NJ Spotlight--Criticizing Inaction on Lead in New Jersey Schools’ Drinking Water Supplies
State Sen. Linda Greenstein says Department of Education should ‘tighten up its rules on testing’
Despite lead in drinking water supplies having been detected in hundreds of New Jersey’s public school buildings, advocates say there appears to be no rush to figure out how to divvy up $100 million in new money among districts eager to fix the problem.
The advocates are pushing the state to more aggressively come up with plans for how to spend dollars from a bond issue voters approved last November that was geared to replacing lead service lines in schools throughout the state — or fix the problem through less costly alternatives.
Tom Johnson | February 27, 2019
NJ Spotlight--GOP Lawmakers Seek Ban on E-Cigarette Possession by Minors
A bid to quell an ‘alarming’ growth in the use of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices by New Jersey kids
In a quest to curb the “alarming” growth of electronic smoking among teens, two New Jersey Republicans have proposed legislation that would subject those under 21 to a $500 fine for possessing any type of e-cigarette device or product.
Lilo H. Stainton | February 27, 2019
Star Ledger--We don’t have enough black and Spanish teachers. This will change that, district says.
Michelle Pena has known since kindergarten that she wanted to be a teacher, even though she didn’t have many, if any, who shared her Hispanic heritage as she moved throughout the Newark school district.
A senior at East Side High School, Pena, 18, is still set on working in the classroom, and being a role model for kids, whom she said rarely get to see a teacher that looks like them. It’s one of the main reasons why she wants to be one.
“That would be the best thing that could ever happen," said Pena, who is member of Future Teachers of America Club at East Side. “It will help them (students) be more interested and connect with the school."
Barry Carter | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| Updated 12:10 AM; Posted Feb 26, 7:31 PM
Star Ledger--HS athletes are still prescribed opioids. Adults in the room, speak up | Editorial
There are 23,000 kids who play high school football in New Jersey. About 2,800 of them were prescribed opioids for pain last season.
Or look at any of the basketball teams playing in the group sectionals Saturday: Odds are that one player from each school has popped a Percocet in the past year.
Star-Ledger Editorial Board| Updated Feb 26, 6:11 PM; Posted 6:30 AM
The Atlantic--When Schools Tell Kids They Can’t Use the Bathroom
By imposing harsh restrictions on when students can use the restroom, educators are teaching kids to ignore their bladder.
Most people probably take their bathroom privileges for granted, heading to the toilet in their home or office whenever the need arises without thinking much about it. But at school, children don’t always have that luxury.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/02/the-tyranny-of-school-bathrooms/583660/
Alia Wong| Feb 26, 2019
NPR--Why White School Districts Have So Much More Money
In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated public schools are unconstitutional.
In 2018, on the 64th anniversary of that ruling, a lawsuit filed in New Jersey claimed that state's schools are some of the most segregated in the nation. That's because, the lawsuit alleged, New Jersey school district borders are drawn along municipality lines that reflect years of residential segregation.
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/26/696794821/why-white-school-districts-have-so-much-more-money
Clare Lombardo| February 26, 20192:00 PM ET