitories as of July 1. The policy will affect the remaining 9 percent of SUNY residence hall beds where smoking is currently permitted, primarily at Stony Brook, Morrisville and Buffalo State, according to a statement issued by the university board."
Principals say adding character education has positive impact
Date CapturedTuesday January 09 2007, 7:50 PM
Telegram Staff Writer repotts, "Several innovative efforts to curb behavioral and disciplinary problems at Remington and Barringer Road elementary schools have proven to be highly successful, the principals of both schools told school board members during last night's meeting. Both schools have made a big push in recent years to incorporate character education into the curriculum. The schools have a 'word of the month' that is ingrained into the students for the entire month through assemblies and also working its way into classroom instruction. Students are also rewarded for acts of kindness shown toward their fellow students or staff during the school day."
Public Schools Get 0 for Conduct
Date CapturedFriday January 05 2007, 4:27 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Condon (Special Investigator) noted that his independent office investigates only serious misconduct by school employees. Complaints regarding corporal punishment and wrongdoing by students are referred to the chancellor's office. He said 259 cases of wrongdoing were confirmed last year - the highest ever."
TERRORIZED TEACHERS ARE BEING DRIVEN OUT
Date CapturedThursday January 04 2007, 8:40 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Many teachers cite fear for their safety as the reason for fleeing their middle-school jobs. Violent and disruptive incidents spike in middle schools, occurring at more than twice the rate as in elementary schools, even though middle schools account for about half as many students. The pattern mirrors a nationwide trend."
6,000 in Maryland Suburbs Barred From Class
Date CapturedWednesday January 03 2007, 4:01 AM
Washington Post reports, "Students in grades 6 through 9 who had not provided a record of chickenpox and hepatitis B vaccinations -- or, in the case of chickenpox, month-and-year documentation of when they had the disease -- were told they could not return until they had the necessary paperwork in hand. The only exceptions were to be those who arrived with proof that they have appointments to get the shots by Jan. 22. Some students were held for the day in special rooms or centers in their schools. Others were sent home."
People reconsider posting personal details on public Web sites
Date CapturedTuesday January 02 2007, 11:30 PM
AP reports, "The walls of an auditorium were covered with thousands of sheets of paper — printouts from MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and other online sites that were filled with back-stabbing gossip, unflattering images, and details about partying and dating exploits. Each posting was easily accessed online, no password needed. But seeing them on paper — and in some cases, being asked to read them aloud — grabbed the attention of members of the North American Federation of Temple Youth, who gathered earlier this year at a camp outside New York City. That each of the members' pages mentioned their organization in some way only made it that much more embarrassing."
Few solutions, plenty of ideas in Suffolk County
Date CapturedTuesday January 02 2007, 5:27 AM
Newsday reports, "The Commission to Evaluate School District Expenses and Efficiency has held four public hearings since September - and 50 speakers offered their recipes for reducing the cost of public education. Now comes the sifting. The alternatives will be considered by the 12-member panel and evaluated in a report due in March. The suggestions include: consolidating school districts so there's only one per town; increasing class sizes beyond the third grade; funding sports programs through user fees, and pooling among the districts the costs for school-bus transportation, security and building maintenance."
Little 'Middle' Left in Apple Schools: ED. DEPT. MOVING TOWARD K-8 FORMAT
Date CapturedTuesday January 02 2007, 5:04 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Perhaps not by coincidence, city officials say, middle-graders in K-8 schools are consistently scoring higher on reading and math tests than those in middle schools. 'There is less violence in these schools, the achievement is somewhat better and the attendance is higher. That's the bottom line,' said Kathleen Cashin, superintendent of Region 5, which covers some of the poorest neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens. She added that the configuration was in high demand by parents looking for stability for their children and to keep older and younger siblings together longer. "
Safety personnel to work after school and Saturdays at Minnesota school
Date CapturedFriday December 29 2006, 11:24 PM
Winona Post reports, "Citing heavy use after school hours, the District 861 School Board approved the addition of safety specialists to the middle and high schools to supervise building activity on weekends and evenings. According to Community Education Director Margaret Schild, until now buildings have had no formal supervision, with most issues defaulting to the maintenance worker on duty in the building. But particularly at the high school, many students remain in the building after the end of the school day for one activity or another, or sometimes just to hang out in a safe and familiar place with friends, Schild said. At the middle school, heavy use by groups for Saturday functions or after-school activities create the need for building supervision there."
Scanners may check school students', visitors' IDs
Date CapturedFriday December 29 2006, 4:52 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "They've added security cameras. They've given students identification cards. Wappingers, Dutchess County's largest school district, now is considering heightened security for visitors who come into John Jay and Roy C. Ketcham high schools."
Merging schools, violence?
Date CapturedThursday December 28 2006, 12:23 PM
THE DECATUR DAILY reports, "Increased violence is the No. 1 concern of Lawrence County [Alabama] students who were surveyed about the possible consolidation of high schools. The school board recently agreed to pursue a school realignment plan. The board has not approved a specific plan, but most board members said they are open to consolidating the seven county high schools into one, two or three schools. All plans would include the construction of a new high school."
Mount Vernon school board considering uniforms for students
Date CapturedThursday December 28 2006, 6:00 AM
The Journal News reports, "The proposed policy is the latest in a series of changes by the new principal, Stephen Jackson, in an effort to turn around the troubled high school. The school has a new computerized security system that requires students to swipe identification cards to enter the building or the school cafeteria. Jackson has also implemented tougher penalties for breaking school rules and has overseen the creation of a ninth-grade academy for incoming students. Jackson said the uniform policy would reduce discipline problems and make it easier for school staff to spot intruders."
Inside Albany (IA)
Date CapturedFriday December 22 2006, 9:10 PM
This weekend on IA: Janitors go green-State agencies and schools switch to environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Check schedule.
Parents up-in-arms after school tests positive for lead
Date CapturedThursday December 21 2006, 7:35 AM
News 10 reports, "School and health officials[in Marathon, NY] say the levels aren't high enough to cause health problems. But, some samples had high enough levels that Appleby had to take action. All drinking fountains have been replaced with water coolers and taps are being flushed on a daily basis. After learning school officials have known about the problem for years, parents are upset they weren't told earlier."
Breath tests for students becoming more common
Date CapturedWednesday December 20 2006, 5:17 AM
Newsday reports, "In New Hampshire, a school board recently approved allowing breath tests on school grounds of students suspected of drinking. Closer to home, school districts in Hewlett-Woodmere, Rockville Centre and West Islip have passed similar policies."
Gangs a presence in Utica, but severity of problem unclear
Date CapturedSunday December 17 2006, 8:29 AM
Utica Observer-Dispatch reports, "According to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office gang-related database, dozens of gang members are among the more than 4,000 inmates that are brought annually to the jail. In 2003, the Oneida County jail took in 79 confirmed gang members, followed by 64 in 2004 and 30 in 2005. Utica Mayor Tim Julian said city police have closely monitored gang activity since 2004, and he is concerned."
A cheap, effective way to curb injuries on school buses
Date CapturedSunday December 17 2006, 8:18 AM
The Journal News reports, "State law mandates all front-seat passengers to wear seat belts, and it requires children under the age of 16 to wear them even in the back seat. Children under the age of 4 must ride in child safety seats and, since March 2005, those up to the age of 7 must ride in booster seats. The penalty for a seat-belt or car-seat violation is a fine of up $50. This is one safety measure that wouldn't cost taxpayers a dime. Lap seat belts already exist on any bus manufactured since 1987. All the state has to do is require students to buckle them."
Negotiations Are Signaled on Phone Ban in City Schools
Date CapturedSaturday December 16 2006, 8:41 AM
NY Times ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS reports, "David Cantor, a spokesman for Chancellor Joel I. Klein, said yesterday that the school system stood by the cellphone ban. But the Department of Education said earlier this week that it was considering whether to hire a private vendor to store students’ cellphones in small lockers outside schools for a fee of 25 to 50 cents a day."
Connecticut lawmakers want to investigate licensing policy of school bus drivers
Date CapturedFriday December 15 2006, 9:30 AM
AP reports, "On Thursday, The Hartford Courant reported that about 100 convicted felons are licensed to drive school buses and 900 more have motor vehicle violations."
Board to consider policy for student sex offenders
Date CapturedFriday December 15 2006, 9:24 AM
Leavenworth Times (Kansas) reports, "The superintendent said he believes board members will look at a separate policy that addresses the student issue after they’re done with the piece dealing with adult registered sex offenders. Aytes confirmed there is one student attending Leavenworth High School who appears on a state registry of sexual offenders. For now, this student is able to attend classes. Aytes said the student is prohibited from participating and attending other school activities."
What do you think of New York City Department of Education's school cell phone plan?
Date CapturedThursday December 14 2006, 7:54 AM
NY1 Snap Poll: What do you think of the Department of Education's school cell phone plan? VOTE HERE!
Alabama student drivers to be drug tested
Date CapturedWednesday December 13 2006, 8:53 AM
Cullman Times reports, "According to the policy, any 'activity student,' which is any student of any middle school or high school who participates in school-sponsored extracurricular activities or who drives to school, may be tested for drugs."
Crime, Violence, Discipline and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2003-04
Date CapturedTuesday December 12 2006, 11:20 AM
This NCES report provides a first look at select findings from the 2003–04 SSOCS data. Focusing on the three themes emphasized in the survey, descriptive statistics are provided on: the frequency of criminal incidents at school, the use of disciplinary actions, and the efforts to prevent and reduce crime at school. Guerino, P., Hurwitz, M.D., Noonan, M.E., and Kaffenberger, S.M. (2006). Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2003-04 (NCES 2007-302). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
UCLA Probes Computer Security Breach
Date CapturedTuesday December 12 2006, 11:01 AM
AP reports, "The University of California, Los Angeles alerted about 800,000 current and former students, faculty and staff on Tuesday that their names and certain personal information were exposed after a hacker broke into a campus computer system. It was one of the largest such breaches involving a U.S. higher education institution."
New report estimates higher number of school bus injuries
Date CapturedTuesday December 12 2006, 5:58 AM
The Journal News reports, "The study recommends that better supervision on the bus may reduce school-bus related injuries. That means hiring a bus monitor to ride on the bus, which would allow the bus driver to focus on driving and let the monitor concentrate on keeping order on the bus. Districts in the Lower Hudson Valley have varying policies. In Yonkers, for example, about 85 percent of the buses have monitors. In Rockland's Pearl River district, monitors are only used on buses that transport children with special needs. The study was inconclusive over whether the use of seat belts on school buses would make a difference in reducing school-bus related injuries. In New York, school buses built since 1987 are required to have lap belts. School districts can mandate buckling, but only a handful statewide have done so, said state Director of Pupil Transportation Marion Edick."
School fights pornographic Web site
Date CapturedTuesday December 12 2006, 5:47 AM
The Post-Standard reports, "Central Square school officials are trying to shut down a pornographic Web site that uses the district's name."
Schools bag purses in class
Date CapturedMonday December 11 2006, 5:35 AM
USA Today reports, "Some high school administrators charged with keeping their students safe are zeroing in on a potential vulnerability: the purses many teenage girls say they can't live without."
Maine Maritime Academy Begins Community Policing
Date CapturedFriday December 08 2006, 6:42 PM
Wcsh6.com reports, "Hundreds of campuses across the country use community policing and officials say it has helped to decrease assualt, thefts and drunk driving."
Kids riding the bus should look out for each other
Date CapturedFriday December 08 2006, 6:45 AM
Denise-Marie Santiago opines, "Bystanders can make the difference, too. Students on the bus can be encouraged to sit and befriend others who sit alone or are isolated, which reduces the likelihood that bullies will bully. Fair to say children learn all kinds of lessons on the school bus. Watching out for one another is better than most."
BB gun fired on school bus
Date CapturedFriday December 08 2006, 6:14 AM
Press & Sun-Bulletin report, "After arriving at the scene, police took students off the bus. They then searched the bus and found and confiscated a BB gun, Deinhardt said. After the search, the bus continued on its run to the high school."
Statement by Secretary Spellings on the Release of Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006
Date CapturedThursday December 07 2006, 7:57 AM
The federal government supports local efforts to improve school safety by providing assistance and lending expertise, along with $535 million this year to fund programs directly related to school safety. Other funding measures include: More than $1 billion through the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant program since the grant was first awarded in 1999. $115 million over the past four years through the Department of Education's Emergency Response & Crisis Management grant program to improve and expand upon school crisis response plans, including $26 million this year for the School Emergency Preparedness Initiative to help elementary and secondary schools plan and prepare for threats, including shootings and gang-related activity. Through a partnership with the Secret Service, funding to train 74,000 local education and law enforcement personnel in threat assessment. Under Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence), $24 million since 2001 for schools impacted by violence to restore their learning environment.
