Tough Talking Prosecutors Betray Girl Bullied to Death
The case involving the death Phoebe Prince drew wide attention when tough talking prosecutors brought felony charges against six students at South Hadley Massachusetts High School, saying that they had tormented Phoebe, a newly arrived Irish immigrant, after she briefly dated the two male defendants.
Now those same prosecutors have apparently caved in their effort to hold those accountable for Phoebe's death. Last week, criminal charges against students in the bullying of 15-year-old Phoebe, who hanged herself last year, were largely resolved when three former students ...
Gay Civil Unionists and Religious Adoption Agencies Clash
The AP reported here that "gay rights groups are urging Illinois lawmakers not to let Catholic adoption agencies turn away gay couples," arguing "agencies that get state money to care for children should not be allowed to reject anyone who would be a good parent." When Illinois' gay civil unions law takes effect next month, Catholic adoption agencies "may face lawsuits or lose state funding" if they turn away gay couples. Groups including The Civil Rights Agenda and Equality Illinois are pushing for a law allowing "them to refuse to place children with gay couples on ...
Highlights of the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010
The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) Reauthorization Act of 2010 (S.3817) was signed into law on December 20, 2010, as Public Law 111-320.
The act leaves funding for discretionary grants (research, training, technical assistance, information collection, and program innovations) and for basic State grants at the old authorized level of $120 million in FY 2010 and at "such sums as may be necessary" for FY 2011 through 2015. A new funding section regarding allotments of the basic State grant funds for improving child protective services establishes ...
Zero Tolerance = Zero Results
A recently published research brief by Child Trends, Multiple Responses, Promising Results: Evidence-Based, Nonpunitive Alternatives To Zero Tolerance, suggests that zero tolerance school discipline policies have not been proven effective by research and may have negative effects, making students more likely to drop out and less likely to graduate on time. Instead, the brief recommends the use of nonpunitive disciplinary action, such as behavior interventions, social skills classes, and character education.
Unfortunately, no one told law student Jason Fuller who just ...
Boobie Bracelet Battle Continues
Easton, Pennsylvania school officials announced earlier today that they will continue the tax payer funded battle against bracelets that say "I ♥ Boobies!"
The District's school board voted unanimously Wednesday to appeal Tuesday's adverse decision by federal District Judge Mary McLaughlin.
District solicitor John Freund says the decision "undermines the authority of school officials to promote civil dialogue and maintain decorum in the schools."
Court Reverses Boobies Bracelets Ban
A federal court in Pennsylvania ruled today that school-imposed bans of The Keep A Breast Foundation's "I ♥ Boobies" bracelets are unconstitutional and violate students' First Amendment rights. Two middle school students, with ties to breast cancer victims and survivors, were plaintiffs in the free expression case after being banned by the Easton Area School District from wearing the bracelets.
In the official ruling, Judge Mary McLaughlin stated, "The bracelets are intended to be -- and they can reasonably be -- viewed as speech designed to raise awareness of ...
Scared Straight Programs Harm Participants & Increase Delinquency
In this op-ed published February 1, 2011, in the Baltimore Sun, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Laurie Robinson and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Acting Administrator Jeff Slowikowski discuss how the use of scared straight programs to prevent delinquency is ineffective and can harm youth.
Robinson and Slowikowski comment on this study by Anthony Petrosino and researchers at the Campbell Collaboration, which analyzed results from nine scared straight programs and found that participants were up to 28 percent more ...