Parents should NOT be left in the dark on the well being of their children!
No government body has that right over the parents. @NewJerseyDOE @NewJerseyOAG
The Saturn app is exploding in popularity among high schoolers, but parents are raising the alarm about serious privacy issues for kids
The new school year is starting, and that means kids’ social calendars are exploding with orientations, sports events, and club meet-ups, among other things. But gone are the days of paper calendars and invites. Now, kids are flocking to alternatives like the Saturn app, which has seen huge growth after being marketed as a way for high schoolers to find their classmates, sync their schedules, and keep up with social events at their schools.
Saturn allows students to register with their school and graduation year, then see who is in all of their classes, post and view bulletins of school events, and exchange direct messages with other students. The app is billed as a “social calendar,” acting as a planner where students can keep up with school and social events, homework deadlines, and class schedules, but also chat with their friends. So while many are claiming it’s an app to replace paper planners, it’s really a form of social media.
Two Nigerian hackers in ‘sextortion’ ring that caused Michigan high school football star to kill himself after they conned him into sending nude pictures are extradited to the US
Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and his younger brother Samson Ogoshi, 20, of Lagos, were flown to the US Sunday after being charged in a four-count indictment
They were charged with the sexual exploitation of minors and with causing the death of Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old Michigan high school student.
Six hours after DeMay was approached for money after sending nudes, he was dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound
Two Nigerian men have been extradited to the US to face allegations they orchestrated a sexual extortion scheme that ended with a 17-year-old high school student in Michigan taking his own life.
Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and his younger brother Samson Ogoshi, 20, of Lagos, were flown to the US Sunday after being charged in a four-count indictment with the sexual exploitation of minors and with causing the death of Jordan DeMay.
DeMay, a high school senior from Marquette, Michigan, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2022 after three Nigerian men pretended to be a female online and coerced him to send explicit photos of himself.
It’s always stressful preparing for the upcoming school year. Take action with these easy steps.
A recent report tell us that 70% of monies spent right now for school prep is for buying new devices. Beware. Talk to your kids. Open and honest communication. Safety features and filters enacted. Do you know what your kids are doing online? The predators do.
1. Screen-time schedule – limit
2. Promote reading – windows to the world
3. Work on earlier bedtime after carefree summer
4. Homework routine – practice
5. Plan ahead – get organized
6. Family partnerships – reassure kids you are there for them.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy will name a 19-member panel of education leaders, parents, students and others to study the effects of social media and make recommendations for the 2024-2025 academic year.
New Jersey could become the next state to restrict student social media and smartphone use in schools under legislation recently signed by Gov. Phil Murphy.
The law, noted in a news release last month, ordered a commission to study the effects of adolescent social media use both inside and outside of the classroom. The 19-member commission will be appointed before the end of this month. It will consist of the state commissioner of education, four members of the public appointed by the New Jersey Legislature, and 14 others appointed by Gov. Murphy — two public school students, two parents of children enrolled in public schools, a school nurse, a specialist on social media data collection, and other experts representing the education, psychology and child advocacy fields.
More school districts across the nation are adopting, trying out, or at least considering the adoption of four-day school weeks, including districts in Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas. The day that is normally taken off is Friday.
Although the cost savings of four-day weeks is pretty small (according to the National Conference of State Legislatures [NCSL], average savings range from .04% to 2.5%, with the maximum cost savings of 5.43%), anecdotal evidence indicates student attendance improves. Additionally, parents and teachers can more easily schedule doctor’s appointments and other commitments on Fridays rather than on school days.
Proponents also say that four-day school weeks help districts recruit and retain teachers, which is a significant consideration with the nation’s current labor and teacher shortage. That’s the reason why many school districts in Texas have adopted the shortened week, reports KXAN. Nearly 60 school districts across the state have made the switch, and another seven offer a hybrid schedule, with four-day weeks for part of the year.
Crosby ISD has just approved the move to four-day instructional weeks starting next year, reports WIFR. In that district’s case, classes won’t be held on Fridays, and teachers and staff will work one Friday per month for staff development. About 20 or 25 minutes per day will be added to school days to make up for the Friday’s that are off.
The move to four-day weeks is most popular in rural areas, where districts can save on utilities and cut the miles put on their school buses. About 90% of districts that have adopted the four-day week are in rural areas. The total number of districts adopting the four-day schedule has increased more than 30%, from 650 in 2020 to 850 now, reports EdSource.org.
The trend, however, is not taking hold in California, which requires schools to hold classes five days a week or else have their funding reduced. The legislature has given some exemptions to a few districts in remote areas of the state. That being said, some of the districts that adopted the four-day week switched back to the five-day-week schedule, while others never switched to the four-day-week strategy.
North College Hill City Schools District, which is a small district outside of Cincinnati, will be the first in Ohio to adopt a four-day school week.
In March, the board of education voted unanimously to adopt the shortened week, reports USA TODAY. The move is being made to prevent teacher burnout and support teachers. The shortened school weeks will start on August 15. Students will attend in-person classes Tuesday through Friday and have self-directed schoolwork on Mondays. Teachers will be on campus on Mondays to plan the rest of the week’s instruction, receive training, and review data.
Recruiting and Retaining Campus Security Officers During the ‘Great Resignation’
Related: Recruiting and Retaining Campus Security Officers During the ‘Great Resignation’
Opponents of the four-day school week say that longer school days are harder for students, especially younger ones. Students who struggle with food insecurity might also not have access to sufficient meals on the day off, and access to after-school activities could be affected on the days when school is not in session. Additionally, families that can’t find affordable childcare could struggle with the shortened school week.
According to the NCSL, the effects of four-day school weeks on academic performance aren’t well known.
“…One study of students in Colorado showed a statistically significant improvement in math scores among students on a four-day schedule, while a similar study found no significant differences in student performance,” says the conference.
A report done by Oregon State University “showed a temporary decline in academic performance among students who switched to a four-day schedule, particularly among minority, low-income, and special needs students. Four years after the transition, student performance in four-day schools was not significantly different from that of five-day schools.”
The impact on juvenile crime, however, appears to be significant. One study in Colorado found that switching all students in a county from a five-day week to a four-day week increases juvenile arrests for property crimes, in particular larceny, by about 73%. Interestingly, larceny and property crimes increased on all days of the week and weren’t driven by crime shifting from one day to another, such as Wednesday to Friday.
Arrests for prostitution-related offenses have dropped dramatically in New York City in recent years as the movement to decriminalize the sex trade has gained a foothold in local politics. But a coalition of women’s rights and anti-trafficking groups said on Tuesday that the shift away from criminalization had gone too far.
At a Manhattan press conference hosted by the National Organization for Women’s New York City chapter, advocates said they were glad those who sell sex are no longer being arrested for prostitution as frequently — but they urged Mayor Eric Adams, the NYPD and local district attorneys to go after their clients, or “Johns,” more aggressively.
An investigation has led to the largest fentanyl seizure in Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office history, according to the agency. While processing the evidence, roughly 58,000 fentanyl pills and 16 pounds of fentanyl powder were seized.
Two milligrams of fentanyl, equal to a few grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose.
That record-breaking seizure didn’t occur at the southern border, such as south Texas or southern California, but in Oregon, says Derek Maltz, a former Drug Enforcement Agency official.
“What this [seizure in Oregon] helps show us is that the crisis is impacting all of America,” Maltz tells American Family News, because fentanyl can now be found “in every state throughout this country.”