Nassau Community College to pay for credit monitoring
Date CapturedThursday December 07 2006, 4:59 AM
Newsday reports, "The trustees' action comes after the personal information of all of the college's 21,000-plus students, contained in a bound computer printout, was reported missing from a worker's desk Nov. 28. Nassau County police are investigating. Third Squad detectives 'have begun interviewing' college employees, said Det. Lt. Raymond Cote."
School safety: ICSD security upgrades necessary
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 7:49 AM
Ithaca Journal opines, "The ICSD Board of Education is currently weighing whether to invest $500,000 in a new security system that incorporates a key card access system and cameras. The money would come in the bond referendum the BOE is deciding to bring before voters early next year. It is still too early to tell whether each component on the district's wish list is worth the money needed to pay for a new security system. But the events of Nov. 13 should give everyone in the district something to think about when deciding what should and should not be approved. Perhaps our old system of locking doors just isn't working."
Bullies aboard
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 6:21 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "For too many area students, the ride from home to school, and back again, aboard a crowded bus can be a daily exercise in humiliation and physical threat."
Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006
Date CapturedMonday December 04 2006, 2:12 PM
A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It provides the most current detailed statistical information to inform the Nation on the nature of crime in schools. This report presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population from an array of sources--the National Crime Victimization Survey, the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the School Survey on Crime and Safety and the School and Staffing Survey. Data on crime away from school are also presented to place school crime in the context of crime in the larger society. Dinkes, R., Cataldi, E.F., Kena, G., and Baum, K. (2006). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006 (NCES 2007–003/NCJ 214262). U.S. Departments of Education and Justice. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Manual Rivera: 'We can't give up on kids'
Date CapturedFriday December 01 2006, 7:29 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Rivera, whose presence in education has spanned three decades, also discussed the trends of middle school students who are several years behind in reading, the district's high school dropouts and the rising culture of violence in schools. 'We can't give up on kids, so if teachers are telling me they're not sure if a second- or third-grader has any potential, then maybe it's the teacher that needs to go,' said Rivera, who recently became co-chair of an education task force for Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer."
SAFE COURSE: SCHOOLS TO MAP KIDS' TRAVEL ROUTES
Date CapturedFriday December 01 2006, 6:57 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Students at nearly 1,500 public and parochial elementary and middle schools will soon get maps detailing the safest way for them to get to school, under a much-delayed city project unveiled yesterday. In addition to the maps, city officials announced that construction on long-term improvements around 32 of 135 schools prone to traffic hazards would begin late next year."
High schoolers get education on new gun law with prison time
Date CapturedThursday November 30 2006, 7:54 AM
AP reports, "Officials warned an audience of [Westchester]high schoolers Wednesday to resist the temptation to carry a gun - or even hold one for a friend - because getting caught now means a minimum sentence of 3.5 years in prison."
SIUC Student Code under fire after incident
Date CapturedTuesday November 28 2006, 8:39 AM
The Southern (Illinois) reports, "The SIUC Student Code was based on a national model published in the 'Journal of College and University Law,' Dietz said. It was most recently reviewed top to bottom in 2003 by a committee dedicated to the purpose. Specific sections of the code are open to review when a formal request is made by an organization formally recognized by the university. The code as it stands now addresses two issues of student misbehavior - 'academic dishonesty' and 'social misconduct.' It is the latter part that seems to have attracted the most negative attention. The issue is due process. Dietz said two philosophies are at work in the student conduct code. One favors student development and uses education to change behavior. The idea is for the student to learn from the error."
Fighting gangs from inside, out
Date CapturedTuesday November 28 2006, 8:03 AM
Newsday Mitchell Freedman reports, "Riverhead thus became the first community in New York State to team a jail-based program with a school-based one, also run by the council, a national not-for-profit group. And, the Riverhead Police Department is working to develop a companion anti-gang program with the council. The program is designed to show gang members who are inmates that there is an alternative to street violence, and that gang membership often leads to long jail time, with former gang members sharing their own experiences. It offers job training and remedial education, and it strives to give those who enroll a sense of belonging to a different kind of family."
NY Watchdog: `Serious problems' at state-run Gossett youth center
Date CapturedTuesday November 28 2006, 7:26 AM
AP reports, "'This report raises larger societal issues about why we are seeing an increase of serious mental illness among these disadvantaged and troubled teens, and what we should be doing to address this,' said state Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, an Ithaca Democrat, who called for the investigation. Gossett is one of the state's 10 limited- or medium-security youth centers. It serves up to 150 teenagers with 130 workers. The state owned and operated center was named for the actor who has been an advocate for troubled youths."
school's comeback formula: Expel cynicism, stress reform
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 1:28 PM
Boston Globe reports, "Randolph Community is one of 57 Massachusetts schools now in "restructuring" under the state's school accountability system, and its attempts to improve student performance underscore the urgency, and the difficulty, involved as low-performing schools demand previously unattainable results . The school's reform campaign, though unusual in its scope, illustrates how the pressure to raise test scores is forcing many schools to adopt new strategies to get students up to speed. In Randolph, school officials blamed a culture of low expectations and mediocrity for students' weak performance, and set out to destroy it. By making students feel more connected to the school, educators hope to instill a sense of purpose and responsibility that will improve focus and behavior."
Rockland to weigh scary scenario: school terrorism
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 9:37 AM
THE JOURNAL NEWS reports, "More than 400 education and law enforcement professionals from Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties are scheduled to attend a two-day terrorism seminar this week at Rockland Community College. The seminar is based on the 2004 siege of a school in Beslan, Russia."
Schools spending more on security: Utica, Rome respond to recent shootings
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 8:23 AM
Observer-Dispatch reports, "Woodward [ director of training and technical assistance at the Center for Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado] suggests school districts do a comprehensive review of their individual needs before spending. For example, districts should annually survey parents, students and teachers to identify possible dangers. Then administrators should target money to areas which present the greatest threat."
Cell phone letters fall on deaf ears
Date CapturedFriday November 24 2006, 5:39 AM
The Queens Courier reports, "Although the situations of angry parents and students who sent complaints about the City's cell phone ban in schools were varied, their messages were similar: 'Our children have the right to have immediate access to their parents,' one parent wrote."
Schools push radioactive safety
Date CapturedThursday November 23 2006, 7:43 AM
AP reports, "School labs have used low-level radioactive materials safely for decades; experts say they're critical in teaching physics and chemistry. Sealed samples -- often leftovers from past experiments -- frequently are saved in closets and storerooms. But as teachers retire and containers get shoved aside to make way for new samples, it's easy for schools to lose track of what they've got, or to store them incorrectly, said Dr. Sandra West, an associate biology professor at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos."
New Jersey Senate panel pushes gang prevention education
Date CapturedWednesday November 22 2006, 8:16 AM
Bridgeton News reports, "Proposed laws designed to crack down on criminal gangs that have spread throughout New Jersey and prevent them from enlisting youngsters were released by a Senate committee on Monday. Under one bill, all schools would be required to educate elementary students on preventing gang violence."
For school buses, how safe is safe enough?
Date CapturedWednesday November 22 2006, 6:44 AM
The Christian Science Monitor writes, "Advocates of safety belts on the ubiquitous yellow buses say this accident is proof that the nation is failing to properly protect its children by not requiring buses to have seat belts (something required of the family car). Opponents say that the buses' current design - with high, padded seat backs and emergency exits - are safe enough, and that certain types of seat belts, like a simple lap belt, could even be harmful. Nonetheless, even before the crash, the NTSB had put school-bus safety on its list of most-wanted safety improvements."
No spare time for lost school bus: Call in, ask for help
Date CapturedWednesday November 22 2006, 6:23 AM
The Journal News opined, "Buses will be delayed by traffic conditions or road detours at times. Substitute drivers are sometimes needed. Yet, we believe this incident was all the more upsetting because a health department worker first appeared to downplay the situation, and the parents believed they were given little information not only during, but after the event. Really, what matters here is common sense and clear procedures. If a bus is more than 10 minutes behind schedule, an aide or driver should have an easy and efficient way to communicate with a supervisor or dispatcher, which, in turn, should alert parents. If a driver is unsure about a route, early contact within minutes is needed. The communication technology is available. It should be used. There should never be a question about the location of a school bus."
'School Squeeze' Protest
Date CapturedWednesday November 22 2006, 6:06 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "At a meeting with Department of Education officials following the protest, parents voiced concerns about safety, overcrowding and the agency's refusal to commit to its own projected timetable to move the Columbia school to a new location in two to three years. "
NTSB Urges Cell Phone Ban for Bus Drivers
Date CapturedWednesday November 22 2006, 3:49 AM
The Washington Post reports, "The National Transportation Safety Board today urged the federal and state governments to forbid motor coach and school bus drivers from using cell phones while driving, except in emergencies."
Critics Question the Effectiveness of New Jersey’s High School Drug Tests
Date CapturedWednesday November 22 2006, 3:40 AM
NY Times reports, "The program, adopted in June by the state’s Interscholastic Athletic Association, made New Jersey the first state to require such tests. Only public and private school athletes competing in state playoffs, including players in this fall’s football playoffs, are subject to the tests. During this school year, about 500, or .002 percent, of the state’s 240,000 high school athletes are expected to be tested. Critics say that is too small a number to create a deterrent, and some suggest that the money spent on the program could be better used to educate more students about drugs and their risks."
Enhance school safety
Date CapturedTuesday November 21 2006, 10:36 AM
Buffalo News writes, "Superintendent James A. Williams has made ending school violence one of his top priorities by launching his own version of a zero-tolerance approach. Academy@44, an alternative school for troubled students, opened this fall after the district went without an alternative school for several years. That school deserves solid district support as it establishes itself."
School bus driver even at end kept his riders safe
Date CapturedTuesday November 21 2006, 6:45 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guest essayist Frank Ponticello, in a tribute to Carl Desens writes, "I'm not surprised that Carl pulled the school bus off the road, out of harm's way, before he passed out."
Mount Vernon officials secure grant to help police keep kids in school
Date CapturedTuesday November 21 2006, 6:26 AM
The Journal News reports, "Under the grant, eight police officers will be assigned to to locating and returning students to their schools. Capt. Robert Kelly will lead the unit. The $143,000 grant is from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services. When children are returned to the school, their parents will be contacted and will have to come in the next day for a conference with the teacher, Smith said. Other measures include attendance, teachers visiting the homes, and counseling for the students."
Schools Struggle for Middle Ground on Safety
Date CapturedMonday November 20 2006, 1:28 PM
NPR reports, "In the weeks since the school shootings in Lancaster, Pa., school districts around the country have been re-examining their security practices to make sure they're prepared for the worst."
Keep kids safe: Violence and drugs are hurting students' ability to learn
Date CapturedMonday November 20 2006, 7:27 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle writes on City Schools Superintendent Manuel Rivera, "As the force behind the Rochester Children's Zone, Rivera is a good choice for Spitzer's transition team. This effort, modeled after the successful Harlem Children's Zone, aims to coordinate community resources to attack the societal ills that make kids want to carry guns, for example. The Children's Zone has received enthusiastic words of support from community leaders who know that cleaning up drugs, violence and family problems in Rochester will make it easier for children to succeed in school. Coming up with concrete resources has been a struggle. Rivera should impress upon Spitzer the importance of state support for programs that are successfully helping young people resist drug traffic, for example, and the associated weapons problems. Too often, programs that deal with students' lives outside the classroom fall victim to budget cuts."
Plattsburgh State to increase dorm security
Date CapturedMonday November 20 2006, 6:20 AM
The Press Republican reports, "Replacing the Cardinal Cards students now use for identification, meal plans and debit purposes, the new ones will include proximity-card readers, which allow touchless entry to buildings. The project will also include the installation of security cameras at all doors with electronic access, as well as in elevators and laundry rooms. The cameras will record but will not be constantly monitored. University Police Chief Arlene Sabo said all the security measures are things students have requested."
View from school bus: Be patient
Date CapturedMonday November 20 2006, 5:36 AM
The Post-Standard JIM McKEEVER writes, "Last week's item in this space about [Syracuse] school buses forcing drivers to wait up to five minutes for a child to come out to the bus generated some confusion. And some bad feelings."
New York schools' building bonanza
Date CapturedMonday November 20 2006, 5:00 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "A one-time dose of state money injected into local school districts has fueled a frenzy of expansion and construction proposals. Eight districts have either gone to voters recently or plan to do so next month. The state Department of Education expects to see an increase in proposals as well. The state sweetened the pot this year with aid dubbed "Excel," or Expand Our Childrens' Education and Learning aid. Every district in the state can get the money if they have a project that fits: expansion or renovations, technology, health and safety, or access for the disabled. The money is a one-time shot. Districts can wait, but no one knows how much money future Legislatures and governors will set aside for the program."
