( photo of the child taken down for privacy reasons, but you can see it on the CNN site)
1.Girl's arrest for doodling raises concerns about zero tolerance
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Alexa Gonzalez, 12, was arrested by NYPD for drawing on her desk
- Critics of zero tolerance policies say school officials, police have gone too far
- Zero tolerance policies became more popular after Columbine, security experts say
- Students in Chicago arrested for food fight; students in L.A. ticketed for tardiness
-- There was no profanity, no hate. Just the words, "I love my friends Abby and Faith. Lex was here 2/1/10 :)" scrawled on the classroom desk with a green marker.
Alexa Gonzalez, an outgoing 12-year-old who likes to dance and draw, expected a lecture or maybe detention for her doodles earlier this month. Instead, the principal of the Junior High School in Forest Hills, New York, called police, and the seventh-grader was taken across the street to the police precinct.
Alexa's hands were cuffed behind her back, and tears gushed as she was escorted from school in front of teachers and -- the worst audience of all for a preadolescent girl -- her classmates.
"They put the handcuffs on me, and I couldn't believe it," Alexa recalled. "I didn't want them to see me being handcuffed, thinking I'm a bad person."
Alexa is no longer facing suspension, according a spokeswoman for the New York City Department of Education. Still, the case of the doodling preteen is raising concerns about the use of zero tolerance policies in schools.
Critics say schools and police have gone too far, overreacting and using well-intended rules for incidents involving nonviolent offenses such as drawing on desks, writing on other school property or talking back to teachers.
"We are arresting them at younger and younger ages [in cases] that used to be covered with a trip to the principal's office, not sending children to jail," said Emma Jordan-Simpson, executive director of the Children's Defense Fund, a national children's advocacy group.
There aren't any national studies documenting how often minors become involved with police for nonviolent crimes in schools. Tracking the incidents depends on how individual schools keep records. Much of the information remains private, since it involves
juveniles.
But one thing is sure: Alexa's case isn't the first in the New York area. One of the first cases to gain national notoriety was that of Chelsea Fraser. In 2007, the 13-year-old wrote "Okay" on her desk, and police handcuffed and arrested her. She was one of several students arrested in the class that day; the others were accused of plastering the walls with stickers.
At schools across the country, police are being asked to step in. In November, a food fight at a middle school in Chicago, Illinois, resulted in the arrests of 25 children, some as young as 11, according to the Chicago Police Department.
The Strategy Center, a California-based civil rights group that tracks zero tolerance policies, found that at least 12,000 tickets were issued to tardy or truant students by Los Angeles Police Department and school security officers in 2008. The tickets tarnished students' records and brought them into the juvenile court system, with fines of up to $250 for repeat offenders.
The Strategy Center opposes the system. "The theory is that if we fine them, then they won't be late again," said Manuel Criollo, lead organizer of the "No to Pre-Prison" campaign at The Strategy Center. "But they just end up not going to school at all."
His group is trying to stop the LAPD and the school district from issuing the tickets. The Los Angeles School District says the policy is designed to reduce absenteeism.
And another California school -- Highland High School in Palmdale -- found that issuing tardiness tickets drastically cut the number of pupils being late for class and helped tone down disruptive behavior. The fifth ticket issued landed a student in juvenile traffic court.
In 1998, New York City took its zero tolerance policies to the next level, placing school security officers under the
New York City Police Department. Today, there are nearly 5,000 employees in the NYPD School Safety Division. Most are not police officers, but that number exceeds the total police force in Washington, D.C.
In contrast, there are only about 3,000 counselors in New York City's public school system. Critics of zero tolerance policies say more attention should be paid to social work, counseling and therapy.
"Instead of a graduated discipline approach, we see ... expulsions at the drop of a hat," said Donna Lieberman, an attorney with the New York branch of the
American Civil Liberties Union.
"If they have been suspended once, their likelihood of being pushed out of the school increases," she said. "They may end up in jail at some point in their life."
One of Lieberman's clients was in sixth grade when police arrested her in 2007 for doodling with her friend in class. The child, called M.M. in court filings to protect her identity, tried to get tissues to remove the marks, a complaint states.
Lieberman says police subjected M.M. to unlawful search and seizure. A class-action lawsuit, filed in January on behalf of five juveniles, is pending. It maintains that inadequately trained and poorly supervised police personnel are aggressive toward students when no criminal activity is taking place.
Several studies have confirmed that the time an expelled child spends away from school increases the chance that child will drop out and wind up in the criminal justice system, according to a January 2010 study from the Advancement Project, a legal action group.
