Comply! Zero Tolerance, Bullying, Racism, School Shootings, Sexual Assaults, Law and Disorder, Juvenile Deliquence; Educamation, Teachers, That's Un-Possible! Parenting

Comply!

• Parents say middle school students suspended over FB post—"A group of Spalding County middle school students is facing suspension over a Facebook post about the school dress code."
• Student's awesome non-apology for wearing leggings
• North Carolina Senior Stripped of Diploma After He Strips at Graduation
• Running Coach Fired For Running Boston Marathon—He went on his personal day, and the athletic director goes on a power trip.
• Oakland High guard charged in abuse of student in wheelchair
• Campus cop fires gun at teens he caught making out in car parked at OK school
• Georgetown officer suspended 40 days after tripping incident
• Dad Arrested For Picking Up Kids At School By Foot

Zero Tolerance

• New Report on Zero Tolerance: Stop Expelling Kids for Ridiculous Nonsense
• Dad: NJ threatens to take away son after pencil-twirling incident—"A simple pencil-twirling incident landed Ethan Chaplin in hot water with his school, which threatened to suspend him after a classmate claimed he was spinning the writing utensil like a gun."
• School mum over dad's gun—Dad flashed his gun permit to the school principal during an argument "over a picture his son drew in art class of Gru, the main character in the movie 'Despicable Me,' 'shooting ping-pong balls at his minions,' which school officials thought was sexual in nature." School administration stupidty at work again.
• Boy, 7, may be expelled after telling teacher he accidentally brought toy gun to school
• Parent wants NEISD to reconsider sunscreen policy—"Girl, 10, not allowed to bring sunscreen on field trip due to 'toxic' nature."
• When your high school gets you arrested for a science project—"Last year Kiera Wilmot was busted for simulating a volcano with toilet cleaner and foil. Her record still lists felony arrest."

Bullying

• Was Rainier HS student suspended for reporting online bullying?
• Maryland girl pleads 'responsible' for bullying boy with autism—"A 17-year-old Maryland girl accused of assaulting an autistic boy pleaded 'responsible' to two misdemeanor charges after her case was transferred from adult to juvenile court."
• Torrence Collier: Westport parents insist town is not racist—"Parents in the tiny Newfoundland community of Westport say suggestions that their community is racist are wrong, with one saying that Torrence Collier, the 11-year-old black boy whose allegations of racially motivated bullying have made national headlines, is a bully himself."
• CPS investigating allegations of anti-Semitic bullying
• It's time to outlaw bullying

Racism

• Mich. teacher suspended over blackface lesson plan—"A community is outraged after a Michigan public school teacher was removed from the classroom for showing a video of white entertainers in blackface." Updated: The teacher has been reinstated. The administrator should be kicked out.
• UCI student council penalizes frat over themed party—"Critics say Phi Gamma Delta's annual Fiji Islander event is a slap because of how the nation was treated during colonial times."
• Hylton officials file complaint about racism following soccer game

School Shootings

• Seattle student credited with stopping campus gunman has wedding registry, honeymoon paid for by strangers
• Oregon school shooting leaves student, gunman dead
• The Daily Banter's Investigation Helps Catch Sandy Hook Memorial Thief

Sexual Assaults

• Brown University Student Speaks Out on What It's Like to Be Accused of Rape—"In April, Daniel Kopin was publicly accused of sexually assaulting his classmate. For the first time, he tells his side of the story."
• Judge Blocks Expulsion of Duke Student Accused of Sexual Misconduct WSJ
• More college men are fighting back against sexual misconduct cases
• Stanford won't expel student in sexual assault case
• Stanford sexual-assault case: Did the university do enough to punish a student it found responsible for sexual misconduct?
• Teacher charged with raping student flipped out over prom date
• Dad hits teacher with baseball bat after 'inappropriate' texts surface with teen daughter

Law and Disorder

• 14 charged in Wilmington College hazing incident at the Gamma Phi Gamma house
• Woman sentenced to 2 days for truancy fines dies in jail; judge says it was his only option
• 20 students taken to hospital after first grader brings heroin to school

Juvenile Deliquence

• Girls Charged in Stabbing Allegedly Tried to Kill for 'Slender Man'
• 13-year-old Ohio girl stabs mother in 2nd 'Slenderman' attack
• Teenager calls in hoax bomb threat so brother can finish Burger King shift early
• Man jumped in Patterson Park by teenagers who were filming attack

Educamation

• Obama Plans Steps to Ease Student Debt—"Borrowers' debt load is growing and retarding the ability to buy homes, start businesses or otherwise spend to spur the economy, economists say." NYT
• Bill To Allow Refinancing Of Student Loans Dies In Senate
• Cafeteria worker tosses child's lunch when he's 26 cents short
• Public Schools Are Hurting More in the Recovery Than in the Recession
• Half of college grads still relying on parents' money
• How Medicaid lowers high school dropout rates and leads to more college grads WaPo

Teachers

• Williamsburg students stage walkout to protest mistreatment of teachers
• North Carolina: Judge rules revocation of teacher tenure, 25% contracts unconstitutional
• Judge Strikes Down California Teacher Tenure—"A judge struck down tenure and other job protections for California's public school teachers as unconstitutional Tuesday, saying such laws harm students — especially poor and minority ones — by saddling them with bad teachers who are almost impossible to fire."

That's Un-Possible!

• UNC's McCants: 'Just show up, play'—"Former North Carolina basketball star Rashad McCants told Outside the Lines that he could have been academically ineligible to play during the 2004-05 national championship season had he not been provided fraudulent academic assistance."
• School cancels reading program rather than promote "hacker culture"—"Boing Boing editor responds, offers 200 free copies to the school's students."
• This Made Us LOL—South Carolina takes a stand.