Less costly options needed for Rochester special events, schools
Date CapturedSunday November 19 2006, 7:17 PM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle writes, "Too many well-paid, high-ranking police officers are upping their pension benefits using the city's liberal overtime policies. And they're doing it by providing such off-duty services as crosswalk escorting at busy downtown intersections during events at the Blue Cross Arena. Officers, on regular duty, are also being assigned to city schools to help maintain order and prevent violence. But it's arguable whether such assignments are the best use of trained law enforcement personnel."
Tax credits for private school tuition? No
Date CapturedSunday November 19 2006, 7:10 PM
NY Daily News contributor Randi Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers writes, "Our children need and deserve smaller classes where teachers can give them more individual attention. They need and deserve schools that are safe, and they need and deserve teachers who are highly qualified. But we must not forget that our obligation is to help all children - not just a few."
New Jersey property tax reform, anti-gang ideas top agenda
Date CapturedSunday November 19 2006, 6:43 PM
AP TOM HESTER Jr. reports, "The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee will consider several bills aimed at combating gangs and youth violence. The bills passed the Assembly last spring, but haven't received the required Senate consideration. They would: _Require school boards to offer elementary school students instruction in gang violence prevention. _Require the state attorney general to provide annual gang education seminars for school administrators. _Upgrades recruiting a minor to be in a criminal street gang to a second degree crime."
Cops, dogs case Newburgh's South Junior High in lockdown drill
Date CapturedFriday November 17 2006, 7:07 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "Lots of districts conduct lockdown drills and surprise searches, but helping police train is a new idea in Newburgh. Of course, if the K-9 teams find contraband that hasn't been planted for the drill, they'll proceed accordingly. In a similar exercise at the district's high school Wednesday, K-9 units from local agencies sniffed out a dime bag of marijuana in an 11th-grade girl's locker. The student was issued an appearance ticket for possession of marijuana and suspended, pending a superintendent's hearing."
Homework not fonework, sez Mike
Date CapturedFriday November 17 2006, 5:11 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Parents and students have argued that cell phones are useful in emergencies. But Bloomberg has repeatedly said cell phones disrupt classes. And despite growing calls for him to lift the ban on the phones, iPods and other gadgets, the mayor says he's not budging."
Firms sue to put brakes on New York City school bus cuts
Date CapturedFriday November 17 2006, 5:11 AM
NY Daily News reports, "A coalition of school bus companies sued the city Education Department yesterday in a last-ditch bid to stop the planned elimination of 250 routes. The 10 bus companies claim in the suit that the Education Department's Dec. 4 reorganization will cause chaos among students. The companies also argued that the cuts violate their contract with City Hall."
Police use stun gun on student who wouldn't show ID at UCLA library, refused to leave
Date CapturedThursday November 16 2006, 6:06 PM
AP reports, "Police say the student refused to show I-D and wouldn't leave when told to. They say he invited others at the library to join in his resistance, and when a crowd gathered, the officer used a stun gun on him."
Rome schools may get security system, including video surveillance
Date CapturedThursday November 16 2006, 5:51 AM
Observer-Dispatch reports, "The plan calls for 86 surveillance cameras to be installed at Rome's eight elementary schools. The funding will be covered through federal grants and state aid, said Deputy Superintendent Jeffrey Simons. Along with the new cameras, most building access will be limited to the main doorways at the schools, making it safer for both students and staff, he said."
New York City parents peeved over cell phone ban
Date CapturedWednesday November 15 2006, 4:59 AM
amNewYork City Michael Clancy reports, "The public school system has prohibited cell phones in school buildings for years, but the policy was generally not enforced at most schools. Last spring, the issue exploded when school officials started performing random searches for weapons systemwide and guards seized hundreds of cell phones. Critics of the ban also say students who attend schools with permanent metal detectors suffer more than children at schools without the detectors because students at those schools are allowed to bend the rules."
Dozens of NYC parents e-mail City Hall over cell phone ban
Date CapturedWednesday November 15 2006, 4:12 AM
AP reports, "Gotbaum [public advocate] and some other lawmakers say principals should set their own policies. They site safety as the No. 1 concern. In the e-mails, some parents pointed to the Sept. 11 disaster and the daily threat of terrorism as the primary reasons why their children need phones. "The reality is that the NYC subway system is vulnerable to terrorist attack," said the parent of a ninth grader. 'When we have so little control over these horrific incidents, and must continue to live our lives (as Mayor Bloomberg suggests we do), something as simple and basic as cell phone contact with our children should not be up for negotiation.' Another wrote: 'She and I both feel a little less crazy knowing that if something major happens - an accident, a crisis - that she can be in touch with me. If your child went to school blocks from ground zero, you'd know what I'm talking about.'"
Bus stop issues are unresolved
Date CapturedTuesday November 14 2006, 7:04 AM
The Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "More than 10 weeks into the school year, parents in Dutchess County's largest school district are still battling to have their children's bus stops changed."
Buffalo schools weather test of new, speedy phone system
Date CapturedMonday November 13 2006, 11:29 AM
Buffalo News reports, "In Buffalo, school officials can specify who will receive the calls - for example, all parents and staff, students at one particular school or in a single class, all sixth-graders in the district, or a handful of students scheduled to be honored at a Board of Education meeting."
Class Drug Swabs
Date CapturedMonday November 13 2006, 4:51 AM
NY Post HEIDI SINGER and DAVID ANDREATTA report, "In a matter of minutes, officials can determine what kind of illegal narcotics are in their school, where drug dealers might be lurking and how young the users are. Newark school officials want to use the information to fine-tune their anti-drug message, adjusting it to the reality of what drugs kids are actually using, said Willie Freeman, security director for the Newark School District. But officials won't be using the test to bust individual kids, he said."
POLL FINDS SUPPORT FOR DRUG TESTS
Date CapturedSunday November 12 2006, 4:31 PM
Courier News reports, "In the weeks ahead, Central Jersey's high-school athletes will face a new challenge that has nothing to do with X's and O's or executing plays. They'll be subject to new, random testing for performance-enhancing drugs. An exclusive Courier News poll of 100 playoff-bound athletes shows widespread belief that the testing will level the playing field and create more of a dialogue about performance- enhancing drugs, but also some concerns about the program's fairness."
BAT BAN OFF BASE: SCHOOLS
Date CapturedSunday November 12 2006, 7:37 AM
NY Post reports, "The Catholic High Schools' Athletic Association sent a letter to all 51 council members urging them not to vote for the measure, which would require all high schools in the city to use wooden bats for safety reasons."
Asbestos in Schools
Date CapturedFriday November 10 2006, 8:20 AM
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reminder of Annual AHERA Notifications to Employees and Parents
Date CapturedFriday November 10 2006, 8:16 AM
Public and nonpublic schools must also provide a written notification to all parent, teacher, and employee organizations of the availability of the school’s asbestos management plan for public inspection. A description of the steps to notify these organizations, as well as a dated copy of the notification, is to be maintained in the asbestos plan. The asbestos management plans are to be made available for inspection to representatives of the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the State, the public, including parents, teachers, and other school personnel within five working days after receiving a request for its inspection.
OSHA Investigating Dispute Over Asbestos Removal at New York City School
Date CapturedFriday November 10 2006, 3:16 AM
NY Times reports, "Last week, the New York State Labor Department, contacted by a lawyer for the custodian, cited the city Department of Education for violating laws on the safe removal of asbestos. It said the Education Department’s asbestos-handling license had expired before some of the tiles were replaced and that the supervisor was not certified to perform the work."
LIVE VIDEO WEBCAST --SCHOOL SAFETY
Date CapturedThursday November 09 2006, 8:07 AM
LIVE VIDEO WEBCAST: Wednesday, November 15, 2006. Live broadcast from 1:00-2:00pm EASTERN TIME.School Safety In the wake of recent school shootings and the subsequent White House Conference on School Safety, the U.S. Department of Education will present a one-hour Web cast to provide parents, educators, school administrators and local safety personnel with an opportunity to review their emergency management plans. The Department's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools will share successful strategies so that all who share the responsibility of protecting our children can learn more about how schools can help mitigate, prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from a crisis. Join the broadcast to learn how to take positive steps to prevent school violence and respond quickly and effectively if an incident does occur. The Web cast will offer many opportunities for viewers to ask questions via email and get answers from the presenters.
NCLB education law punishes honesty
Date CapturedWednesday November 08 2006, 10:26 AM
The Bulletin (Idaho) reports, "Thus, if a school expels more than one student per 100 student body members for violent crimes and the like, it earns the 'dangerous' list. Jefferson County expelled a dozen kids out of 675 in the last school year, including three for possession of weapons other than guns. Like school districts across the state, the district headquartered in Madras has a zero-tolerance policy where violence and weapons are concerned. It's a good policy, too, if what you care about is student safety. It's less helpful when being used as a measure of educational quality under NCLB, for it's not the policy being used across the nation."
American School Bus Council Statement on New Study of School Bus Injuries
Date CapturedTuesday November 07 2006, 8:03 AM
The study, which analyses the national U.S. database of children treated in hospital emergency departments during the study period 2001-2003, makes three major safety-related points: Just 4 percent of all injuries to children each year in motor vehicle crashes during school travel hours are school bus related. One-third of the injuries sustained were minor strains and sprains. 97 percent of all children with school-bus related injuries were treated and released from the hospital immediately.
Council to weigh anti-gang funding
Date CapturedMonday November 06 2006, 3:02 PM
Times Union reports, "The school district [Albany] will soon introduce gang prevention at the high school and could expand it to the middle schools, according to Superintendent Eva Joseph."
Tag, you're out!
Date CapturedMonday November 06 2006, 8:48 AM
LA Times reports, "Tag is a uniquely elemental game that develops naturally — and kids seem to be hard-wired to play it. At age 4 or 5, children are running around chasing each other, and by the first grade, they've created the rules and organized themselves into a game. 'It's one of the few games left where the adults have absolutely nothing to do with it,' says psychologist Fred Frankel, director of the UCLA Parent Training and Children's Friendship Programs. 'Kids transmit it from generation to generation and spontaneously organize it.'"
Teens who feel 'connected' to school are less likely to get into trouble
Date CapturedMonday November 06 2006, 6:04 AM
The Journal News reports, "A connected school was one where students felt safe, where students felt that teachers listened to them, where students believed that everyone was treated fairly, where conflict resolution and expectations were clear, where discipline was fair and consistent, and where there was an emphasis on academic achievement."
Study, Citing Student Injuries, Calls for Safety Belts
Date CapturedMonday November 06 2006, 3:27 AM
NY Times reports, "Safety belts, particularly lap-shoulder belts, 'could not only prevent injuries related to crashes,' said the lead author, Jennifer McGeehan, a researcher at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Columbus Children’s Hospital in Ohio, but also keep children seated 'so they’re not falling out of their seats when buses make normal turns or brake.'”
California Schools to Fingerprint Students
Date CapturedSunday November 05 2006, 7:45 AM
AP reports, "The scan will call up the student's name and student ID, teacher's name and how much the student owes, since some receive government assistance for food. It is meant to speed up cafeteria lines."
Youth center cited again
Date CapturedThursday November 02 2006, 7:53 AM
Times Union reports, "Berkshire Farm residential center, the target of a 2005 investigation into staff beatings, sex abuse and drug dealing, is back under a microscope after an inspection found youngsters were allowed to fight each other and that their adult supervisors sometimes didn't show up for work. Among other things, the August review by the state Office of Children and Family Services found a 'five minute rule' in effect -- under which young boys were allowed five minutes to beat each other up before an adult intervened."
Some local Ohio schools with polling stations won't hold classes
Date CapturedWednesday November 01 2006, 7:46 AM
Toledo Blade reports, "With school districts nationwide redoubling efforts to lock schools and watch visitors in the wake of a recent upswing in violence, the practice of using school buildings as polling locations has become an increasing concern for some educators."
Got m.i.l.k.? Oakland charter school takes part in safety plan
Date CapturedWednesday November 01 2006, 7:21 AM
Inside Bay Area reports, "In the first local event of its kind, the children's pictures, fingerprints and other identifying data will be saved on a computer disc and sent to their families, along with software that will allow them to update the information. If a child is lost or missing, caregivers will be able to send their photos and other data instantly to the authorities, who can post it publicly."
School threat probed
Date CapturedTuesday October 31 2006, 4:38 AM
Newsday writes on increased security report at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, "The statement also said a letter will be sent home with students today."
