Parents Daily News Roundup

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

Student Fires Police Officer’s Handgun On Northern Virginia School Bus
A student accidentally shot a police officer’s handgun on a Northern Virginia school bus on Monday. Four students were on the bus at the time, along with the police officer, the bus driver and a bus aide, and no one was hurt. (via Huffington Post)

Bed rest during pregnancy could worsen risk for premature birth, study shows
New research is raising fresh concern that an age-old treatment for troubled pregnancies – bed rest – doesn’t seem to prevent premature birth, and might even worsen that risk. (via Fox News)

Video Game to Help Kids Fight Cancer
Re-Mission 2 is a collection of six free online games–accessible via Web browser or Apple iPad–that share the theme of taking the fight to cancer. They do this by arming patients with a virtual arsenal of chemo, radiation and targeted cancer drug attacks designed to crush advancing malignant forces. (via Yahoo News)

Philadelphia doctor guilty of murdering infants in late-term abortions
A Philadelphia abortion doctor was found guilty on Monday of murdering three babies during late-term abortions at a clinic serving low-income women. (via Yahoo News)

Buena Vista School District Officially Closes For Year, Offers ‘Skills Camp’
For the 400 or so students in Buena Vista, Mich., school is over, even though the academic year isn’t supposed to end until the middle of June. Instead, they will likely attend “skills camp.” (via Huffington Post)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

Chicago School Closings Provoke Parents’ Confusion, Anger
Nanette Fouch does not understand why her granddaughter may have to transfer from a Chicago elementary school earmarked to close partly because of poor academics to one where students scored even lower on a recent standardized test. (via Huffington Post)

Violent Video Games are a Risk Factor for Criminal Behavior and Aggression, New Evidence Shows
People are quick to point the finger or dismiss the effect of violent video games as a factor in criminal behavior. New evidence from Iowa State researchers demonstrates a link between video games and youth violence and delinquency. (via ScienceDaily)

A High School Where the Students are the Teachers
If high school students took charge of their education with limited supervision, would they learn? A Massachusetts school is finding out. (via TIME)

Study Clarifies Link Between Fertility Treatments and Neurological Problems in Kids
Children born from in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments have shown a higher risk of developmental problems, but what is responsible for the heightened risk? (via TIME)

Albany Moves to End Standoff in New York City Over Teachers Evaluations
Amid rising concerns about the promotion and consumption of energy drinks, researchers released new data Thursday suggesting energy drinks may negatively affect heart rhythm and blood pressure. (via The New York Times)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Wednesday, March 6th, 2013

The Rise of Tablets as Textbooks
Well before the cleanup from Superstorm Sandy was in full swing, students could read about the weather system that slammed the East Coast in their textbooks. Welcome to the new digital bookcase, where traditional ink-and-paper textbooks have given way to iPads and book bags are getting lighter. (via Huffington Post)

CPS Sex Education: Nation’s Third Largest District Extending Lessons to Kindergarteners (VIDEO)
Is five years old too young to begin receiving sex education lessons? Last week, Chicago Public Schools’ Board of Education approved expanding expanding sexual education in their schools as a means of addressing the high rates of gonorrhea and Chlamydia cases among the city’s teens, as well as a teen HIV rate that has risen 43 percent since 2000, DNAinfo Chicago reports. (via Huffington Post)

New Video Game Detects Vision Problems in Children
Technology is changing the way we view the world, and the American education system is no exception. With as many as one in four children living with undiagnosed vision disorders that may be affecting their performance in school, it’s more important than ever for kids to get screened early. (via Fox News)

New Allergy Guidelines Advises Giving Babies Peanuts Earlier
An article in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal highlights a new approach to combating food allergies: Introducing allergenic foods like peanut butter and eggs to babies as young as 4 to 6 months old, according to a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. (via Fox News)

Parents to Congress: Police No Solution to Mental Illness
Liza Long’s son first went into the juvenile justice system at 11. He’s mentally ill, but the woman who wrote the viral Internet essay “I am Adam Lanza’s mother” told Congress the police are often the only authorities who can help deal with violent, mentally ill children. (via NBC News)

