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NJ Spotlight--Controversial Measure Would End All Religious Vaccine Exemptions for Schoolkids
Children would need a doctor’s note to attend class without getting shots; proposal could go before full Senate vote Monday
Amid a growing battle over vaccine choice, New Jersey lawmakers seem poised to advance a measure Thursday that would only allow schoolchildren to be exempted from immunization requirements for medical reasons, eliminating the “religious exemption” now on the books.
A controversial Senate bill to significantly restrict these religious exemptions was apparently amended late Wednesday to align with an Assembly version that strikes this option entirely, according to a draft shared with NJ Spotlight, meaning kids would need a doctor’s note to attend class without first getting these shots. Roughly 30,000 children requested some form of exemption this year, according to the state.
Lilo H. Stainton | December 12, 2019 | Health Care
NJ Spotlight--Sex-Ed Advocates Urge Schools to Drop Emphasis on Abstinence
Thrive NJ Coalition’s ‘report card’ gives New Jersey sex-ed programs just a ‘C’ grade, saying schools should spend more time on subject
Should New Jersey schools be required to stress abstinence in their sex-education programs, and are they helping students by highlighting the failure rate of contraceptives? Should they be spending more time on sex ed in the classroom, and are they doing a good job on the subject overall?
https://www.njspotlight.com/2019/12/sex-ed-advocates-urge-schools-to-drop-emphasis-on-abstinence/
Jon Hurdle | December 12, 2019 | Education
NY Times--National Spelling Bee Will Take Fewer ‘Wild Card’ Contestants
The spelling bee announced the changes after an eight-way tie this year. Fewer spellers who pay their own way will be accepted, and some financial aid will be available.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee announced on Tuesday that it would accept fewer “wild card” participants next year, in a bid to reset the competition after a stunning tie among eight champions in 2019.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/11/us/scripps-spelling-bee.html
Karen Zraick| Dec. 11, 2019
Education Week--Most Principals Have No Say in Choosing Police for Their Schools
Principals, you get to hire the teachers you want. You play a role in choosing the support staff assigned to your schools.
But most of you are rarely involved in selecting the school resource officers—sworn law enforcement officials who often carry guns—who work in your buildings and regularly interact with your students and staff.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/12/11/most-principals-have-no-say-in-choosing.html
Denisa R. Superville| December 11, 2019