Parents bear heightened fears for safety at schools
Date CapturedSunday October 29 2006, 9:25 PM
NorthJersey.com reports, "Based on Gallup data from 2003 to 2006, parents with the least education were the most likely to say they were worried about their children's safety at school: 41 percent of parents with a high-school education or less said they were fearful; 20 percent of parents with some college and just 12 percent of college graduates said the same. Parental worry didn't vary significantly between mothers and fathers, nor did community -- urban, suburban or rural -- appear to affect it."
Wyoming School Safety Drill Upsets Some Parents
Date CapturedSaturday October 28 2006, 7:01 PM
Newsday reports, "Principal David Britten said students weren't told ahead of time to make the drill as realistic as possible. Teachers were informed moments before it took place, he said. 'I think this is the best way to do it,' Britten said. 'We're not looking to scare anyone, but we want a sense of urgency.' But Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody said his officers were not aware students and parents were not told. He said his department will mandate that parents be notified ahead of time in the future."
Strip-searches probed at Rockland BOCES high school
Date CapturedSaturday October 28 2006, 8:39 AM
The Journal News reports, "The strip-searches appear to violate rules and regulations of both the Police Department and the Rockland Board of Cooperative Educational Services. Usually, students are not questioned by police without their parents or guardians being notified or present."
FURY OF BOOTED NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL PARENTS
Date CapturedSaturday October 28 2006, 8:16 AM
NY Post David Andreatta writes, "Parents claimed the principal, Olga Livanis, has cut student counseling sessions, single-sex math and science classes and sports programs; failed to supply students with a crossing guard and a nurse; and ignored their complaints. Some suggested Livanis, whose predecessor stood with parents in their loud public fight against the charter school, had a mandate to quash parent involvement."
Teen-drinking epidemic definitely crosses line
Date CapturedSaturday October 28 2006, 7:56 AM
Troy Record opined on teen drinking and school imposed consequences and plans to deal with the problem, "We are glad that teens who engage in such activity will have to face these tougher consequences. More school districts should take a cue from Averill Park. At the same time, parents everywhere need to be more vigilant and must hold their children accountable for their actions. Teachers and schools are not substitutes for a solid foundation of values taught at home. Children - even today's 'worldly' teenagers - want to know where the line is drawn. It is up to parents to make their children understand what will happen should they cross that line."
Districts mustn't scrimp on efforts to keep schools safe
Date CapturedFriday October 27 2006, 8:40 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guest essayist Richard C. Iannuzzi, president, New York State United Teachers writes, "What does it take to build that trust in a school environment? School health professionals — such as nurses, guidance counselors, social workers and psychologists — must be recognized as integral parts of the school team. Along with teachers, they are trained to build relationships; listen; identify warning signs and overcome adolescents' natural reluctance to confide. They must work tirelessly and in unison to create a culture of trust."
Ithaca Central Schools consider security upgrades: Key card access, cameras may be part of project
Date CapturedThursday October 26 2006, 7:29 AM
Ithaca Journal reports, "Security upgrades costing an estimated $500,000, including a combination of cameras and a key card access system, could be part of an Ithaca City School District facilities bond project. The proposed key card access system, as outlined for the Board of Education on Tuesday, would allow the district to lock or unlock doors and windows through its data network. Facilities Director Paul Alexander said a new access system that would use key cards would save the district time and money."
New York agencies approve Valhalla athletic fields for use
Date CapturedThursday October 26 2006, 6:12 AM
Journal News reports, "State environmental and health officials have given a clean bill of health to a three-acre athletic field at Valhalla High built on loads of dirt and rock."
Pittsburgh city district putting heat on charter school students
Date CapturedWednesday October 25 2006, 7:09 AM
Post-Gazette reports, "The Pittsburgh Public Schools yesterday sent a letter to Pittsburgh's district judges, asking for their help in enforcing compulsory attendance laws involving students at the Career Connections Charter Middle School."
Public vs. Private: What's Better?
Date CapturedTuesday October 24 2006, 7:39 AM
Post-Standard reports, "'Education is the only realm where choices are pretty much tied to where one lives, but schools both public and private are very individual and there are wide variations,' said Margarita Mayo, an education policy specialist for the Business Council of New York State. 'The reasons for their choices are numerous and complicated.'"
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania schools to get silent 911 alarms
Date CapturedFriday October 20 2006, 10:22 AM
AP reports, "The alarm buttons would enable school personnel to signal the dispatch center directly without having to pick up a telephone, dial 911 or talk out loud. Similar panic buttons can be found in banks and district justice offices. The dispatch center would immediately send police to the school."
School to use search dog
Date CapturedFriday October 20 2006, 9:32 AM
Durango Herald reports, "The Ignacio School District [Colorado] board of directors agreed on Thursday to purchase a dog service to search for drugs, guns, alcohol and tobacco in schools."
Changing direction for Philadelphia schools
Date CapturedFriday October 20 2006, 8:20 AM
Philadelphia Inquirer reports, "At the Philadelphia schools, one of the goals on their 'balanced scorecard' centers on attendance. McDaniel, a 525-student school in a city neighborhood with one of the highest rates for shootings that occur during the school day, failed to meet "adequate yearly progress" under the No Child Left Behind law last year, in part because its attendance fell below 90 percent."
Suspension program aims to keep Ithaca students in school
Date CapturedThursday October 19 2006, 9:42 AM
Ithaca Journal reports, "The first half of a student's day is instructional. The last half is spent discussing what got them suspended."
Upgrade could save Rochester district $1 million annually in costs
Date CapturedThursday October 19 2006, 6:13 AM
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Each school will be equipped with a communications platform with embedded voice mail capabilities, making it adjustable to increased user demand, and increasing the chance that district computer needs won't outgrow the computer system's capabilities." The phones have can send text messages in case of emergencies.
Goal Set for School Athletes
Date CapturedThursday October 19 2006, 5:22 AM
Post-Standard reports, "Scores of Syracuse high school athletes, males and females, will be trained to recognize and defuse violence against women through a program called Mentors in Violence Prevention. The eventual plan is for those high school students to train middle schoolers and create a school culture in which violence against females is unacceptable."
Colleges using sobering tactics to curb partying
Date CapturedMonday October 16 2006, 7:26 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Area colleges are taking several steps to try to dissuade or clamp down on underage and excessive student drinking. While Sunday marked the start of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, dealing with alcohol is a year-round endeavor at schools. It also is an uphill battle. Underage alcohol consumption is by far the most common crime committed on college campuses, according to federal statistics. Various studies show that a sizable minority of students nationwide drink frequently and heavily, and many end up in academic trouble, in scrapes with the law, and running health and safety risks."
School Gruel in Gross Cafeterias
Date CapturedMonday October 16 2006, 7:01 AM
NY Post reports, "A staggering 360 school cafeterias - nearly one out of every three - is infested with mice, according to shocking new health-inspection reports obtained by The Post. In all, 111 schools - nearly one in 10 - were slapped with so many flagrant food violations that they flunked their inspections. That's more than triple the prior year's 3 percent failure rate. And the total number of rodent violations in school food areas jumped 10 percent during the 2005-2006 academic year - to 413 from 370 the prior year."
Crack down on school truancy
Date CapturedFriday October 13 2006, 10:31 AM
Sun-Times News reports, "The ordinance provides for 'investigatory detention,' meaning a police officer may stop and detain a person whom the officer reasonably suspects to be violating the ordinance for the purpose of verifying the detained person's identity, age, school enrollment and authority to be absent from school. The subject shall be promptly released upon verification of authorization to be absent from school."
Wappingers bus drivers picket school district over contract
Date CapturedFriday October 13 2006, 6:12 AM
The Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "The 131 members of the Wappingers Federation of Workers who participated were a mix of part-time bus drivers and night custodians and mechanics. They said they wanted to express their support for bus safety and protest their expired contract."
Texas Police Offer Gang Education in Spanish
Date CapturedThursday October 12 2006, 8:39 PM
Kfoxtv.com reports, "Through labeled pictures of gang members and their common dress codes, parents learned all they need to know, and how to keep their children away from gangs."
Tough bus check policy approved by local Michigan board
Date CapturedThursday October 12 2006, 7:43 PM
THE FLINT JOURNAL reports, "The policy requires that every district bus driver is required to do a thorough inspection of a district vehicle to make sure that no students or passengers remain on the vehicle."
Police to step up enforcement of school-bus laws
Date CapturedThursday October 12 2006, 6:49 AM
The Journal News reports, "The one-day crackdown is part of the statewide 'Operation Safe Stop' - a precursor to 'National School Bus Safety Week,' which is Oct. 15 to 21. Operation Safe Stop is geared toward promoting school bus safety through education and enforcement."
Conference on School Safety
Date CapturedThursday October 12 2006, 12:24 AM
The White House: Welcome to "Ask the White House" -- an online interactive forum where you can submit questions to Administration officials and friends of the White House. Visit the "Ask the White House" archives to read other discussions with White House officials.
Bush Holding Summit on School Violence
Date CapturedTuesday October 10 2006, 9:05 AM
AP Ben Feller reports, "Compelled to respond to a spike in school violence, the Bush administration is hoping that a high-profile summit will get the word out about safety. President Bush called for Tuesday's conference after three shooting rampages in two weeks unnerved the nation. Communities in Colorado, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are still grieving."
October Proclaimed Cyber Security Awareness Month in New York State
Date CapturedMonday October 09 2006, 1:50 PM
Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure: "Whereas, each of us has a critical role in maintaining the security of cyberspace, and a greater awareness of computer-associated risks will improve the integrity of New York State’s information infrastructure and economy; the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the US Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance have designated October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and New York State joins in the observance of this worthy cause and in support of its crucial goals;"
New York state and Guardian Angels partner in online safety prgram
Date CapturedMonday October 09 2006, 1:45 PM
AP reports, "Teachers will also be taught to make sure students' work has not been plagiarized and learn how to detect and stop cyber-bullying: attacks on children by other children through e-mail, instant messaging or rumors on Web sites."
Stress, trauma a reality for some kids in school
Date CapturedSunday October 08 2006, 9:28 AM
Enterprise reports, "School psychologists across the region agree. From day-to-day anxiety over high-stakes testing and problems at home, to tragic deaths from accident or illness, to increased bullying and fights in school yards, to fear of violence erupting in their classroom — students today face a multitude of challenges not often seen by their parents or grandparents."
Alternative Buffalo school called 'explosive'
Date CapturedSaturday October 07 2006, 2:55 PM
Buffalo News reports, "Shortages in staffing, security, supplies and instruction have created an "explosive situation" at Buffalo's new alternative school for troubled students, the president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation has charged."
President Bush's Radio Address
Date CapturedSaturday October 07 2006, 12:57 PM
Office of the Press Secretary, October 7, 2006: "As we work to keep our classrooms safe, we must also ensure that the children studying there get a good education. I believe every child can learn. So when I came to Washington, I worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, and I was proud to sign it into law. The theory behind this law is straightforward: We expect every school in America to teach every student to read, write, add, and subtract."
Visitors by appointment only at one Pennsylvania school
Date CapturedSaturday October 07 2006, 7:59 AM
AP reports, "All visitors, including parents, must make an appointment before entering Neil Armstrong Elementary School under a policy school officials said took effect Friday."
COLUMBIA PREZ TALKS TOUGH
Date CapturedSaturday October 07 2006, 7:47 AM
NY Post opined on Columbia University event, "During the fracas, hooligans didn't merely shout down a speaker who happened to oppose illegal immigration; they physically attacked him, forced him to flee and sparked an outright brawl."
New Policy To Oversee Jamestown HS Volunteers
Date CapturedSaturday October 07 2006, 7:31 AM
The Post-Journal reports, "While infrequent volunteers only need a building principal’s clearance, those working in the classroom on a near daily basis will now need to be fingerprinted and approved by the school board."
Columbia University Investigation to Look at Facebook
Date CapturedFriday October 06 2006, 9:11 AM
Columbia Spectator reports, "The investigation comes after a violent protest broke out in Roone Arledge Auditorium during a speech by Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, an organization that patrols the U.S.-Mexican border for illegal immigrants. Shortly after the speaker took the stage, several audience members rushed onto the stage with banners, sparking a physical conflict and prompting the early cancellation of the speech."
Nanuet turns to text-messaging to notify parents
Date CapturedFriday October 06 2006, 6:37 AM
The Journal News reports, "It used to be that phone calls and, more recently, e-mails were the only way to reach parents during school emergencies. The Nanuet school district is adding a new tool to its communications arsenal: text messaging."