Parenting

• The day I left my son in the car—"I made a split-second decision to run into the store. I had no idea it would consume the next years of my life." Salon
• Stop helicopter-parenting other people's kids—"We've reached the point where parenting "mistakes" are being reported to the cops."
• Hawaii Man Gets Probation for Making Kid Walk Mile—He was sentenced to probation, but he shouldn't have been charged in the first place.
• Dad charged for forcing teen to carry landscape stone
• Brooklyn pub bans kids after being swamped by families—"The Hot Bird in Clinton Hill posted a sign reading 'Children are not allowed,' after hip parents kept taking their babies to the bar."

Snowden; Santa Barbara Massacre, Guns; Comply! Incarcerating Kids, Rape, Bullying; Racism; Religion; I Was Told There Would Be No Math, That's Un-Possible, Educamation; Commencement, Graduation; Law and Disorder

Snowden

• Edward Snowden interview: breaking law was only option, says whistleblower—Watch the interview.
• Edward Snowden: I was a high-tech spy for the CIA and NSA—"Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has described himself as a trained spy specialising in electronic surveillance, dismissing claims he was a mere low-level analyst."
• In NBC interview, Snowden says NSA watches our digital thoughts develop
• NSA Releases Email Snowden Sent Before Leaks

Santa Barbara Massacre

• The 'Twisted World' Elliot Rodger Lived In
• Are 'pick-up artists' to blame for Isla Vista shooting?
• Facebook removes page glorifying Isla Vista killer
• Seth Rogen, Judd Apatow blast journalist who suggested their films inspired Elliot Rodger 51
• Tech exec fired for comments about California killer
• Fox News analyst retracts theory about California killer's sexuality—"On a Fox News show Dr. Robi Ludwig wondered if a 22-year-old Californian killed six because women were taking men away from him [Salon]."

Guns

• Victim's Dad Blames Deadly Rampage On NRA, Politicians—"They talk about gun rights. What about Chris's right to live?"
• Father of victim in Santa Barbara shootings to politicians: 'I don't care about your sympathy.' WaPo
• California GOPer Sent Out Pro-Gun Robocall Day After Massacre
• CNN Guest Shames Anchor For Banning Gun Control Talk After Calif. Mass Shooting
• Joe the Plumber: The real victim of Santa Barbara shootings would be me losing my guns
• How the Gun Nuts Try to Excuse Away the Santa Barbara Slaughter—and Why They're All Wrong—"The firearms fanboys have been more creative than usual, scrambling to defend their precious weapons in the wake of the massacre in Santa Barbara. It's only made their excuses lamer."

Comply!

• Second Grader Written Up for 'Seeing' Gun in the Clouds
• Community sounds off after school punishes boy for refusing to stand for pledge
• New York Teacher Tells Atheist Student She's Unpatriotic and Disrespectful for Refusing to Stand for the Pledge
• Students Allegedly Threatened With Suspension To Stop Them From Protesting Pennsylvania's Governor
• Students rebel, police called after 170 high school students suspended for dress code: reports—"Police were called to Duncanville High School in Texas Wednesday to help mitigate the chaos as packs of students were seen on video allegedly throwing food and at least one trash can, myfoxdfw reported."
• Mother wants answers after teenage daughter's armpits were shaved by teacher—"I spoke to the teacher the very next day and she told me that she has the right to do it, it's part of the curriculum."
• Boardman Schools to begin drug testing students

Incarcerating Kids

• Arresting Children Is Now Commonplace in America—"Putting police in schools was supposed to make kids safer, but instead it's resulted in a children and teens being handcuffed."
• Why Are Kids Being Tried in Kangaroo Courts?—'Juvenile courts across the country deny young defendants the constitutional right to an attorney."
• Ohio agrees to reform, eventually eliminate juvenile solitary confinement—"Under the agreement with the DOJ, Ohio will provide mental health treatment rather than rely on solitary confinement."

Rape

• Schoolgirl Punished for Reporting Rape by Fellow Student
• Ohio schools chief accused of destroying evidence—"The superintendent of the eastern Ohio district where two high school football players were found guilty of rape in a high-profile case last year wiped computer hard drives, erased emails and lied to investigators about his knowledge of the allegations against the boys, newly released court documents say."
• Duke student, expelled after sex assault claim, sues for degree

Bullying

• Calif. mom accused of assaulting boy over bullying daughter—"A Northern California woman is facing charges that she grabbed a 12-year-old boy by the throat while confronting him about bullying her daughter, authorities said Sunday."
• Carson moves to criminalize bullying for children as young as 5
• California mayor sparks outrage by telling bullying victims to 'grow a pair'—"The mayor was responding to a student program proposing safe zones around town with signs directing children to places where they could seek refuge from bullies."

Racism

• Academe, an academic blog, reveals common prejudice among professors against white, rural students.
• 'Hump Day' event cancelled after students claim bringing a camel to campus was racist—"Students at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota have cancelled an event to celebrate the end of the year after complaints that bringing a camel on campus could offend those of Middle Eastern cultures."
• The Real Origins of the Religious Right—"They'll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record's clear: It was segregation."

Religion

• Narconon: Misleading antidrug program back in public schools—Scientology crap.
• Lawsuit claims teachers indoctrinated teens into religious cult
• Why Does This Public High School Football Team in Georgia Have an Official Pastor?
• Christian prayers violated Buncombe school policy
• A Winfield Tradition Comes To An End—"[T]he board of education says they've gotten complaints that McCoy's speeches contain too many religious references, and violate the Supreme Court ruling banning prayer in public schools." Thank FSM.