Rate of Caesarean Deliveries Varies Widely Across U.S.
The rate of Caesarean deliveries, the most common operating-room procedure performed in the United States, varies drastically among hospitals across the country, a new study has found, ranging from 7 percent of all births at the hospital with the lowest share of Caesarean deliveries to 70 percent at the hospital with the highest rate. (via New York Times)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Friday, March 1st, 2013

Transgender Mississippi Student ‘Leah’ Supported by High School While Students Protest 
Students at a Batesville, Miss. high school are protesting because they believe that a transgender classmate is receiving “special treatment.” As WLOX 13 reports, over 30 students at South Panola High School have vocalized their opposition to a transgender girl identified only as Leah, who has been allowed to wear female clothing. (via Huffington Post)

Zero Degrees? Time for Baby’s Outdoor Nap
American parents may think they’ve got the naptime drill down, ensuring that their infant is on her back with no loose covers or pillows, possibly in a sleep sack if it’s chilly. But Nordic parents add one element to the mix: fresh air, even in winter. (via Fox News)

BPA Exposure Linked to Asthma in Kids
The list of adverse health effects from BPA exposure continues to grow. Bisphenol A, or BPA, is commonly used to line food and beverage cans, and helps to keep plastics flexible, but studies suggest the compound can leach into the foods we eat. (via TIME)

No Clear Benefits for Kids’ Blood Pressure Checks
There’s no evidence that checking kids’ and teens’ blood pressure – and treating them if it’s high – can reduce their heart risks in adulthood, according to a new analysis. (via Reuters)

Eating Junk Food While Pregnant May Make Your Child a Junk Food Addict
Here’s another reason why a healthy diet during pregnancy is critical to the future health of your children: New research published in the March 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, suggests that pregnant mothers who consume junk food actually cause changes in the development of the opioid signaling pathway in the brains of their unborn children. (via Science Daily)

Action Video Games Boost Reading Skills of Children with Dyslexia Study Suggests
Much to the chagrin of parents who think their kids should spend less time playing video games and more time studying, time spent playing action video games can actually make dyslexic children read better. (via Science Daily)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Thursday, February 7th, 2013

Proposal Would Make Preschool Available to All American Children Within Five Years
The plan was released by the Center for American Progress, which has close ties to the White House. Education Department officials have signaled that President Obama will make pre-kindergarten programs a priority during his second term. (via NY Daily News)

NYC First to Get Realistic Shooting Simulation Game for Kids
A shooting simulation game that lets children pretend to have shootouts in an indoor fake village with a bank, offices and what appears to be a school has come to Queens and is raising concern among law enforcement authorities. (via NBC New York)

New Whooping Cough Strain in US Raises Questions
Researchers have discovered the first U.S. cases of whooping cough caused by a germ that may be resistant to the vaccine. Health officials are looking into whether cases like the dozen found in Philadelphia might be one reason the nation just had its worst year for whooping cough in six decades. The new bug was previously reported in Japan, France and Finland. (via Fox News)

Restaurant’s ‘Well-Behaved Kids’ Discount Goes Viral; Mom Shares Her Secrets
Laura King expected a tally of good food on her restaurant tab. A credit for her children’s good manners, on the other hand, came as quite a surprise. (via Today)

Black Parents Claim Disneyland Character Refused to Touch Their Kids
An African-American family is suing Disneyland after, the family claims, an actor who portrayed the White Rabbit character from “Alice in Wonderland” refused to hug or touch their children because of their skin color, reports CBS Los Angeles station KCBS-TV. (via CBS News)

Air Pollution May Lower Birth Weight
A pregnant woman’s exposure to outdoor air pollution may increase the risk of her baby being born at a lower birth weight, according to a large multinational study. (via MyHealthNewsDaily)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Friday, January 11th, 2013

Education Rankings, Anti-Common Core Alliance: Ed Today
Education Week released its Quality Counts report, one of the most comprehensive education rankings in the United States. (via Huffington Post)