Alexa Gonzalez missed three days of school because of her arrest. She spent those days throwing up, and it was a challenge to catch up on her homework when she returned to school, she said. Her mother says she had never been in trouble before the doodling incident.
New York attorney Joe Rosenthal, who is representing Alexa, plans to file a lawsuit accusing police and school officials of violating Alexa's constitutional rights. New York City Department of Education officials declined to comment specifically on any possible legal matters.
"Our mission is to make sure that public schools are a safe and supportive environment for all students," said Margie Feinberg, an education department spokeswoman.
Several media outlets have reported that school officials admitted the arrest was a "mistake," but when asked by CNN, Feinberg declined to comment specifically on the incident. She referred CNN to the NYPD.
The NYPD did not return CNN's repeated phone calls and e-mails. It is unknown whether charges will be pressed against Alexa.
Kenneth Trump, a security expert who founded the National School Safety and Security Services consulting firm, said focusing on security is essential to the safety of other students. He said zero tolerance policies can work if "common sense is applied."
Michael Soguero recalls being arrested himself in 2005 when, as principal at Bronx Guild School, he tried to stop an officer from handcuffing one of his students. A charge of assault against him was later dropped. He says police working in schools need specific training on how to work with children.
In Clayton County, Georgia, juvenile court judge Steven Teske is working to reshape zero tolerance policies in schools. He wants the courts to be a last resort. In 2003, he created a program in Clayton County's schools that distinguishes felonies from misdemeanors.
The result? The number of students detained by the school fell by 83 percent, his report found. The number of weapons detected on campus declined by 73 percent.
Last week, after hearing about 12-year-old Alexa's arrest in New York, he wasn't shocked.
"There is zero intelligence when you start applying zero tolerance across the board," he said. "Stupid and ridiculous things start happening."
3.CONTRIBUTED TO BY NM:
THIS IS FROM THE COLLIVE.COM Chabad website, but read the COMMENTS at the bottom for interesting info:
Dr. Eli Rosen addresses the "outbreak of mumps of unprecedented proportion in the Crown Heights community."
By Dr. Eli Rosen, MD
For the past 4 months we have been witnessing an outbreak of mumps of unprecedented proportion in the Crown Heights community. We are not alone in this: Boro Park, Williamsburg and other heimishe communities are also affected. This illness has spread to yeshivas out of town but at this time has not spread into those communities, thank G-d.
What is Mumps and how does it spread?
Mumps spreads by respiratory droplets through infected saliva that can be released when an infected person coughs or sneezes or just talks loudly close by. Symptoms include fever, body aches, headaches, and swelling of the salivary glands (the gland just below the ear). There is no effective treatment for mumps.
The incubation period is a long one, about 21 days, the reason this epidemic has been so drawn out. Individuals with mumps may be infectious even a day or two before becoming sick. Exposed individuals are most likely to be infectious 10-24 days after exposure.
Is this epidemic caused by a new strain of mumps?
No, the current epidemic is caused by mumps strain G which is one of the strains included in the vaccine that has been available for the last 50 years.
Is the mumps vaccine effective?
Yes, despite my earlier concerns that the vaccine may have been ineffective, it appears that the best possible way to be protected remains receiving 2 doses of vaccine. However, the vaccine does not always "take" and since there is a "wear-off" phenomenon, this allows for even vaccinated individuals to contract the mumps.
Children who have been given a dose of MMR at age 1 and again at age 4 seem to be protected in the vast majority of cases up until around age 12.
Beyond age 12 (including adults) immunity seems to wear off to levels that are not protective in a significant percentage of individuals.
Vaccinated individuals, primarily children, who contract the mumps are less prone to develop the complications of mumps (orchitis, meningitis, deafness).
Who is being most affected by the current epidemic?
Males are being much more frequently affected than females. Over the past few weeks, young adults (parents and teachers) seem to be contracting the illness at increasing rates. Unfortunately, adults are more prone to develop the complications of mumps than children.
Is Mumps Vaccine Available?
Vaccine is available in plentiful supply in a preparation combined with measles and rubella called MMR. There is no single component ("plain mumps vaccine") available
Is MMR vaccine safe?
MMR is a safe vaccine although it cannot be used in pregnancy and in a few other medical conditions. Women who receive the vaccine should avoid getting pregnant for at least 28 days following vaccination. Individuals who manifest "full-blown emergency type" allergic symptoms to eggs should not take the vaccine.
Is there a reaction to the MMR vaccine?
MMR vaccine does cause some individuals, particularly adults, to have a brief flu-like illness usually one week following vaccination.
MMR and Autism?