I Was Told There Would Be No Math

• Think the climate change fight is tough? What about the 17th century fight over math? LATimes
• 2+2=What? Parents rail against Common Core math—"Stacey Jacobson-Francis, 41, of Berkeley, California, said her daughter's homework requires her to know four different ways to add." Who came up with this shit?
• US 'in denial' over poor maths standards

That's Un-Possible

• Florida Lawmaker: Common Core Will Turn 'Every One Of Your Children' Gay
• Company rescinds Ohio man's job offer after learning he was home schooled
• Cole Middle School Cancels Honors Night—"Citing concerns about the "exclusive nature" of the annual honors night at Archie R. Cole Middle School, school officials have decided to scrap the tradition."

Educamation

• Group temporarily withdraws, modifies report accusing U of administrative bloat
• Elementary School 'Pay to Potty' Rule Outrages Parents—Technically monopoly money, and it was girl's decision not to go, but bathroom breaks shouldn't have been part of the prize/price list.
• Study: Black college grads have double the unemployment rate
• America's college students are graduating more indebted than ever
• Deck is stacked against millennials

Speeches

• Commencement meltdown– students are wisely rejecting elite authority
• Haverford College commencement speaker lambastes students
• Charlie Day's Commencement Speech Is the Only One You Need to Hear
• Blast from the Past: Fairness, idealism and other atrocities Commencement advice you're unlikely to hear elsewhere.

Graduation

• Florida high school charging $200 for 'premium' graduation seats
• Ridgewood to withhold diplomas pending class apology—The school has reversed their decision. The superintendent had blogged: "Perhaps it is the final lesson they will take away from high school: there are consequences for behaviors in life."
• Teen Threatened With Graduation Ban For Yearbook Quote
• Arizona high school dedicates yearbook pages to pregnant students
• Students upset to discover yearbook photos were altered to show less skin

Law and Disorder

• Teen tied to shopping cart drowns in Georgia lake
• Peace Sign Stolen From Conn. Playground Honoring Sandy Hook Victim Grace McDonnell
• Man with guns at BU commencement held on high bail
• Student charged with felony via hand sanitizer—"A 14-year-old has been arrested, accused of trying to poison his teacher with hand sanitizer."
• Dear Prudence: I made my teacher lose her job by saying she hurt me.

School of Crock, Bullying, LGBT; Comply! Zero Tolerance; Rape; Law and Disorder, Troubled Youth, Educamation; Parenting

School of Crock

• Louis C.K. Has Figured Something Out About Why Our Kids Are Sad—"Their love of learning is dying. And the only way to fix it is to listen to them."
• TOEIC, TOEFL axed as route to U.K. visa—"Two of the most popular English-language proficiency tests in Japan can no longer be used to obtain student visas to Britain after a British TV program exposed fraud in the test-taking process."
• Chinese media: Kindergartens suspected of drugging students to boost attendance
• President of Drug-Testing Company Is Brother of St. Edward High School President—One of two high schools "kicking off a mandatory drug-testing program for their students in the fall."
• Students suspended after porn found on teacher's computer—"School classroom and the students ended up getting in big trouble."
• Students humiliated by staff member at North High School rally, KHSD apologizes
• Plymouth University forced to remove anti-cheating posters 'that helped students cheat'
• Stevens High substitute teacher quits over Facebook ultimatum

Bullying

• Special Ed. Student Records Audio Proof of Bullying, Threatened With Charges of Warrentless Wiretapping—He's been convicted for disorderly conduct.
• South Fayette parents express dissatisfaction with handling of bullying
• School Advises Students Not to Report Bullying, and Basically Just Accept It
• Girl Gives Her Bullies 'Semen-Filled' Cupcakes
• DA: Teens charged with ethnic intimidation for 'smack cam' video
• Argentine girl dies after apparent bullying attack by classmates

LGBT

• Why Would A Gay Teenager Commit Hate Crimes Against Herself?—"Ten years ago, a liberal San Francisco suburb was traumatized by a rash of hate crimes against a 17-year-old lesbian. But when it was revealed that the victim herself had staged the attacks, the entire community turned on her and she never spoke about the incidents publicly. Until now."
• 'Man Up,' 'Don't Be A Pussy' Labeled Offensive Language at Duke University—"A new word-discouragement campaign at Duke University has labeled phrases such as 'Man Up,' 'That's So Gay,' and 'Don't Be a Pussy' offensive language that 'delegitimizes' homosexuality and oppresses and insults people."
• Canada: Human-rights tribunal probing student's complaints of homophobic discrimination

Comply!

• Torturing Children at School—"Complaints of dangerous disciplinary practices involving Tasers are cropping up all over the country." NYT
• Teenager kicked off Florida school bus by driver while having seizure—"The sister of Andrew Shepard, 16, had to carry her big brother off the bus April 16 after he had a seizure on the way home from school in Broward County."
• Second-Grader Says School Put Him In Handcuffs For Misbehaving
• Miss America: Don't Suspend Teen Who Asked Me to Prom
• RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms—Sir Ken Robinson speaks on Divergent Thinking

Zero Tolerance

• Science teacher's suspension spurs petition drive—"Cortines School's Greg Schiller was removed by L.A. Unified after two students' projects were deemed to resemble weapons."
• Vernon teen Ethan Chaplin suspended from school for pencil gesture
• Kids who imitate gun with food, fingers would not face punishment under Missouri bill

Rape

• Nonconsensual sex: How colleges rebranded rape
• 'We reject rape culture': American Univ. students demand sanctions against rogue frat
• 55 colleges under investigation over handling of sexual violence complaints
• Student Alleges Brown University Let Her Rapist Return to Classes While She Was Still There
• Trial set for superintendent after Steubenville rape case
• Girl raped in high school hallway as class goes on
• Mass DNA testing in French school to find rapist

Law and Disorder

• 15 Years After Columbine, How "Never Again" Became "Oh Well"
• Waseca police say they foiled teen's plot to kill parents, stage school massacre—A teacher called 911 when she noticed a student acting strange.
• Two girls arrested on suspicion of teacher 'murder plot'
• Illinois teacher left note: school 'will b n flames,' officials say
• High school senior class prank leads to 62 arrests—"Sixty-two students were arrested Thursday after police said they broke into their high school overnight for a senior class prank, urinating in hallways, greasing doorknobs with petroleum jelly and taping hot dogs to lockers."

