A California parent and his lawyer have agreed to a settlement with dozens of districts across the state that will force elementary schools to prove they are providing at least the minimum amount of physical education required by state law.

 

"We think it's a huge accomplishment and it's going to benefit public health in California," said attorney Donald Driscoll of Albany. 

 

Driscoll represents Alameda parent Marc Babin and the advocacy group Cal200 in a 2013 lawsuit that alleges 37 school districts, including Los Angeles Unified, the largest district in the state, are out of compliance with state physical education law.

 

Read more at EdSource Today. 

 

 

The largest outbreak of measles in California in years is prompting school officials to redouble their efforts to convince parents to vaccinate their children.

Sheri Coburn, the president-elect of the California School Nurses Organization, said the push for immunization is "one positive thing" to come from the rash of cases - now at 92 statewide - of the highly contagious and sometimes serious illness. The majority of cases are linked to exposure to the measles virus at two Disney theme parks.

Babies weighing less than 3.3 pounds at birth are at risk for a variety of neurological and developmental problems in childhood, yet 20 percent of these babies were not referred to California's High Risk Infant Follow Up program, according to a study by Stanford University School of Medicine.

Nearly every school district says it wants to reduce student suspensions, but only some have created plans with the kind of detail, funding and statistical savvy that make it more likely they'll succeed, according to a new report that analyzed plans to improve "school climate" in the 50 largest school districts in California.

 

Read more at EdSource Today. 

Stockton Unified School District reported a 50 percent decline in the number of students expelled  in 2013-14 compared to the year before. Declines in expulsions were also reported by Lincoln Unified School District and Manteca Unified School District, while districts in Tracy and Lodi reported increases.

Stockton Unified credits the drop in expulsions to improvement in "school climate," which is generally defined as how connected and supported students and staff feel. Specifically, the school climate improvement was strengthened by the use of a framework of interventions known as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, the Stockton Record reported.

By Winnie Hu and Jonah Bromwich, New York Times

Recent Editions of the EdHealth Newsletter


EdHealth Newsletter Issue 26: Suspensions harm 'well-behaved' kids, study finds