Florida Schools: Brevard & Broward County Handle Shotting Threats

Education is one of the most important components to breaking the cycle of poverty across the United States. In Colorado, one school district is taking that theory to heart by providing its own students with basic supplies to ensure a successful education experience. Whether the family needs food, clothing, or even a home of their own, Denver Public Schools is available to provide much-needed assistance to students and their families within the district. In some cases, the school system is the first line of assistance to struggling families moving into the city come in contact with.

The Need Grows

According to a report at CBS Local, Denver Public Schools has around 2,000 homeless students this year, which translates to about one homeless child in every classroom. That number marks a 30 percent increase for the current school year alone – an alarming statistic that has left homeless shelters filled to capacity and required some families to live out of their cars because there is no more room for them at city shelters. Filling the needs of these families is no easy task, but the Education Outreach Program through Denver Public Schools has been doing its best to help those struggling families find relief.

Still, homeless students have more than their share of challenges. According to Bridges 4 Kids, 14 percent of homeless students have to repeat a grade due to moving to a new school, as opposed to only five percent

Students returning to school after Christmas break may find new condom dispensers in their schools. The district is expanding the availability of free condoms to 22 high schools in the city, choosing schools based on their rates of sexually transmitted diseases. The move has been endorsed by city officials, including the mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter. The pilot program is designed to curb the “epidemic” of sexually transmitted diseases that has swept parts of the city, according to some officials.

This video reports on Philadelphia schools' installation of condom dispensers in 22 high schools.

Concern Leads to New Policy

The dispensers will be installed in the health offices of 22 high schools in the Philadelphia school district, according to the New York Daily News. The schools receiving the dispensers had the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases among students, including gonorrhea and chlamydia. Back in 2010, city officials saw a nearly 50 percent increase in confirmed gonorrhea cases among the city’s youth, which was closely followed by a similar rise in chlamydia cases.

Other reports showed that one in every four Philadelphia residents diagnosed with AIDs was between the ages of 13 and 24. At the same time, the city was reporting these concerning figures, condom use among teens in the city appeared to be on the decline. Dr. Donald Schwartz, the health commissioner for Philadelphia, told the New York Daily

As Common Core Standards take their place in public schools across the country, some are left wondering how these new standards will impact the education students have received in the past. Of particular concern is the shift the Common Core Standards seems to promote from the reading of classic fiction to nonfiction within the classroom. The worries over how the standards will change the standard English class have accelerated and snowballed into some wringing their hands over the disappearance of Shakespeare and other classic literary writers from the classroom. However, proponents of the new national education standards are adding their two cents to the discussion, saying the worries are unfounded and simply untrue in some cases.

This video explains the relevance of studying Shakespeare.

What are the Common Core Standards?

The Common Core Standards were developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, as an effort to find a viable alternative to the failed policies of No Child Left Behind. The first draft of the standards was released in 2009, according to the website for the ASCD. According to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the purpose of the Common Core Standards was to raise the bar on the education standards across the country, in order to prepare students for the rigors of higher education or the workforce after graduation.

The standards were created with input

The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut shook the country, leaving many asking how an individual could get into a “safe” school and open fire on young children and adults alike. As the aftermath of the shootings continues to rattle educators, students and parents, lawmakers are taking a look at what they can do to prevent such tragedies in the future. For some states and school districts, one option on the table has been to allow more, not fewer, guns in the communities and within the schools themselves. However, suggestions of arming schools staff have been met with significant concern and more than a few protests from parents and the teachers themselves.

Missouri Lawmakers Consider Arming School Staff

Missouri is one of the states considering legislation that would allow teachers and administrators to carry concealed firearms in schools. The Joplin Globe reports that State Representative Mike Kelly (R-Lamar) has begun the process to file a bill that would allow for the practice if the teachers and administrators had a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Kelly is not alone in his efforts – thus far, 24 other state lawmakers have signed on to co-sponsor the bill. Kelly told the Globe that if the bill passes, he would try to add an amendment that would require concealed firearms to be kept on the teacher or administrator at all times throughout the school day.

Another Missouri lawmaker, State Representative Bill White (R-Joplin) is