Troubled Youth

• Teens use baseball bat and golf club to beat mentally disabled man to death for his Xbox
• Chicago girl, 14, charged with killing rival
• Teen arrested in connection to Brandon Road attack; vigil held for victim
• Anne Maguire stabbing: Boy, 15, due in court charged with murder
• Tanana resident, 20, arraigned in killing of 2 Alaska State Troopers
• Teen crews linked to 40 percent of NYC shootings—"There are more than 300 of them in New York — violent crews of dozens of 12- to 20-year-olds with names such as Very Crispy Gangsters, True Money Gang and Cash Bama Bullies." WaPo
• Oregon teen sentenced in swastika attack

Educamation

• Teacher who 'ordered a hit' on 7th grader gets fired
• Teacher fired for using broom to break up Detroit classroom fight—Damned when she did, damned if she didn't.
• Santa Monica coach may become a hero for exasperated teachers

Parenting

• Celebrity Quack Moms Are a Terrible Influence on Everyday Parents
• Gen Y and Millennial moms having more kids and abandoning helicopter parenting
• Parent calls cops on teen for giving books away at a book giveaway—"Trying to give away award-winning novels got this girl a chat with the cops in Idaho."

Comply! Zero Tolerance; That's Un-Possible! Educamation, School Fees; Racism; Bullying; Teen Killers; Think of the Children; Teachers

Comply!

• Girl, 9, barred from school for shaving head to support friend with cancer
• Tennessee teacher out of a job after taking sick student to ER and paying the bill—"It's a liability issue. It's an issue of insubordination after doing something you were officially warned not to do and doing it again.
• Minnesota teen wins settlement after school takes Facebook password—"A Minnesota school district has agreed to pay $70,000 to settle a lawsuit that claimed school officials violated a student's constitutional rights by viewing her Facebook and email accounts without permission."
• Supreme Court declines 'I (heart) Boobies'
• Free speech vs. school order—"Public school administrators must have their heads spinning as they try to sort out recent court decisions regarding free-expression rights of students. Principals have the almost impossible task of balancing constitutionally protected student expression with keeping order in schools where education is the primary objective."

Zero Tolerance

• Student involved in razor incident will return to school Friday—"A Virginia Beach sixth grader who came to the aide of a classmate who was cutting his arm will now return to school Friday after initially facing expulsion for her actions."
• Teen's military plans on hold after spending 13 days in jail —He was "charged with a felony and spent 13 days in jail, after what he says what was a pocketknife was found in his car during a search at his school Ashtabula County Tech."
• There's no such thing as zero tolerance—"Yup, we have yet another 'Asinine School Administration Negligently Enforces Zero Tolerance Policy Because the Administration is Asinine' debacle."
• St. Louis County mother furious after being arrested for consoling son—"A mother trying to pick her special needs son up from school winds up in handcuffs and puts the school on lock down."
• Citing abuse, advocates to seek changes in zero-tolerance policies

That's Un-Possible!

• Here's the Awful 146-Word "Essay" That Earned an A- for a UNC Jock
• Teenager expelled from school after organising mass-walkout over LACK of homework—Say hello to a future politician.
• Chemistry Professor Accidentally Taught The Wrong Course For Months

Educamation

• A Conservative Meme On School Lunches: Work For It, Kids!
• Kansas illegally underfunds poorer school districts, court rules
• Hilariously, Bobby Jindal Attempts To Use "Science" To Defend His Failed School Voucher Program
• Ohio legislator says America's public education system is 'socialism,' should be privatized
• Diane Ravitch Tells Bill Moyers Why School Privatization Is Turning into a Disaster
• Gov. Mike Pence signs bill to ditch Common Core
• Kindergarten teacher: My job is now about tests and data — not children. I quit. WaPo

School Fees

• Pay it forward: Plan would allow Michigan students to attend college for 'free'—"In return for free tuition, students have to agree to pay a fixed percentage of their future income for a specified number of years to a special fund that would pay other students' college bills." Interesting.
• University of Baltimore to offer free final semester—"... if [the students] can finish their degrees in four years."
• New strategy would drop college textbook costs to zero—"USM holds pilot in which students use free 'open-source' textbooks put together by their professors."
• College affordability: Low-income students bearing brunt of price hikes at some West Michigan schools
• Superintendent's pay in South Bay district called 'excessive'—"The superintendent of the small Centinela Valley Union High School District, Jose Fernandez, made $674,559 last year, far more than the New York and Los Angeles school district heads."

Racism

• Olathe district apologizes after only black students invited on trip—Claims it was a "misunderstanding."
• Teaching tolerance: How white parents should talk to their kids about race
• U Of Alabama Sororites Win Right To Ban Blacks

Bullying

• School Bans Bullied Boy from Wearing his 'My Little Pony' Bag – This is Victim Blaming
• Petition asking for principal's termination—Accused of cyber-bullying a six-year-old.
• Details Emerge in Throat Stabbing of Elementary School Student; Photos Obtained
• Fed-Up Father Of Bullied Son Files Restraining Order Against Fairfield 9-Year-Old
• Teens get banned from an app after vicious attacks and threats—"Yik Yak is banned from Chicago after upsetting middle and high school students."
• Two Maryland teens admit to assaulting boy with autism
• Former elementary school lunch lady taken to jail for paying kids $1 to beat up classmate