Vigilance at school is everyone's responsibility
Date CapturedThursday October 05 2006, 8:20 AM
The Press-Republican opined, "The public also needs to be watchful. Whether you have kids in school, our communities need to have their members be aware of the potential dangers that daily face their school staff and students. Observe and report what you might consider to be untoward or unusual behavior. We don't want to be alarmists. However, recent events compel us to be ever more vigilant in and around our schools. Our kids are depending on us."
Recent School Shootings Raise Questions About New York City Schools Cell Phone Policy
Date CapturedWednesday October 04 2006, 7:30 PM
NY1 reports, "He [NYC Mayor Bloomberg] says the city has taken the appropriate steps to help make children safe in the classroom, with school safety officers at all schools and police walking the beat near every junior high and high school in the city. And the mayor says cell phones can actually do more harm than good."
Survey: 1.4 million injuries in high school sports
Date CapturedWednesday October 04 2006, 10:27 AM
South Bend Tribune reports, "A nationwide study by Columbus (Ohio) Children's Hospital has found that football had the highest injury rate by far, followed by wrestling, boys and girls soccer and girls basketball."
Parents must help information-age kids cope with fear amid news of school shootings
Date CapturedWednesday October 04 2006, 9:07 AM
AP reports, "Today’s adolescents and teens happen upon an endless amount of news while researching homework on the Internet or talking with friends through instant messaging systems, chat rooms and blogs. Some even receive news updates on their cell phones. So while parents’ instincts might be to shy away from talking about frightening real-life stories of harm to children, chances are they will need to confront the news instead."
Attacks show ‘threats … can come from anywhere'
Date CapturedWednesday October 04 2006, 7:06 AM
USA TODAY Kevin Johnson and Greg Toppo report, "The recent shootings mean authorities likely will 'go back to the drawing board' and make sure their school security plan protects students from a possible attack by an adult from off campus, Norman [supervisory special agent at the FBI's behavioral analysis] says. 'A whole new demographic has been introduced here. We're going to have to deal with that. It's a sad state of affairs.'”
Cyber Bullying has become a trend that can't be ignored
Date CapturedWednesday October 04 2006, 6:24 AM
The Press Republican reports, "McBride [educator and expert] asked students what would happen if there were laws preventing youths from purchasing cell phones until they were 17 and requiring parental oversight and approval before sending e-mails. Cyber bullying, she said, is causing adults around the world to consider such laws. 'You are taking this technology stuff to another level, and you understand this technology better than we do. We are not being overprotective; we are trying to get to the level where we can protect you.'"
U of California Davis rise in reported sex offenses reviewed
Date CapturedTuesday October 03 2006, 9:50 AM
The Sacramento Bee reports, "Jennifer Beeman, head of the UC Davis Campus Violence Prevention Program, said she believes the increase in the number of reported sex offenses on UC Davis campuses in 2005 could reflect the success of campus programs that seek to educate students about sex assaults and to encourage them -- and others aware of such crimes -- to report them."
Experts: Events might weigh heavily on kids
Date CapturedTuesday October 03 2006, 7:15 AM
USA TODAY reports, "“This has been one of the most gruesome weeks I've ever encountered in 20 years of dealing with school safety,” says Ronald Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center, which helps schools prepare for and respond to crisis. 'It's hit an entirely new low. Parents are going to be wondering if their children are safe returning to school.'”
National school violence conference set
Date CapturedTuesday October 03 2006, 12:58 AM
AP reports, "The Bush administration will host a conference next week to discuss the recent string of school violence across the country, the White House said Monday. Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said the conference will bring together education and law enforcement officials to talk about the nature of the problem and federal action that can help communities prevent violence and deal with its aftermath."
Endicott principal shows value of warning system
Date CapturedMonday October 02 2006, 7:06 AM
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports, "Tomic, who received national recognition for his conduct, was alerted by a hazard warning radio activated by a National Weather Service signal that automatically turns the radio on and announces a potential hazard. They are installed in many schools -- and required in six states (but not New York or Pennsylvania) -- but now the Homeland Security Department has decided to provide $5 million to make sure the radios are in every public school in the United States, some 97,000 in all."
Conditions at many schools 'unsatisfactory,' surveys find
Date CapturedMonday October 02 2006, 6:58 AM
Times Herald-Record Kristina Wells reports, "Roughly 20 percent of the region's schools {mid-Hudson Valley] were rated overall 'unsatisfactory' for having outdated or inoperable smoke alarm systems, sagging floors or ceilings, antiquated fire escapes and even vermin infestation, according to comprehensive building condition surveys conducted a year ago."
Anti-Violence Funds for Schools Drops
Date CapturedSunday October 01 2006, 10:19 PM
AP reports, "Since 2001, federal funding for a grant program that helps U.S. schools pay for programs to prevent substance abuse and violence has declined significantly. Funding was $439.2 million in 2001 but has fallen to $346.5 million this year, with $310 million recommended for 2007."
Study: U.S. high school sports injury rates cut in half
Date CapturedSaturday September 30 2006, 8:17 AM
AP reports, " High school sports injury rates in the United States have dropped by more than half in the past decade, probably because of better equipment and other advances, researchers reported Thursday. In all nine major sports examined except volleyball, injury rates were at least two times higher in the mid-1990s than they were during the 2005-06 school year, said Dawn Comstock, a researcher at Columbus Children's Hospital in Ohio and lead author of the study."
October 18, 2006 is School Bus Driver Appreciation Day in New York State
Date CapturedSaturday September 30 2006, 2:38 AM
New York State Education Department Press Release: "WHEREAS, The position of a school bus driver requires tremendous responsibility; they have to maneuver through traffic regardless of road conditions while maintaining the conduct of the children on the bus and are looked upon for leadership and life-saving decision-making in the event of an emergency; and WHEREAS, School bus drivers delicately direct these children while they are exiting the bus at their destination; when an adult is normally at a bus stop to meet a child and is not present, they will keep that child in their safe care until adult supervision is located or the child can be returned to school; and WHEREAS, Furthermore, school bus drivers may also be an important aid in the fight against terrorism; they are able to observe any suspicious activity or people along their bus route and communicate that information to the proper authorities;"
Evaluating your school's safety plan
Date CapturedFriday September 29 2006, 1:41 AM
CNN Gerri Willis writes, "Parents should know who's in charge. If something goes wrong you need to know the chain of command. Make sure your child's school has procedures for communicating with parents, local and state government officials and the media. Kenneth Trump of SchoolSafety.org told us that cell phones can actually make the situation worse by accelerating the spread of rumors and causing parents to flock to the scene. This could distract officials from the crisis."
Buffalo alternative school off to a rough start
Date CapturedThursday September 28 2006, 12:33 PM
Buffalo News reports, "'These are youngsters who have not had success, period,' he [Superintendent] said. 'These are 17, 16 years old and they have some serious problems embedded in their personalities. They don't know right from wrong.' Teachers at the school are devoted and hard-working, but have not yet received proper training, Collier [associate superintendent for student support services] said."
Schools, parents and police monitor online hangout in search of bad guys - and good information
Date CapturedMonday September 25 2006, 8:37 AM
Newsday reports on website, "'In one way, it's a tool for a parent,' Palmer [parent] said. 'We found it [MySpace] just to be really an avenue where we can kind of get a grasp on what kids are doing, what they're talking about, what they're getting involved in.'"
Students, residents at odds
Date CapturedMonday September 25 2006, 6:57 AM
The Daily Star reports on collegetown neighborhoods, "Both schools [State University College at Oneonta and Hartwick College] collaborated last semester on OH-Fest, a free festival and concert in Neahwa Park, designed to bring the two campuses and the year-round Oneonta community together, and the schools regularly participate in community-service activities."
MySpace, Seventeen launch parents education plan
Date CapturedMonday September 25 2006, 6:17 AM
Reuters reports, "To download the parents guide, surfers can click on 'Safety Tip" at MySpace.com. Brochures will also be distributed to about 55,000 schools representing grades 7 through 12 in the United States in October."
Albany High security tighter after incident
Date CapturedMonday September 25 2006, 4:58 AM
Times Union writes, "Melissa Mackey said it was hypocritical of school officials to call for more parent involvement and ban parents from Sunday's meeting. Mackey, who is involved with the group Community United for Quality Education and has a daughter at Albany High, said school officials should engage students and parents in an effort to stop the violence."
Schools tuning in to disaster warnings
Date CapturedMonday September 25 2006, 4:20 AM
NY Daily News reports, "City schools and public schools across the country will get special radios that can warn of disasters ranging from terrorist attacks to runaway trains to hurricanes."
Philadelphia Catholic schools receive city money for afterschool programs
Date CapturedSaturday September 23 2006, 6:41 PM
AP reports, "Five [Philadelphia] Roman Catholic schools will receive city funds to open centers that provide academic and recreational activities for children and their families after school and during evenings, weekends and summer in an effort to reduce violence and crime."
Roosevelt charter school nears probation
Date CapturedSaturday September 23 2006, 8:28 AM
Newsday reports, "Chiding the Roosevelt charter school for holding classes in a building that has no fire sprinklers, a committee of the SUNY Board of Trustees recommended Friday that the school be placed on probation."
'Dangerous' special ed controversy
Date CapturedThursday September 21 2006, 4:57 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Parent leaders and educators are steamed about a state list that labels three special education schools in Queens 'persistently dangerous.' They charge the report is inaccurate and has needlessly upset parents."
New York charter school eyes sanctions over hazard
Date CapturedWednesday September 20 2006, 9:43 AM
Newsday JOHN HILDEBRAND writes, "State monitors are urging that a Roosevelt charter school acclaimed for its academic prowess be put on probation, after the school allowed 150 students to start classes in a building that has no fire-sprinkler system."
House Demands Student Search Policies
Date CapturedTuesday September 19 2006, 11:53 PM
AP reports, "The House issued an ultimatum to school boards Tuesday: Establish policies on student searches or risk losing federal funds. The House passed a bill by voice vote that would require the search rules. The Senate has not yet considered a companion measure."
High School sports is more than wins and losses
Date CapturedTuesday September 19 2006, 1:03 PM
Gloucester Daily Times Steve Maniaci writes, "High school sports is a vehicle that gives student athletes the opportunity to enhance their academic careers. It is an after-school activity that takes place in a safe environment. It is also a place where kids can get some exercise, and relieve some stress from a busy school day. High school sports also provides the student athletes a chance to spend time with friends and make new friends. It is also a place where the student athlete can learn to work in a group and deal with pressure situations. Wins and losses also provide life lessons. A student athlete has the opportunity to learn why they won or lost each game, and can make adjustments to maintain or achieve a positive result."
Program targets bullying via awareness, caring
Date CapturedTuesday September 19 2006, 12:55 PM
Huron Daily Tribune reports, "LaPine [teacher] said the parochial schools also can bring Bible lessons into the discussions, teaching students what Jesus would do about bullying. 'It's an extra advantage,' LaPine said about teaching from the Bible. To include parents in the program, the bullying prevention coordinating committee is planning a parent kick-off for each school to inform parents about the program and how it will help students."
Classes at West Side School End with Bang
Date CapturedTuesday September 19 2006, 4:56 AM
NY Post DAVID ANDREATTA and C.J. SULLIVAN report on use of dynamite near a New York City school, "A Department of Education spokeswoman said the school - at West End Avenue and West 70th Street - and its students were safe. But parents insisted the blasting caught them off guard, saying they learned of it from the school's principal only yesterday."
Battling Alaska youth gangs at the source
Date CapturedMonday September 18 2006, 9:02 AM
Anchorage Daily News reports, "Anchorage is furious about escalating youth violence and gang crimes and wants something done about it."
School buses in 11 states tune in to radio programming aimed at kids
Date CapturedMonday September 18 2006, 5:21 AM
USA TODAY reports, "Radio on the bus helps keep students 'focused,' says Linda Farbry, director of transportation for Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, the nation's 13th-largest school system. She says most of the district's buses play radio from an approved list of stations, and because the ads aren't directed at students, kids easily ignore them. Farbry opposes Bus Radio because she says it would be harder for kids to tune out ads geared to their interests."
South Carolina school district considers background checks
Date CapturedSunday September 17 2006, 11:47 AM
Island Packet reporter Dan Williamson and reporter Devon Morrow of The (Columbia) State write, "'That's [background checks] something we need to do as soon as possible,' she [Connie Long, the district's assistant superintendent for human resources] said. 'We want to make sure that the people who are working closest with our children are people of integrity and people with nothing to hide and who are genuinely interested in the education of our students and don't have an ulterior motive.'"
Massachusetts, Pittsfield District has high hopes for grant
Date CapturedSunday September 17 2006, 11:38 AM
Berkshire Eagle reports, "Schools officials believe that a rare federal grant recently awarded to the Pittsfield Public School District will help increase school attendance, decrease disruptive behavior and improve graduation rates. The $2.8 million Safe Schools/Healthy Students Grant is part of a joint effort by the U.S. departments of Education, Health and Human services. Only 19 districts across the nation were awarded the three-year grant, and Pittsfield secured the second-largest sum."
