Free Talk Live - public schools

MD state senator proposes "Toaster Pastry Gun Freedom Act"

phonon — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:12:06 +0000

A Maryland state senator has crafted a bill to curb the zeal of public school officials who are tempted to suspend students as young as kindergarten for having things — or talking about things, or eating things — that represent guns, but aren’t actually anything like real guns. The bill also includes a section mandating counseling for school officials who fail to distinguish between guns and things that resemble guns. School officials who fail to make such a distinction more than once would face discipline themselves.

Colordo boy suspended for pretending to save the wold from evil.

sanchopanza — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:21:30 +0000

A 7-year-old Colorado boy has been suspended for pretending to throw an imaginary grenade, even though the child claims he was just trying to save the world from evil.

School District Owes $1 Billion On $100 Million Loan

Jking8767 — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:11:14 +0000

More than 200 school districts across California are taking a second look at the high price of the debt they've taken on using risky financial arrangements. Collectively, the districts have borrowed billions in loans that defer payments for years — leaving many districts owing far more than they borrowed.

Classic books dropped from curriculum, replaced with boringness

phonon — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 22:01:58 +0000

Books such as JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird will be replaced by "informational texts" approved by the Common Core State Standards. Suggested non-fiction texts include Recommended Levels of Insulation by the the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Invasive Plant Inventory, by California's Invasive Plant Council.

Teacher uses face marking to shame slow readers

phonon — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:40:03 +0000

A teacher in the southern Idaho town of Declo is being criticized after she had her fourth-grade students use permanent markers to draw on the faces of children who failed to meet reading goals. Some parents and Cassia County School District leaders say the punishment given to nine students in Summer Larsen's class was inappropriate and left the children feeling shamed.

Child Suspended from School for Kombucha in Lunchbox

phonon — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:36:00 +0000

An elementary school boy from Newport Beach, California was suspended from school this week for the kombucha that his mom had packed in his lunchbox. School administration said it violated the school district’s drug and alcohol policy.

TN student suspended for having asthma inhaler in class

berserker13 — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:42:58 +0000

When fifth-grader Isaiah Butts’ inhaler fell out of his pocket at school, he received an in-school suspension, a penalty his mother says suffocates common sense and could put other children at risk.

TED Talk: Public Schools Kill Creativity

phonon — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:24:42 +0000

Ken Robinson explains how one-size-fits-all public schools were designed to produce industrial workers and not designed for true education.

Disabled student handcuffed to file cabinet by police/school

frizbog — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:45:52 +0000

A disabled student was handcuffed to a filing cabinet for seven hours for witnessing an alleged theft.