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NJ Spotlight--Op-Ed: It’s Not Too Late to Put Abbott to Work at What It Does Best
The Abbott preschool model was designed to provide young children with a strong foundation for later success in school and life, and it has worked in even the state’s most disadvantaged cities
This year marks the 20th anniversary of what has been called the Abbott preschool program — a national and international model of high-quality, effective, preschool education that, despite its success, has yet to be offered to most children in New Jersey.
W. Steven Barnett | January 18, 2018
Star Ledger--N.J. lawmakers must stop schools from 'passing the trash,' groups say
A coalition of 18 organizations is asking state lawmakers to pass a bill that would better prevent teachers accused of sexual misconduct from easily moving to new jobs.
The call to action follows an NJ Advance Media investigation that revealed a broken system for vetting and hiring teachers. The damning cycle, known as "passing the trash," helped multiple educators get hired in new schools after allegations of misconduct or abuse, including one teacher later convicted of sexually assaulting six students in three different school districts.
"The bottom line is that allowing schools to hide these crimes and allowing offenders to get another job and abuse more children has to stop," the groups said in a joint statement.
Adam Clark| Updated Jan 17, 10:44 PM; Posted Jan 17, 5:15 PM
Star Ledger--You're in charge now, Phil Murphy. Here are 7 menacing Jersey issues staring right at you.
The litany of progressive promises in newly sworn-in Gov. Phil Murphy's inaugural address Tuesday were rewarded with cheers and standing ovations as he asked the Democratic-controlled state Legislature to in short order send him bills raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, restoring funding cuts to Planned Parenthood, expanding voting rights, strengthening gun laws and mandating earned sick leave.
Murphy, a Democrat, shared a vision of New Jersey as a state on the brink of reclaiming its place as a leader in progressive policies and "big ideas." And he urged anyone considering leaving or moving in to plant their flag here, promising they would win the long game.
Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| Posted January 17, 2018 at 10:43 AM | Updated January 17, 2018 at 04:32 PM
The Record-- North Jersey schools crack down on vaping with drug testing, suspensions
Some schools will require students to be drug tested if found with a vaping device
Parents, take notice — your child's school is cracking down on vaping.
Students caught using e-cigarettes — commonly called vaping — or in possession of vaping devices can, in an increasing number of northern New Jersey school districts, be found in violation of substance abuse policies. Students caught vaping or with a vaping device may face drug testing, suspensions and lose privileges, school officials say.
Jai Agnish, Staff Writer, @jaiagnish Published 2:33 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2018 | Updated 3:56 p.m. ET Jan. 17, 2018
Princeton Packet--Mercer County superintendents work together to save lives
If parents, teachers and staff members want to stem the tide of teenage suicides, they need to tell young people again and again how important they are to the adults in their lives, and that the adults will always be there for them and never give up on them.
That is the message that therapist George Scott delivered to several hundred parents, teachers and mental health professionals last week who attended a special meeting - a "call to action" - aimed at combating teenage suicides.
The Jan. 9 meeting at Rider University was organized by 10 Mercer County public school district superintendents in the wake of the deaths of seven young people - who either lived in Mercer County or who attended a public or private school in Mercer County - in the last 20 months.
Lea Kahn, Staff Writer| Jan 17, 2018 Updated 14 hrs ago