Toughen home day care enforcement? No
Date CapturedSunday September 17 2006, 9:12 AM
NY Daily News Op-Ed contributors Sandra Robinson, family day-care provider in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Ilana Berger, Director of Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) opined, "Ironically, rather than improving safety conditions, the new rules would force desperate parents to leave children in more dangerous situations. They would have to scramble to find ad hoc care or potentially leave their kids entirely unsupervised."
Toughen home day care enforcement? Yes
Date CapturedSunday September 17 2006, 8:56 AM
NY Daily News Op-Ed contributor ELLIOTT MARCUS, associate commissioner overseeing the city Health Department's Bureau of Day Care opined, "An example of an issue we reviewed was what's called the "egress" policy. City and state laws require two means of exiting any building that houses a child-care center. The rule is meant to ensure that in the event of an emergency, children can be evacuated quickly and safely. We looked carefully at the policy's implementation, working closely with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services and the Fire Department. We met with community groups and considered the characteristics of the city's housing stock as well as the economic interests of providers who offer care in their homes."
New steroid policy in Santa Cruz, California schools
Date CapturedSaturday September 16 2006, 10:18 AM
Santa Cruz Sentinel reports, "Students in the Santa Cruz City Schools district will be taught the dangers of steroids beginning in the sixth grade, and athletes and coaches caught with steroids will be subject to stiff new penalties under a policy adopted this week by district trustees."
Protecting our children
Date CapturedSaturday September 16 2006, 9:23 AM
The Journal News reports, "This county's added traffic volume and the bad habits of some drivers increase the chances of pedestrian accidents, especially involving children. While most Rockland youngsters take buses and vans to school these days, and a large number are privately driven by parents, there are those living near schools who walk, who cross streets after class to play, who may or may not pay attention, just as drivers may or may not do so."
New York State Education Department News and Notes
Date CapturedFriday September 15 2006, 8:50 AM
Education news from the Desk of Jean C. Stevens, Interim Deputy Commissioner.
'He saved lives': Tier principal Charles F. Johnson wins national award
Date CapturedFriday September 15 2006, 7:11 AM
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports, "The Mark Trail Award, which is presented annually by the federal agency and Congress, recognizes individuals and organizations that use the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's alert systems to save lives and protect property."
Shortage of Bronx school nurses critical
Date CapturedThursday September 14 2006, 9:01 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Maysoun Freij, an advocate for the New York Immigration Coalition, said, 'New York has the fortune of having a large pool of bilingual and bicultural students who could go on to become nurses and doctors if given the chance.'"
Principal's cell grab is right call: Mayor Bloomberg
Date CapturedThursday September 14 2006, 8:20 AM
NY Daily News reports, "But some students and parents, including a group suing the city over its cell phone ban, maintain the phones are needed in cases of emergency."
Educate us about violence, New York City Chancellor Klein tells schools
Date CapturedThursday September 14 2006, 7:51 AM
NY Daily News reports, "The directive came more than a week after the teachers union accused the Education Department of inaccurately recording school crime and began testing an online system that will allow teachers to report violence. The union's criticism was prompted by a state report that classified only 14 of the city's 1,400 schools as 'persistently dangerous.'"
Derby [Connecticut] to ease cell phone ban
Date CapturedWednesday September 13 2006, 9:05 AM
Connecticut Post reports, "Cell phones are banned classrooms, but Board of Education members are trying to balance that policy with parents' desire for their children to have access to them during emergencies."
Petition seeks busing for Auburn, New York pupils
Date CapturedWednesday September 13 2006, 6:06 AM
Post-Standard reports, "Another parent with concerns about her child walking was critical of the lack of response to her inquiry about a walk-back pass. Susan Phillips Coe said safety 'should be a top priority, along with communication between the school and parents.'"
SMART PASS NABS SUB-PAR TEACHERS
Date CapturedSunday September 10 2006, 10:13 AM
NY Post reports, " A sophisticated swipe-card system to track the city's army of substitute teachers - and keep criminals away from classrooms - will soon be installed at every public school around the city."
Families relocate gang members to save them
Date CapturedThursday September 07 2006, 11:21 AM
USA TODAY Kevin Johnson reports, "At a time when gang-related violence is boosting crime rates in Durham and many other cities, a few clergy, parents and even police in troubled communities across the nation quietly have been helping to relocate youths in last-ditch efforts to extricate them from gang life."
Curfew education
Date CapturedThursday September 07 2006, 6:29 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opined on curfew, " Teachers should make sure that kids understand the curfew, and also why city leaders feel it is necessary. Eight people under the age of 18 died violently in Rochester last year and more were injured. In July, there were at least 38 shootings and at one point this summer eight people were killed over as many days. As school starts up again, young people ought to be discussing what they can do to end this plague of violence."
Nevada middle school students get a lesson in High Five program
Date CapturedWednesday September 06 2006, 1:12 PM
The Record Courier reports, "Friday's itinerary included two-hour programs with guest speakers on subjects specific to each grade. Students learned about study skills, an FBI agent spoke about Internet safety and officers from Douglas County Sheriff's Office instructed students on 'Laws 4 Youth.'"
Ranking police official to be appointed as chief of Buffalo school safety to curb violence
Date CapturedWednesday September 06 2006, 9:56 AM
Buffalo News reports, "The new position is designed to place a person with extensive police experience in charge of security, to streamline and improve communication between schools and the Police Department and to help prevent violence from spilling into schools from the surrounding neighborhoods."
Regents urged to stop shocks
Date CapturedWednesday September 06 2006, 5:55 AM
Times Union Rick Karlin reports, "In addition to shock treatment, the regulations would govern the use of noxious sprays, withholding food, physical restraints and isolation rooms as ways to control mentally ill or disturbed youngsters. Such practices are unregulated by the Education Department, but the agency spends millions of dollars a year to send children to special schools, many of which are out of state, that have used some of these techniques."
Unprepared for asthma
Date CapturedTuesday September 05 2006, 9:47 AM
AP reports, "Schools in Pennsylvania are not meeting the needs of students with asthma, nor are they fully prepared to deal with student asthma attacks, a newly released study suggests."
Safety, kids' smiles are key to crossing guard job
Date CapturedTuesday September 05 2006, 5:48 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "'The crossing guards are a part of the neighborhood, ... part of the community,' said community services assistant Douglas Averill, coordinator of the Irondequoit crossing guards. Each school year, crossing guards hired by municipalities and police departments in Monroe County make sure children get to school safely."
Bus driving more than sitting behind wheel: Special training, annual tests help keep kids safe
Date CapturedMonday September 04 2006, 10:43 AM
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Each year, a driver must undergo a physical examination and defensive driving performance review. Also, three bus safety drills must be conducted on each route. Every two years, a driver is required to do a behind-the-wheel road test and a written or oral test, both required by the DMV, and a physical performance test mandated by the state Education Department that involves dragging a 125-pound weight 30 feet. And there are optional advanced courses a driver may take, some of which could lead to a driver becoming a certified driver instructor, for example."
'Twas the night before school and hope sprang eternal
Date CapturedMonday September 04 2006, 10:31 AM
Times Herald contributor Laura Giner Bair , Newburgh Schools teacher, writes "We hope that our children are safe and that they make academic progress. We hope that children are respectful and grow in moral conduct. We hope that teachers are wise and kind and mindful that our children are young and sometimes fragile. We hope that parents are supportive and join us as partners in the education of all our children. We hope that whatever there is that might need to change will change."
More face drug tests for Kansas school district
Date CapturedSunday September 03 2006, 2:38 PM
The Wichita Eagle reports, "The district cites two U.S. Supreme Court cases that it said allow it to do the testing. One case allowed mandatory drug testing among student athletes. The second, an Oklahoma case, allowed for random testing among middle and high school students participating in extracurricular activities."
Data on New Jersey and Pennsylvania school safety lacking
Date CapturedSunday September 03 2006, 9:03 AM
Philadelphia Inquirer reports, "Many Pennsylvania districts did not report common offenses, such as bullying or fighting. Philadelphia left out thousands of incidents, including those in which no one was caught or the offender was not a student. In New Jersey, one in five districts reported no violence. The state became suspicious when 19 districts, including Camden and Trenton, reported dramatically lower in-school violence. It is conducting an investigation to verify the numbers."
CITY'S SCHOOL-SAFETY MATH PROBLEM
Date CapturedSunday September 03 2006, 8:15 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "John Feinblatt, the city's criminal-justice coordinator, explained that the city depends not only on the NYPD to shape school safety policy but also on random inspections of school security procedures. 'We think that when you combine that with crime data, you have a pretty surefire way of judging the health of a school.' He added that staff reports are important but 'just like I would never ask a police officer to grade a paper, I would never ask a teacher to report a crime according to FBI definitions.'"
Rochester district to boost security measures: Two 'dangerous' city high schools take extra safety steps
Date CapturedSunday September 03 2006, 7:51 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "As required by the No Child Left Behind Act, the district sent letters to parents and guardians of the more than 2,000 students in both schools to alert them that students can transfer if they wish. The district received about 60 transfer requests before those letters were sent."
Residents upset by surveillance cameras used by Pennsylvania college
Date CapturedSaturday September 02 2006, 7:29 PM
AP reports, "The recent installation of closed-circuit cameras meant to protect students at Franklin & Marshall College has raised the ire of nearby residents concerned about their privacy."
New York unsafe schools cited
Date CapturedSaturday September 02 2006, 9:42 AM
NY Daily News Erin Einhorn reports, "The union [teachers] is testing an online system that allows teachers to report violent incidents and crimes into its central computer."
$23 Million in Emergency Response Grants Awarded to 26 States
Date CapturedWednesday August 30 2006, 6:04 PM
As part of the No Child Left Behind education reforms, local school districts must provide assurances that they have plans that outline how they are working to keep their schools safe and drug free.
Policing as Education Policy: A briefing on the initial impact of the Impact Schools program
Date CapturedTuesday August 29 2006, 12:50 PM
Prepared by Sharon Balmer with Travis Dale, Bethany Aaronson, and John M. Beam. Brief on Impact Schools reports, "In addition to having significantly higher rates of suspension and police incidents and significantly lower attendance rates than most non-Impact schools, Impact Schools were significantly different from other city high schools in a number of ways." National Center for Schools and Communities, Fordham University, August 2006.
Bullying remains a problem
Date CapturedMonday August 28 2006, 4:19 PM
Seacoastonline reports, "With the start of the school year, many children nationwide will find going to school this fall to be one of the most unpleasant experiences of their young lives -- nearly 30 percent of U.S. schoolchildren will be bullied or bully other children this year."
N.Y. school janitors going green: Districts must buy 'environmentally friendly' cleaning supplies
Date CapturedMonday August 28 2006, 8:18 AM
Star-Gazette reports, "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates human exposure to air pollutants indoors can be two to five times higher than outdoor levels. Some of the culprits are cleaners, waxes and deodorizers. Reducing or eliminating potentially harmful ingredients helps protect the environment and water supply, according to the legislation's sponsors."
A tally to avoid?
Date CapturedSunday August 27 2006, 9:31 AM
The Journal News opined, "The violence-reporting process is more than five years old in New York, and wrought with problems — challenges complicated by the added federal performance requirements of No Child Left Behind, instituted three years ago. Still, New York remains only in a 'training' phase, with its Education Department continuing to clarify criteria and teach local administrators how properly to report violent incidents. Even the state Comptroller's Office is involved now, looking anew over shoulders because random audits of schools earlier this year found reporting compliance abysmal."
Catskill will have police at schools
Date CapturedFriday August 25 2006, 9:01 AM
The Kingston Freeman reports, "The officers will maintain a presence in the school, be a resource to students and staff, assist in peer mediation and conflict resolution, and be positive role models, Farrell said. She added that the officers will not be security guards."
POLL CALL FOR CITY SCHOOLS: MASSIVE OPINION SURVEY PLANNED
Date CapturedFriday August 25 2006, 7:37 AM
NY Post DAVID ANDREATTA reports, "The questions will focus on school safety, student-parent-teacher engagement and 'the quality of respectful and collaborative interaction' regarding student achievement."
Inside Albany (IA)
Date CapturedThursday August 24 2006, 5:03 PM
This week on Inside Albany: Education Commissioner Richard Mills' list of dangerous schools. (check schedule)
Recent Philadelphia high school grads tutor student teachers
Date CapturedThursday August 24 2006, 10:01 AM
Philadelphia Daily News reports, "Fresh and four other recent Philadelphia public-school graduates talked yesterday with prospective teachers about what it takes to connect with city-toughened teens. Their talk was part of a three-day 'Pipeline to the Future' professional-development series intended to prepare rookie teachers for the harsh realities of urban schools."