Teen Killers

• Student Who Allegedly Produced Ricin Was Inspired By 'Breaking Bad'
• Ballard High student who killed for cell phone disappointed victim didn't have a nicer model—Psychopath.
• Two Wylie Teens Arrested For Murder Of Classmate
• Teen charged with killing parents in Calif. mansion
• Girl, 16, stabbed 65 times following Facebook argument
• Texas teens arrested for skinning dog and killing kittens in 'satanic-style ritual'
• Saturday's Louisville mob violence step-by-step

Think of the Children

• Doctor: ADHD Does Not Exist
• Alabama retailer turns away special needs kids
• When one New Zealand school tossed its playground rules and let students risk injury, the results were surprising
• When parents limit screen time, kids behave, sleep, and test better—"Since the average kid is in front of a screen more than 40 hours a week, researchers say even small limits on screen time can reap multiple health benefits."
• Blast from the Past: British children 'babied' by intrusive parents, says MP—"UK children are being 'babied' by overly-intrusive parents, leaving them unable to cope as they grow up, an adviser to David Cameron has said."

Teachers

• Los Alamitos High School Teacher Tweets—In the vein of celebrities reading hate tweets on Kimmel.
• Maths teacher threatens Game of Thrones spoilers instead of detention for naughty students
• Teacher keeps promise to mail thousands of former students letters written by their past selves

Zero Tolerance, Comply! Gun Show; Hunger Games, Student Loans, Free College, School Fees; That's Un-Possible! SAT; Educamation; Think of the Children; Bullying, Parenting, Law and Disorder; Ukraine

Zero Tolerance

• Pop-Tart school-gun bill clears first hurdle in Florida—"Legislators here are working to keep students from getting in serious trouble for simulating a weapon with harmless objects like their fingers, Pop-Tarts or Legos."
• NRA Backs Fla. "Pop Tart" Gun Bill Because Playing With Toy Guns at School Is Totally a Kid's Right
• Chicago School Officials Suspend 11-Year-Old Boy Under 'Dangerous Weapons' Policy for Voluntarily Turning in Non-Firing Toy Gun
• Boy points finger like gun, gets suspended
• New Hanover County Schools remove 'Zero Tolerance' Policy

Comply!

• Texas student suspended after bringing beer to school by mistake
• Clarksville Student Suspended For Knife In Father's Car—30 days (down from 90) is still too much.
• Boy arrested after throwing snowball at cop—"13-year-old being charged with a felony following incident."
• Teen: Teachers Made Me Stand Outside In Wet Bathing Suit, Barefoot
• University policy will force students to wear trackable identification at all times

Gun Show

• 'Toy gun' found at Flint's Doyle-Ryder Elementary, two students arrested on disorderly conduct charges—"While police called it a 'toy gun,' Watkins said he believed in was a BB gun," which is an expellable offense.
• Student brings gun to elementary school—"The 11-year-old boy brought the .44-caliber handgun to Feaster Charter School in a backpack to show a few other students on Jan. 31, police said. He didn’t wave it around or threaten anybody, they added."
• Ind. House OKs bill to allow guns in cars at schools
• Associates defend man who had gun in school—Ironically, an advocate of the SAFE act, "the state law that made carrying a gun on school property a felony."
• When May I Shoot a Student?—"Modest questions about an Idaho bill allowing guns on campus." NYT

Hunger Games

• Many Minnesota students are subjected to lunch refusals, including 'tray pulls'
• USDA Tells Schools: Don't Refuse Food To Students Who Owe
• ACLU takes case of bus driver fired over Facebook posting—"Johnny Cook said that he was terminated from his job after he made a post about a child who he said was refused a free lunch."
• Howell elementary student raising money to cover unpaid school lunch bills for classmates
• Policies need to make sure all students get a hot lunch
• Paul Ryan: Free School Lunch Means Poor Parents Don't Care About Kids—He just loves the poor.

Student Loans

• Student Loans Are Ruining Your Life. Now They're Ruining the Economy, Too—"American students are well over $1 trillion in debt, and it's starting to hurt everyone, economists say."
• Feds file suit against for-profit college chain—"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed suit Wednesday against a large, for-profit college chain alleging that it pushed students into high-cost private student loans knowing they would likely end in default."
• Elizabeth Warren: Sallie Mae May Be Hurting Borrowers, Taxpayers—Can she get student loans refinanced?

Free College

• TN Governor makes education top priority in State of the State address—"Addressing a packed House chamber, Gov. Haslam announced what he called the 'Tennessee Promise'; the plan allows for all high school students to get two years of college education for free."
• Free Online University Receives Accreditation, in Time for Graduating Class of 7—"The University of the People, built to reach underserved students around the world, announced Thursday that it had received accreditation." NYT
• Can free community college save the US economy?

School Fees

• Cut Off Harvard to Save America—"University endowments promote inefficiency and are anti-meritocratic."
• Alamo Colleges trustees OK new approach to textbooks
• Oklahoma schools required to teach high school students to manage finances—"Oklahoma students, effective this May, now must demonstrate an understanding in banking, taxes, investing, loans, insurance, identity theft and eight other areas to graduate. Teachers are required to certify students' working knowledge in each area."

That's Un-Possible!

• The Myth Behind Public School Failure—"In the rush to privatize the country's schools, corporations and politicians have decimated school budgets, replaced teaching with standardized testing, and placed the blame on teachers and students."
• Carolina Confronts Classroom Corruption as Athletes Fail to Read
• Rutgers makes professor teach class he is clueless about, suspends him for telling students
• Fight Over Effective Teachers Shifts to Courtroom NYT

SAT

• Sharpen those pencils: The SAT test is getting harder—Bye-bye essay section [WaPo].
• Why the SAT is really changing: It's facing tough competition from the ACT WaPo
• The Problem Isn't What's on the SAT. The Problem Is the SAT Itself—"Make no mistake: The next revolution is an educational one. And America can only be at the forefront of it by disregarding for-profit standardized tests."