Carolyn Cain, Utah Teacher On The Ed Show: Teachers Should Carry Guns Without Telling Parents, Students
A Utah teacher doesn’t think parents “necessarily” have a right to know that their child’s educator is carrying a concealed weapon in the classroom. (via Huffington Post)

Taft Union High School Teacher, Campus Supervisor ‘Talked Down’ Shooter, Deputy Says
A 16-year-old student armed with a shotgun walked into a rural California high school on Thursday, shot one student and fired at others and missed before a teacher and another staff member talked him into surrendering, officials said. (via Huffington Post)

Smartphone App Helps Children With Autism Communicate Better
A smartphone application that has potential to help children with autism communicate more effectively is now available for download. (via Science Daily)

Judge Won’t Block New York City Circumcision Law
A Manhattan federal judge refused to block a New York City regulation requiring people who perform circumcisions and use their mouths to draw away blood from the wound on a baby’s penis to first obtain written consent from the parents. (via Reuters)

Screen Time Not Linked to Kids’ Physical Activity
Cutting back kids’ time watching TV and playing video games may not encourage them to spend more of the day running around outside, a new study suggests. (via Reuters)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Monday, January 7th, 2013

Obesity Declining in Young, Poorer Kids: Study
The number of low-income preschoolers who qualify as obese or “extremely obese” has dropped over the last decade, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. (via Reuters)

Video Games Fail to Stoke Kids’ Appetite for Fruit
Healthy food advertising in the form of online games doesn’t make kids crave more wholesome snacks, according to a new study from the Netherlands. (via Reuters)

Farewell to Aspies: Some Families Reluctant to Let Go of Asperger’s Diagnosis
The news that the term “Asperger’s syndrome” will soon cease to exist has some parents concerned – especially parents raising “Aspie” children. (via Today)

City Prepares for a Strike, Maybe This Week, by School Bus Drivers
The possibility of a strike by New York City’s school bus drivers inched closer on Sunday, with the schools chancellor, Dennis M. Walcott, detailing contingency plans for the 152,000 public and private students who could be affected, as, steps away, hundreds of bus drivers, union leaders and parents noisily protested the loss of job security in new contracts. (via New York Times)

11 States Get Failing Grades on Public School Policies From Advocacy Group
In just a few short years, state legislatures and education agencies across the country have sought to transform American public education by passing a series of laws and policies overhauling teacher tenure, introducing the use of standardized test scores in performance evaluations and expanding charter schools. (via New York Times)

Jeremiah, High School Junior, Creates Social Accounts To Spread Compliments At School
To combat bullying and boost positivity at his school, one student is going online and posting compliments on Twitter about many of his classmates. His account, @westhighbros, has tweeted over 3,000 nice messages since it launched in October 2011. (via Huffington Post)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012

‘Active’ Video Games Get Some Kids Off the Couch
Kids may spend too much time in front of the TV, but “active” video games are getting some of them on their feet and moving, according to a study out Monday. (via Reuters)

Baby Communication Gives Clues to Autism
A new study shows that measures of non-verbal communication in children, as young as eight months of age, predict autism symptoms that become evident by the third year of life. (via Science Daily)

Smoked Salmon Blamed for Salmonella Outbreak
Smoked salmon tainted with salmonella bacteria has sickened hundreds of people in the Netherlands and the United States, sparking a major recall, health authorities said Tuesday. (via AP)

HPV Vaccine Safe But Linked to Fainting and Skin Infections, Study Finds
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is generally safe, but may increase the risk of fainting and skin infections shortly after vaccination, a new study finds. (via My Health Daily News)

Pedestrian Accidents Are More Preventable for Young People
Trauma surgeons have identified two preventable reasons why young pedestrians are struck by motor vehicles — poor guardian supervision and distraction because of mobile device use. (via Science Daily)

Poor Sleep and Sleep Habits in Adolescence May Raise Health Risks
Evidence now suggests that sleep problems during adolescence may negatively impact heart health. (via CNN)