New York City public schools splitting at the seams
Date CapturedThursday August 24 2006, 8:18 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Education Department spokesman Keith Kalb said six schools under construction in Queens will provide about 4,000 more student seats over the next two years."
LOWBALLING SCHOOL VIOLENCE...
Date CapturedThursday August 24 2006, 7:16 AM
NY Post editorial opined on school violence, "Regardless of the actual number of dangerous schools - 14, 140, or otherwise - zero tolerance on violent behavior must be the policy."
3 local Syracuse schools still on state list
Date CapturedWednesday August 23 2006, 9:11 AM
The Post-Standard reports, "No local schools landed on the state's new list of 'persistently dangerous schools,' but 17 schools elsewhere in the state did, Education Commissioner Richard Mills announced Tuesday. But three Syracuse schools that went on the list a year ago - Fowler High and Shea and Grant middle - remain there, the state said."
Two Rochester city schools on 'dangerous' list
Date CapturedWednesday August 23 2006, 8:55 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Thomas Jefferson High School showed a drop in the number of violent incidents from 87 to 58 in those years. During the same period, the number of violent incidents at Charlotte High School increased from 65 to 68."
State's list of dangerous schools grows: Berkshire Farm, Philip Livingston Magnet among 23 targeted after comptroller's critical audit
Date CapturedWednesday August 23 2006, 8:25 AM
Times Union reports, "Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, parents are supposed to be able to transfer their children out of a dangerous school if another school in their district has room to enroll them. Mills said that releasing the data Tuesday, about two weeks before the new school year starts, should give parents time to seek alternatives. For many parents and students, though, alternative schools are filled up. Students attending Berkshire's school are doing so under court order."
CLASS-KICKERS: 'DANGEROUS' SCHOOLS SOAR - AND N.Y. MAY BE LOWBALLING COUNT
Date CapturedWednesday August 23 2006, 8:00 AM
NY Post DAVID ANDREATTA and LEONARD GREENE report, "'Since the school system no longer shares incident data, no one really knows the true state of safety in our schools,' said United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. 'But we do know that having only 14 [city] schools on the 'persistently dangerous' list doesn't make sense.'"
ROSY REPORT ADDS UP TO NONSENSE
Date CapturedWednesday August 23 2006, 7:53 AM
NY Post columnist Ryan Sager writes, "The answer is to give all parents - the people who know whether or not they feel their kids are safe enough at school - a choice. Open more charter schools, give parents vouchers and/or tuition tax credits, open up public-school choice to all families. Then persistently dangerous (and persistently incompetent) schools will be held accountable."
Majority Of State's Most Dangerous Schools Are In New York City
Date CapturedTuesday August 22 2006, 4:35 PM
NY1 reports, "Eleven of them (persistently dangerous) are schools for special education students and city sources say those schools are usually exempt from list."
Rome Free Academy joins state's 'watch list' for potentially dangerous schools
Date CapturedTuesday August 22 2006, 4:24 PM
Observer-Dispatch CARA MATTHEWS reports, "Another 17 schools, including two in Rochester, have been added to the Education Department's list of 'persistently dangerous' institutions after recording a large number of serious incidents for two consecutive years, Commissioner Richard Mills announced."
Seventeen New York Schools Named As "Persistently Dangerous" Under NCLB,
Date CapturedTuesday August 22 2006, 3:57 PM
As required by NCLB: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, AUGUST 22, 2006. Persistently dangerous list includes NYC schools, Rochester, Buffalo charter school, and Berkshire Junior-Senior High School. New York State Education Department press release, "An additional 10 schools have been placed on a 'watch list.'" NYC, Buffalo, Rome, Wyandanch, Greenburg-Graham on "watch list."
Gaps in checking teaching credentials can miss predators
Date CapturedTuesday August 22 2006, 8:34 AM
USA Today Greg Toppo writes on school safety, "Schools need to follow up on background checks and notice if a job candidate switches schools frequently, experts say. They also should carefully review applications for inconsistencies or omissions and administer new criminal checks when contracts come up for renewal."
The Condition of Education in Brief 2006
Date CapturedSunday August 20 2006, 3:46 PM
Report topics covered "include: public and private enrollment in elementary/secondary education; projections of undergraduate enrollment; racial/ethnic distribution of public school students; student achievement from the National Assessment of Educational Progress in reading, mathematics, and science; adult literacy; status dropout rates; immediate transition to college; school violence and safety; educational attainment; parental choice of schools; expenditures for elementary and secondary education, and federal grants and loans to undergraduate students." Livingston, A. (2006). The Condition of Education 2006 in Brief (NCES 2006-072). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
POL PITCH FOR 'TEEN' BOOZE LAW
Date CapturedWednesday August 16 2006, 7:19 AM
NY Post Kenneth Lovett reports, "A Westchester state senator yesterday said he is drafting two bills designed to curb underage drinking, just days after personally checking out the rowdy Chelsea bar scene last weekend with The Post."
Legislative Investigations Committee to Probe New York’s Liquor Laws and Regulations
Date CapturedWednesday August 16 2006, 7:10 AM
The Committee [NY Senate] will explore a number of issues aimed at determining whether the recent series of problems involving problem premises and underage drinking can be combated through stronger laws, regulation, and enforcement.
Green Cleaning in Schools
Date CapturedTuesday August 15 2006, 5:45 PM
Effective September 1, 2006, State Education Law and State Finance Law require school districts to reduce exposure of children and school staff to potentially harmful chemicals and substances used in the cleaning and maintenance of schools by utilizing guidelines to procure environmentally friendly cleaning products. The State Office of General Services, in consultation with other State agencies, has developed final guidelines as well as a list of approved green cleaning products.
GUIDELINES AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE PROCUREMENT AND USE OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE PRODUCTS FOR ALL PUBLIC AND NONPUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NEW YORK STATE
Date CapturedTuesday August 15 2006, 5:37 PM
New York State Office of General Services, August 4, 2006. These Guidelines and Specifications were developed in consultation with representatives of the Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Health, Department of Labor and State Education Department, as directed by Chapter 584 of the Laws of New York, 2005.
Key to Arizona downtown campus will be keeping students happy
Date CapturedMonday August 14 2006, 11:32 AM
The Arizona Republic reports, "State officials project that more students will want to attend college than there are available slots, and ASU is counting on the downtown campus to help it expand. In addition, the new urban university, which officials hope will eventually serve about 15,000 students, is expected to create spin-off development, drawing scores of new jobs and businesses to the area." Retention of students and campus safety are discussed.
Cato-Meridian looks at putting cameras in schools
Date CapturedMonday August 14 2006, 9:51 AM
Post-Standard reports, "'It's an option to consider for enhancing safety,' said Deborah D. Bobo, school superintendent."
'Dangerous' not always unsafe
Date CapturedMonday August 14 2006, 8:23 AM
The Dallas Morning News reports on NCLB school safety label, "Want an idea of how bad incident reporting is? In 2003 and 2004, TEA named 11 Texas schools as persistently dangerous. All 11 appealed their cases. And TEA eventually agreed to take all 11 off the list because of reporting errors."
Residents around Plattsburgh campus tired of their quality of life: Citizen group suggests legislation
Date CapturedSunday August 13 2006, 10:28 AM
Press Republican reports, "Plattsburgh residents are asking the city to adopt specific proposals they hope will end the deterioration of their homes and neighborhoods, largely caused by students in off-campus housing." Albany, Binghamton and Oneonta already have plans in place to deal with this problem.
Keeping kids on a (technological) leash
Date CapturedSunday August 13 2006, 9:21 AM
Jerry McGovern, the Press-Republican's coordinator of Newspapers-in-Education opined on school information policy and safety regarding cell phones, "Whatever childhood is, it's not as loose and free as it used to be. And there is no turning back. Parents want to keep their children on shorter leashes, even if they are technological leashes."
Tables from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS)
Date CapturedFriday August 11 2006, 11:49 AM
"The School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) is a nationally representative sample of regular public elementary, middle, secondary and combined schools. Completed by school principals, the survey asks about school safety practices, school violence prevention programs, and the frequency of school crime and violence."
APA: ZERO TOLERANCE POLICIES ARE NOT AS EFFECTIVE AS THOUGHT IN REDUCING VIOLENCE AND PROMOTING LEARNING IN SCHOOL (READ REPORT)
Date CapturedThursday August 10 2006, 1:10 PM
APA Task Force on Zero Tolerance reports, "By changing the relationship of education and juvenile justice, zero tolerance may shift the locus of discipline from relatively inexpensive actions in the school setting to the highly costly processes of arrest and incarceration. In so doing, zero tolerance policies have created unintended consequences for students, families, and communities." Task Force on Zero Tolerance: Chair: Cecil R. Reynolds, PhD, Texas A&M University; Jane Conoley, EdD, University of California at Santa Barbara; Enedina Garcia-Vazquez, PhD, New Mexico State University; Sandra Graham, PhD, University of California at Los Angeles; Peter Sheras, PhD, University of Virginia; and Russell Skiba, PhD, Indiana University.
At schools, less tolerance for 'zero tolerance'
Date CapturedThursday August 10 2006, 12:10 PM
USA Today reports, "There are growing signs that zero-tolerance policies are steering more teens into the juvenile justice system, says Russell Skiba, an Indiana University educational psychologist. 'Things that used to be handled by principals land kids in juvenile detention,' he says. The report also mentions racial disparities; minorities are expelled more often than whites for comparable offenses."
Connecticut school updating off-school policy
Date CapturedThursday August 10 2006, 11:10 AM
The Connecticut Post reports, "Under the policy, students who get in trouble off school grounds will face punishment from education officials if it is determined that their actions affect the school environment."
NOT A JOB FOR THE SCHOOLS
Date CapturedWednesday August 09 2006, 8:33 AM
NY Post opined on schools' plan to restrict Internet use from home, "It's certainly good to see education brass concerned about the need to assure an unintimidating environment for learning. But don't they have their hands full monitoring activity at school, without trying to police behavior at home, too?"
Bully Police USA
Date CapturedTuesday August 08 2006, 12:18 PM
A Watch-dog Organization - Advocating for Bullied Children
Pennsylvania anti-bullying policy might be mandatory
Date CapturedTuesday August 08 2006, 12:03 PM
Times Leader reports, "Though the bill would define student bullying to include written, verbal and electronic intimidation, it would allow districts to develop their own procedures and punishments for student bullies."
School districts get more power in suspensions
Date CapturedMonday August 07 2006, 7:20 AM
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Previously, local school officials couldn't allow suspended students to return to classes until they served the full penalty, Alesi noted 'This new law corrects that oversight, allowing school districts, the ones who know individual students' needs best, more control in the length of punishment and allowing a student who has voluntarily tried to make amends, to return to school early and continue pursuing their education,' Alesi [Sen.]said in a news release last week."
Texas teachers union slams testing as overkill, urges better system
Date CapturedSunday August 06 2006, 10:19 AM
San Antonio Express-News reports, "The federation also recommended replacing the exit-level TAKS with end-of-course tests aligned with curriculum, compensating teachers for tutoring outside the school day and developing a 'learning environment index' for all schools that would take into account school safety, facility conditions, neighborhood, teacher retention, and financial and professional support. The index could be used to identify and help schools working under greater challenges."
Mount Vernon puts school bus line on warning
Date CapturedSaturday August 05 2006, 10:24 AM
The Journal News reports, "Over the past two years, parents and school staff members have registered numerous complaints, according to documents released to the parents under a Freedom of Information request."
NYC Mayor Bloomberg endorses mayoral control of Los Angeles schools
Date CapturedFriday August 04 2006, 7:42 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Bloomberg and Daley [Chicago mayor] said mayoral takeover of the public school system has resulted in more-empowered principals, improved safety and new programs to support struggling students and schools."
Plattsburgh city residents still fuming over rude, noisy college students
Date CapturedThursday August 03 2006, 9:19 AM
The PressRepublican reports, "Residents are calling for stricter enforcement of city ordinances and increased accountability by landlords, some of whom seem more than willing to rent slums to students who, in turn, treat them as such."
The new learning curve: Technological security
Date CapturedWednesday August 02 2006, 8:51 AM
USA Today reports, "Raising awareness among computer users about privacy protection is a never-ending job, especially on college campuses where the student population changes each year."
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Date CapturedThursday July 27 2006, 9:36 PM
"The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are 'eligible students.'" parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31): School officials with legitimate educational interest; Other schools to which a student is transferring; Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes; Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student; Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school; Accrediting organizations; To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena; Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law. Schools may disclose, without consent, "directory" information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA. The actual means of notification (special letter, inclusion in a PTA bulletin, student handbook, or newspaper article) is left to the discretion of each school.