Educamation

• The University of Tennessee's Sex Week Will Go on Despite Major Controversy
• Philly-area student gets prize -- and more -- after being snubbed jackpot for half-court basketball shot—Props to Pizza Hut. Free good-will publicity for them.
• Columbus school board admits to illegal meetings, settles 'Dispatch' lawsuit
• Poudre School District destroys records to deny special needs family's access
• An inconvenient child—"My six-year-old son was suspended as a danger to others. His crime? Apraxia, a disability you could find in any classroom."

Think of the Children

• 11-year-old girl's cupcake business shut down by Madison County officials
• Victoria's Secret store bans mom from breastfeeding
• New Study Confirms It: Breast-Feeding Benefits Have Been Drastically Overstated
• Nick Lachey Says 'It Takes a Lot of Courage' for Media to Adopt #NoKidsPolicy
• Graco recalls nearly 4 million car seats because children may get trapped

Bullying

• Family Outraged Over Suspension Of Westlake High Senior Class President—"Friends and Conti supporters accuse Westlake High Principal Ron Lipari of coming down hard on Conti and protecting the school's football program."
• Suspended Rudder High School Teen Speaks Out—Stood up for someone getting harrased; gets suspended.
• Child attempts suicide after being bullied at school for being a fan of My Little Pony
• Former high school bully congratulates gay victim after seeing marriage proposal online

Parenting

• Motivating teenagers: How do you do it?—"Helicopter parenting has crippled American teenagers. Here's how to fix it."
• It's Complicated: An interview with danah boyd about teens and technology.
• Sponsor of Kansas spanking bill says it would help define corporal punishment, restore parental rights
• NY lawmaker: Parents should take parenting classes—Some parents don't know the fuck they're doing.
• The tyranny of the "bad mother": Slacker moms are just as intimidating as perfect ones Salon
• Judge Denies Tuition Money, Child Support For NJ Teen Suing Parents

Law and Disorder

• Parents force 5-year-old to drink grape soda until she dies, prosecutor says
• Judge accepts father's insanity plea in decapitation
• Boy, 11, is beaten and stabbed to death by his father at cricket practice
• Philadelphia couple face prison after sons' prayer deaths
• Baby to undergo blood transfusions despite objection of Jehovah's Witnesses parents—"High Court judge agrees to proceedure despite his parents' objections on religious grounds."
• US doctor found guilty of waterboarding his 11-year-old stepdaughter

Ukraine

• U.S. Navy destroyer heads to Black Sea for pre-planned exercises
• Russians sink a boat off Ukraine coast - their own
• EU leaders to hold emergency talks
• CIA reportedly says Russia sees treaty as justifying Ukraine moves—It "allows up to 25,000 Russia troops in the vital Crimea region, so Russia may not consider its recent troop movements to be an invasion."
• State-Funded Channel's Anchorwoman Hits Kremlin On Ukraine
• Russian professor under pressure over Nazi comparison on Ukraine
• Crimea votes to join Russia, Obama orders sanctions

Zero Tolerance, "That's Un-Possible!", Educamation, Think of the Children, Parenting; NSA Spying, Snowden, Surveillance and Privacy, Google

Zero Tolerance

• Ease Up On 'No Tolerance' Policies, U.S. Agencies Tell Schools—"Saying that 'zero tolerance' discipline policies at U.S. schools are unfairly applied 'all too often,' Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is urging officials to rethink that approach."
• Oklahoma lawmaker files bill to protect students creating imaginary weapons
• Minority kids disproportionately impacted by zero-tolerance laws
• Flipside: School ditches rules and loses bullies

"That's Un-Possible!"

• CNN Analysis: Some college athletes play like adults, read like fifth-graders—They'd rather shoot the messenger than tackle this issue.
• University of North Carolina Apologizes for Fake Classes, Promises Real Change
• Columbus has 17 charter school failures in one year
• Trend-starting Texas drops algebra II mandate

Educamation

• NC Teachers Fight Over Loss Of Tenure, New Contracts
• Six former Atlanta school employees plead guilty in cheating scandal, avoiding May trial
• Cafeteria worker accused of stealing up to $1M arrested
• Yale censored a student's course selection website. So I made an unblockable replacement—The school dean "apologizes".

Think of the Children

• N-word use lands Poulsbo Elementary principal on leave
• Mom sues Broward school district over service dog
• Reading this can damage your health
• Lunches seized from kids in debt at Salt Lake City elementary—"Up to 40 kids at Uintah Elementary in Salt Lake City picked up their lunches Tuesday, then watched as the meals were taken and thrown away because of outstanding balances on their accounts — a move that shocked and angered parents."

Parenting

• Stop Trying to Make Your Kid Happy (and Other Radical Insights)
• Don't bring your baby to a fancy restaurant Salon
• California court upholds mother's right to spank daughter
• Study shows shopping cart injuries rise after US safety standards set

NSA Spying

• Angry Birds firm calls for industry to respond to NSA spying revelations—Quiet until the bottom line is threatened.
• Snowden Docs: U.S. Spied on Negotiators At 2009 Climate Summit
• Merkel rebukes US and UK over spying—"Merkel said that Western powers sacrificing freedom in the quest for security were sending the wrong signal to 'billions of people living in undemocratic states.'"
• In Germany, memories of repressive national spying inflamed by U.S. surveillance
• Obama Stays Silent on Reform of NSA's Crypto Subversion
• Terror Defendant Challenges Evidence Gathered by NSA Spying
• It Only Took the NSA 61 Years to Hire Its First Privacy and Civil Liberties Officer