Massachusetts school district cell phone search policy on hold
Date CapturedWednesday July 26 2006, 10:57 AM
The Boston Globe reports, "The American Civil Liberties Union objected to the proposed policy, saying school officials were acting more like police than administrators."
MYSPACE INVADERS FOR CITY STUDENTS, SCHOOLS TAKE AIM AT NASTY BLOGGERS
Date CapturedTuesday July 25 2006, 7:51 AM
NY Post reports, "The proposed changes to the code have yet to be adopted by the city's Panel for Educational Policy, but civil-rights lawyers are already sounding the alarm over the Internet provision. 'What happens on the Internet at a student's home is not the Department of Education's business," said veteran civil-rights lawyer Elizabeth Fink. 'Any person who believes in the Constitution would have a vast problem with this.'"
Can't wait for state action
Date CapturedSunday July 23 2006, 12:26 PM
The Press Republican opined on registered sex offenders living near schools, "There's been no state leadership on this issue, which many deem important because parents need as many tools as possible to protect their kids."
Take a Stand! Lend a Hand! Stop Bullying Now!
Date CapturedSaturday July 22 2006, 1:24 PM
'Ringing' in the school year; New York City fights over whether to allow cellphones in schools, echoing a debate nationwide
Date CapturedTuesday July 18 2006, 8:03 AM
Christian Science Monitor reports, "At City Hall, several council members are pushing for a legislative solution. If these efforts fail, the issue may end up in Albany."
Buffalo aternative school's staffing becomes an issue
Date CapturedSunday July 16 2006, 8:44 AM
Buffalo News reports, "When school violence was a hot topic last year, President Philip Rumore of the Buffalo Teachers Federation lobbied relentlessly for a new alternative school for troubled students."
Middletown school district awarded federal grant
Date CapturedSunday July 16 2006, 7:59 AM
Mid-Hudson News reports, "The Enlarged Middletown City School District has been awarded a $1.9 million federal grant for a program that will create a safer learning environment, promote healthy childhood development, and prevent youth violence and drug abuse."
College dorm lacked carbon monoxide detectors
Date CapturedSaturday July 15 2006, 4:01 PM
USA Today reports, "There was no carbon monoxide detector in the Roanoke College dormitory where one person died and dozens of teenagers and adults were sickened after a leak of the odorless gas, but the school is considering installing them, a spokeswoman said Saturday."
Arlington middle school to get security cameras
Date CapturedFriday July 14 2006, 8:37 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "The cameras will be installed in an effort to prevent theft, fights and other incidents in the cafeteria."
More money available for UAlbany anti-drinking efforts
Date CapturedThursday July 13 2006, 2:32 PM
Albany Business Journal reports, "The money, in part, is being used to offset UAlbany's reputation as a 'party' school -- a reputation that President Kermit Hall has said diminishes the college's standing among parents, students, potential employers and in the world of academia in general."
Parents to Sue Over Schools’ Cellphone Ban
Date CapturedThursday July 13 2006, 7:27 AM
NY Times registration, ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS reports, "The lawsuit, which the plaintiffs said they intended to file today in Manhattan, will argue that the ban jeopardizes the students’ safety by making it hard for them to keep in touch with their parents before and after school."
Ulster schools buses to get pollution filters
Date CapturedWednesday July 12 2006, 8:55 PM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "The diesel particulate filters are being installed as part of a $478,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency that will reduce pollution from 400 school buses across New York."
$31 Million Awarded to 19 School Districts to Promote Safe Schools, Healthy Students
Date CapturedWednesday July 12 2006, 9:37 AM
More than $31 million in grants have been awarded to 19 school districts in 14 states as part of a joint effort by the U.S. departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Justice to support schools in creating safe learning environments that promote healthy childhood development and prevent youth violence and drug use.
Principal: Drug-testing students works
Date CapturedWednesday July 12 2006, 8:02 AM
USA Today Donna Leinwand writes, "Little research has been done on testing's impact on student drug use because it's difficult and expensive to study, says Lloyd Johnston of the Monitoring the Future study at the University of Michigan, which surveys 50,000 students a year."
More schools test for drugs
Date CapturedWednesday July 12 2006, 7:57 AM
USA Today Donna Leinwand writes, "Since the Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that random testing of student athletes and others in competitive extracurricular activities did not violate the students' privacy rights, the Bush administration has made testing middle- and high-school students a priority."
Hazing disregards gender lines
Date CapturedSunday July 09 2006, 10:14 AM
Times Union reports, "Though experts say conclusive data about hazing remains scarce, a number of national surveys have offered some insight into how widespread hazing has become."
OFFICE OF THE NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER DIVISION OF STATE SERVICES STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REPORTING OF VIOLENT AND DISRUPTIVE INCIDENTS BY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Date CapturedSunday July 09 2006, 9:39 AM
Report 2005-S-38, "We visited a representative sample of high schools and found that, at a majority of the schools, at least one-third of the violent and disruptive incidents documented in the schools’ records were not reported to SED. At several schools, more than 80 percent of the documented incidents were not reported to SED, and in a number of instances, the most serious types of incidents were unreported, such as sexual offenses and incidents involving the use of a weapon."
SUNY is correct to call for a smoking ban in dormitories
Date CapturedWednesday July 05 2006, 8:34 AM
Press Republican reports, "Chancellor John Ryan has ordered an end to smoking in dorms next year. SUNY will come up with a plan to enact the ban."
Clarkstown schools continue push to shorten DARE
Date CapturedTuesday July 04 2006, 8:32 AM
The Journal News reports, "The Clarkstown Central School District is pushing ahead with plans to shorten its DARE program to make room for a new anti-bullying program, despite criticism from the Clarkstown Police Department."
SUNY to ban smoking in dorms
Date CapturedWednesday June 28 2006, 8:13 AM
Times Union
'Not it!' More schools ban games at recess
Date CapturedTuesday June 27 2006, 8:06 AM
USA Today
Council Bill Steps Up Fight For School Cells
Date CapturedThursday June 22 2006, 8:20 PM
queenstribune.com
Sprint calls off tower
Date CapturedThursday June 22 2006, 7:15 AM
NY Daily News
Parks spring to life from cracked asphalt
Date CapturedTuesday June 20 2006, 9:52 AM
Why Students Have No Rights
Date CapturedTuesday June 20 2006, 8:37 AM
U of Rochester aims to help at-risk kids
Date CapturedMonday June 19 2006, 8:14 AM
Suburban schools safer? Some doubt data
Date CapturedSunday June 18 2006, 9:29 AM
Disruptive elephant in the room
Date CapturedSunday June 18 2006, 8:37 AM
Prep for terrorism
Date CapturedFriday June 16 2006, 9:24 AM
Hazing issues not solved by ousting frats
Date CapturedFriday June 16 2006, 8:26 AM
Defining violence
Date CapturedWednesday June 14 2006, 8:33 AM
Math doesn't add up
Date CapturedTuesday June 13 2006, 6:58 AM
SCHOOL VIOLENT AND DISRUPTIVE INCIDENT DATA MADE AVAILABLE
Date CapturedMonday June 12 2006, 11:33 AM
Best Practices of Community Policing in Gang Intervention and Gang Violence Prevention
Date CapturedFriday June 09 2006, 8:29 AM
United States Conference of Mayors Best Practices series publication. Mayors have taken the lead in building and sustaining effective programs against gang crime in their cities, and this publication looks at their success stories.
Students Say Safety Plan Discriminates In Schools
Date CapturedFriday June 09 2006, 7:14 AM
Marching to their own DRUM
Date CapturedTuesday June 06 2006, 8:06 AM
Uniforms possible in elementary schools, too
Date CapturedTuesday June 06 2006, 7:37 AM
New Kentucky law may push away sex offenders
Date CapturedSunday June 04 2006, 9:47 AM
Give law enforcement glimpse of school misconduct
Date CapturedSunday June 04 2006, 9:03 AM
Center for the Prevention of School Violence
Date CapturedFriday June 02 2006, 3:02 PM
Black, Hispanic pupils see school as tough
Date CapturedTuesday May 30 2006, 5:59 PM
More data on school violence coming out
Date CapturedMonday May 29 2006, 2:12 PM
Clean School Buses
Date CapturedWednesday May 24 2006, 9:19 PM
School Bus Pollution Report Card 2006
Date CapturedWednesday May 24 2006, 9:13 PM
The School Bus Pollution Report Card 2006 report analyzes the amount of pollution released from the average state school bus. Each state received a letter grade (A B, C, or D) for estimated tailpipe emissions of soot, which warrants the most concern because of its potential to cause toxic “hot spots”—areas of higher exposure for children in or near buses.
Um, ah, well ...
Date CapturedWednesday May 24 2006, 7:48 AM
OFFICE OF THE NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER DIVISION OF STATE SERVICES STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REPORTING OF VIOLENT AND DISRUPTIVE INCIDENTS BY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Report 2005-S-38
Date CapturedTuesday May 23 2006, 6:44 AM
Violent incidents in New York State high schools have not been accurately reported to the State Education Department (SED) and SED has not done enough to address misreporting problems or to effectively identify schools with serious violence problems, according to an audit released by Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi.
State will monitor school safety data
Date CapturedTuesday May 23 2006, 6:09 AM
Report cites High Schools for not fully reporting violence
Date CapturedMonday May 22 2006, 9:11 PM
SCHOOL SAFETY
Date CapturedMonday May 22 2006, 3:42 PM
To address issues of school safety and violence prevention, the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act (SAVE) was passed by the New York State Legislature and signed into law by Governor George E. Pataki on July 24, 2000. Project SAVE culminates the work of the Task Force on School Violence chaired by Lieutenant Governor Mary Donohue. The New York State Board of Regents approved Regulations of the Commissioner of Education to ensure compliance with the new legislation. This site provides resources to assist schools in the development and maintenance of safe school environments.
Schools Faulted For Failing To Report Violence
Date CapturedMonday May 22 2006, 3:38 PM
GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN REPORTING VIOLENT AND DISRUPTIVE INCIDENTS
Date CapturedMonday May 22 2006, 8:46 AM
New York State Education Department school safety glossary of terms.
How safe is your child's school?
Date CapturedMonday May 22 2006, 8:40 AM
Data: School violence by district and school
Date CapturedMonday May 22 2006, 8:39 AM
Phones put on hold
Date CapturedSunday May 21 2006, 8:26 AM
Tell kids to defy school cell phone ban?: No
Date CapturedSunday May 21 2006, 8:23 AM
Tell kids to defy school cell phone ban?: Yes
Date CapturedSunday May 21 2006, 8:17 AM
Risks seen in safe-cleanser mandate at schools
Date CapturedTuesday May 16 2006, 8:00 AM
Inside Education: Bullying's not everything you think
Date CapturedMonday May 15 2006, 7:53 AM
Schools are lost in space
Date CapturedSunday May 14 2006, 5:08 AM
Los Angeles School Struggles to Leave Violence Behind
Date CapturedWednesday May 10 2006, 2:50 PM
Cell phone ban? Klein says hang on
Date CapturedFriday May 05 2006, 8:10 AM
Poll laments Rochester city schools student behavior
Date CapturedWednesday May 03 2006, 7:59 AM
Duke Reconsiders Approach to Student Behavior
Date CapturedTuesday May 02 2006, 10:37 AM
TEACHERS SOLD ON CELLS (NY Post registration)
Date CapturedTuesday May 02 2006, 6:17 AM
What Gives When Stuff Is Taken (NY Times registration)
Date CapturedSunday April 30 2006, 12:30 AM
Can You Hear Me, Mom? (NY Times registration)
Date CapturedSunday April 30 2006, 12:27 AM
Parents get real education in cyberspace
Date CapturedFriday April 28 2006, 2:21 PM
Education commissioner addresses bullying conference
Date CapturedThursday April 27 2006, 9:51 AM
School-Rampage Plans Foiled in Four States
Date CapturedWednesday April 26 2006, 7:43 PM
KIDS CAMPAIGN AGAINST SEARCHES (NY Post registration)
Date CapturedTuesday April 25 2006, 8:55 AM
Playground fear Sachem educrats dispute safety survey findings
Date CapturedMonday April 24 2006, 7:10 AM
Allied front against violence
Date CapturedMonday April 17 2006, 6:56 AM
Mercury removed from city schools
Date CapturedMonday April 10 2006, 7:25 AM
Group tackles sex bullying in schools
Date CapturedThursday April 06 2006, 8:07 AM
School violence hot line planned
Date CapturedThursday April 06 2006, 8:05 AM



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