Snowden

• Clapper: Snowden and media "accomplices" should return our documents—Clapper wasn't using the term lightly.
• US whistleblower laws offer no protection—"The White House says that Edward Snowden should have reported his concerns within the NSA, instead of revealing surveillance programs to the press. But who exactly do US whistleblower laws protect?"
• Norwegian lawmakers nominate Edward Snowden for Nobel Peace Prize

Surveillance and Privacy

• Limits on surveillance: A global right to privacy
• AP-GfK poll: Americans value privacy over security
• British government reportedly tracking YouTube and Facebook data without permission
• Huge swath of GCHQ mass surveillance is illegal, says top lawyer—"Legal advice given to MPs warns that British spy agency is 'using gaps in regulation to commit serious crime with impunity.'"
• Dont't be scared of phone tapping during Sochi-2014, it's for your own safety - experts

Google

• Google Plus among leaky apps with greatest privacy perils: report
• South Korea: Google Fined for Illegally Collecting Personal Data
• Google broke Canada's privacy laws with targeted health ads, watchdog says
• New Google patent suggests automatically sending your videos and photos to law enforcement
• How much am I willing to let Google stalk me?

War on Terror, Oh Canada, Civil Liberties, Police State; Whistleblowers, NSA Spying, Surveillance and Privacy, Tech, Facebook, Law and Disorder

War on Terror

• US the biggest threat to world peace in 2013 – poll
• Are we on the brink of war? Academic sparks debate by drawing comparisons between 1914 past and 2014 present
• A New Memoir by John Rizzo, the C.I.A.'s Lawyer—"Rizzo concludes that Bush has lately invented a memory of himself as someone who was well informed and decisively in favor of waterboarding certain Al Qaeda prisoners, when, as far as Rizzo can tell, Bush seems not to have known at the time what the C.I.A. was doing."
• Ibragim Todashev's Father Writes Open Letter to Obama, Releases Photos Surrounding Son’s Death

Oh Canada

• Canada is headed in the wrong direction, majority says in poll
• What's Driving Chaotic Dismantling of Canada's Science Libraries?—"Scientists reject Harper gov't claims vital material is being saved digitally."
• Jamie McDonald: Cross-Canada runner 'beaten up'—The British fundraiser's bag, "which contained film footage of his journey as well as cash and credit cards, was stolen", and fortunately, was quickly found.

Civil Liberties

• Michigan says children need to be protected from seeing 'WAR SUX' on a license plate—"Resident sued on First Amendment grounds."
• Are the U.S. media as transparent as the U.S. government?
• Losing Aaron—"After his son was arrested for downloading files at MIT, Bob Swartz did everything in his power to save him. He couldn't. Now he wants the institute to own up to its part in Aaron's death."
• The Top 25 Most Censored Stories of 2013

Police State

• The primary NSA issue isn't privacy, it's authority—"At heart, the NSA debate is about what the government is allowed to do with what it knows and who is overseeing it."
• America's Internal Checkpoints—"Refuseniks fight back against feds demanding papers."
• NYPD Cites Mosaic Theory, Favored By FBI And NSA, To Deny Access To Budget Records
• NYPD a 'quasi-military organization,' according to outgoing top-cop Ray Kelly
• Incoming Boston Mayor Opposes AR-15s For Beat Cops
• 'JFK Customs destroyed 11 of my instruments'—According to their "logic", those bamboo flutes were "agricultural products" that would have introduced "exotic plant pathogens" into the US. What's agricultural is the bullshit they're spinning.
• Judge won't let student challenge electronics searches at US border—"French-American says he was regularly searched at border for years." Where does this leave you?
• A Generation Later: What We've Learned about Zero Tolerance in Schools—"[Z]ero tolerance does not make schools more orderly or safe—in fact the opposite may be true."

Whistleblowers

• New York Times: Edward Snowden, Whistle-Blower—"Considering the value of his leaks and the N.S.A. abuses he has exposed, Mr. Snowden should be offered clemency or a plea bargain." And then there are those who want to see him 'hanged'. NYT
• Whistleblower Edward Snowden is tech person of year
• What Snowden really revealed—"Government agencies empowered after 9/11 have been transforming themselves into the real holders of power in the US."
• State Dept. whistleblower has email hacked, deleted—"The personal e-mail account of a State Department whis­tle­­blower was hacked, and four years worth of messages — some detailing alleged wrongdoing at the agency — were deleted, The Post has learned."
• British Ex-Spy Launches Fund to Support Whistleblowers Like Snowden
• Whistleblowing Rippling into New Corners
• Whistleblowers: Information Warriors for the Modern Age

NSA Spying

• Would NSA surveillance have stopped 9/11 plot?—Was Bin Laden determined to strike in US?
• Judge on NSA Case Cites 9/11 Report, But It Doesn't Actually Support His Ruling
• President Obama claims the NSA has never abused its authority. That's false—"The facts that we know so far – from Fisa court documents to LOVEINT – show that the NSA has overstepped its powers."
• Ex-NSA chief calls for Obama to reject recommendations
• Glenn Greenwald Says NSA, GCHQ Dismayed They Don't Have Access To In-Flight Internet Communication
• ACLU sues for details of U.S. surveillance under executive order
• Germany should ban U.S. contracting companies passing data to NSA: report
• Sen. Sanders: Is the NSA Spying on Congress?

Surveillance and Privacy

• Court Backs Shielding of Legal Memo on Phone Records—"The memo allows telephone companies to hand over customers’ calling records to the government without a subpoena or court order, even when there is no emergency, according to a 2010 Justice Department inspector general report. The details of the legal theory, and the circumstances in which it could be invoked, remain unclear." NYT
• The Supreme Court Logic That Could Destroy Privacy in America—"It's dangerous for courts to continue adhering to Smith vs. Maryland, a decision that was made before the advent of big data."
• Julian Assange rails against surveillance on Today programme
• Five Privacy Predictions for 2014

Tech

• NSA claims it thwarted BIOS malware plot that could have destroyed the US economy. Of course, it's nonsense
• NSA Hackers Get the 'Ungettable' With Rich Catalog of Custom Tools
• NSA Uses Windows Error Messages To Spy On People
• NSA seeks to build quantum computer that could crack most types of encryption WaPo
• NSA Engineers Are 'Not As Good' As Valley Engineers, Former NSA Employee Says
• Email is broken - but Dark Mail Alliance is aiming to fix it—"Edward Snowden's email provider is teaming up with secure communications firm Silent Circle to try and fix email for good."
• Apple Says It Has Never Worked With NSA To Create iPhone Backdoors, Is Unaware Of Alleged DROPOUTJEEP Snooping Program

Facebook

• I Decided to Delete All My Facebook Activity—"It was hard."
• Facebook Sued Over Alleged Scanning of Private Messages
• You think Facebook is free? Well, it'll only cost you your private life—"Digital behemoths have perfected surveillance as a business model."
• Facebook wants to know if you trust it. But it's keeping all the answers to itself. WaPo
• Does Facebook Reveal All?
• Facebook 'dead and buried' as teens switch to Snapchat and Whatsapp—"Teens are embarrassed to even be associated with the social network as more and more parents attempt to 'friend' their children."
• 11 Reasons You Should Quit Facebook In 2014

Law and Disorder

• Guilty Verdict in First Ever Cybercrime RICO Trial—"The key question facing the jurors wasn't whether Camez was a crook, which the defense conceded, but whether the website on which he did business amounted to an organized criminal enterprise comparable, as a legal matter, to the Mafia or a Los Angeles street gang."
• Apple won't cooperate with antitrust probe, lawyer charges—"An attorney appointed to monitor Apple's behavior following an e-book antitrust ruling says the company is obstructing his investigation."
• Alleged Snapchat hackers explain how and why they leaked data on 4.6 million accounts

Obamacare, War on Drugs, Big Pharma, 420, Health, Mental, Viral

Obamacare

• Obamacare Deadline Keeps Getting Delayed, Even As Enrollment Skyrockets—Allowed 750k Americans more to sign up.
• Mass., Vt. halt payments to firm behind health sites Boston Globe
• GOP theme for 2014: bashing Obamacare, again
• Can Vermont's Single-Payer System Fix What Ails American Healthcare?—"As Obamacare struggles, progressives hope a bold experiment could offer a better model. But first, it has to work."
• Health Care's Road to Ruin—"There are ways to lower costs. Is there the will?" NYT
• This $55,000 Bill Is The Perfect Example Of Our Broken Hospital System
• Conservative Editor Who Was Hospitalized Without Health Insurance And Had To Rely On Donations Is Still Against Obamacare

War on Drugs

• Outrageous HSBC Settlement Proves the Drug War is a Joke
• In Honduras, a Drug-War Mission Gone Wrong—"Why are we still fighting the drug war?"
• Woman sues over vaginal, anal exams in El Paso drug search
• Legal challenge questions reliability of police dogs—The claim is that "the Metropolitan Police Department's police dogs, and eventually NHP's own dogs, were 'trick ponies' that responded to their handlers' cues, and therefore routinely violated citizens' rights to lawful search under the Fourth Amendment."
• Drug overdoses kill more people than auto accidents in 29 states—"Drug overdoses kill more Americans than motor vehicles in 29 states, despite new laws aimed at curbing abuse."

Big Pharma

• Glaxo Says It Will Stop Paying Doctors to Promote Drugs—"The announcement, an apparent first for a major drug company, would end a common practice that is criticized for posing a conflict of interest." NYT
• $1,000 Pill For Hepatitis C Spurs Debate Over Drug Prices—"Graham says she thinks once Gilead has recovered its investment cost, it ought to cut the price of sofosbuvir. 'That's very unlikely that we would do that,' responds Alton, Gilead vice president."
• India's Efforts to Aid Poor Worry Drug Makers NYT

420

• The lie that won't die: "We don't know enough about marijuana!"—"Drug warriors insist we still don't know enough about its possible therapeutic properties. It's simply not true." Salon
• 10 things to know about nation's first recreational marijuana shops in Colorado—The Denver's Post Cannabist site is online.
• California Attorney General: Legalizing Marijuana Would Save Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars A Year

Health

• Family gets $340,000 bill after losing medical malpractice suit
• Multivitamin researchers say "case is closed" after studies find no health benefits
• New York City Extends Smoking Ban To E-Cigarettes
• An emotional goodbye for 'bubbly, energetic' teen Emma following nut allergy tragedy—"When she began showing signs of going into anaphylactic shock, her mother brought her to the nearby Hamilton Long pharmacy where she was refused the EpiPen autoinjector as she did not have her prescription."
• Ontario mom urges schools to let asthmatic kids carry puffers—"Ryan Gibbons, 12, died after a severe asthma attack during recess at Straffordville, Ont., school."

Mental

• Two senators block Franken's mental health bill
• Health law may not broaden access to mental treatment—"Low rates are among the reasons psychiatrists opted out."
• Medicare to Cover More Mental Health Costs—"Effective Jan. 1, Medicare will cover the costs of mental health care much as it does other medical expenses." NYT

Viral

• Hong Kong confirms first death from H7N9 bird flu
• WHO says 4 new Saudi cases of MERS virus, one fatal
• Fired: pregnant nurse studies flu vaccine fine print, decides it's too risky—Too risky also for sick patients in the hospital to have her around.
• AIDS vaccine test results faked—"Dong-Pyou Han was an assistant professor of biomedical sciences. He resigned in October after admitting responsibility, an ISU spokesman said."
• Bubonic plague outbreak kills 32 in Madagascar