In the past, there have been questions regarding autism and MMR. These questions were raised 14 years ago by Dr. Wakefield in England. Since then, he has been thoroughly discredited, his study withdrawn and numerous subsequent studies have shown no causative relationship between MMR and autism.
However, because of this bogus but very popular research, vaccination rates have dropped and there has been a resurgence of the illness.
A recent outbreak of measles (an illness much more severe than mumps) in England has resulted in some serious consequences. The current "fashion" of not vaccinating children is clearly having an effect on the incidence of these diseases. In the presence of many infected individuals the virus can spread to those who are vaccinated, and as vaccination rates drop, the situation becomes more tenuous.
Why are vaccinated individuals contracting mumps?
There are 2 possible factors for this: waning of immunity with time and the large viral load present under epidemic conditions which seems to overwhelm the immune response.
Is a third dose of MMR effective?
It is my contention that a third dose of MMR is necessary to stem this epidemic in all older children and adults who have been previously vaccinated and have had recent close exposure.
Has a third dose been approved for use by the health authorities?
Unfortunately, not at this time. As such, it cannot be routinely given to those who have clear evidence of having received 2 doses of MMR.
Am I susceptible to Mumps?
Traditionally, we have used an IGG antibody blood test to determine immunity to mumps. Unfortunately, it would appear that this blood test (with the values used in the past) is not an accurate predictor of susceptibility to mumps. It is unclear at this time whether readjusting the normal range or refining the test will help us decide which individuals require another dose of MMR.
It is my contention that robust antibody levels (i.e. those higher than the normal cutoff) may be useful in determining who should receive a booster dose among those who have previously received 2 doses of vaccine.
What about being vaccinated after exposure?
Previously, it was stated that vaccination after exposure was not beneficial (too little, too late). However, with the current epidemic, the health authorities have approved the administration of vaccine for those who were recently exposed to a case of mumps and are unvaccinated or unsure of their vaccination status.
Individuals who have had mumps and those born before 1957 are considered immune.
Recommendations:
Get Vaccinated
Everyone under the age of 50 who has not received 2 doses of MMR or has no record of past immunization, should receive a booster dose of MMR as soon as possible, especially if they are parents or teachers.
Your personal physician has access to vaccine and there is currently no shortage. Vaccine has been made available by NY City for administration to people 10 years and older. Please refer to the sites listed at the end of this update.
What to Do For an Individual Infected with Mumps
1. Individuals with Mumps should be strictly quarantined.
2. Cover the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
3. Wash hands frequently with soap and water.
4.There is no effective treatment for Mumps. Rest, fluids, analgesia are helpful.
5. What to do if you are exposed to Mumps
Individuals with mumps are infectious 2-3 days prior to the onset of the illness. Check your immunization status and receive vaccination if you were not previously vaccinated.
Unfortunately, as stated earlier, 2 doses of vaccine in the distant past are absolutely no guarantee of protection. Blood tests for antibody levels can still be useful in determining the need for another dose of vaccine.
Quarantine
The practice of quarantine has been forgotten largely due to the success of the vaccination program. However, with a resurgence of illness, we urgently need to reinstitute the practice of quarantine.
Any individual who suspects he/she may have the mumps, should be considered infectious until the situation becomes clear.
For at least the first five days of the illness, those in the above group and those with mumps should stay home, not go to shul or yeshiva, remove themselves from a dormitory situation and be quarantined, either with other mumps cases or alone.
Children from homes where the parents do not vaccinate, must be considered infectious any time between 10-24 days after exposure and should be kept out of school for this time period. As long as those with the illness continue to mingle with the "herd", the illness will persist.
Lastly, something has to be said at this juncture about the concept of herd immunity. Due to lay opposition to appropriate vaccination of our children and admission of these unvaccinated children into our school system, there has been a decline in herd immunity which may be one of the reasons why we are witnessing the current outbreak.
Even though vaccination of all children clearly has its costs and as we see not all vaccination confers life-time immunity, the healthcare authorities unequivocally recommend vaccination of all children. Hopefully, by vaccinating our children we will not allow for the epidemic spread of preventable diseases in our community.
6
Thank you.
I am very grateful to Dr. Rosen for taking the time to write this article.
There are a few things I would like to add to this.
1. While it is true that the FDA has ruled that there is no link between the mmr & autism, it is important to note that they will only recognize changes that happen within a few days of a vaccine. Sometimes it takes the body longer than a few days to react. The later reactions are NOT included in their studies.
2. The safety studies are funded by the manufacturers of these vaccines.
3. Experiencing the mumps (and other common childhood diseases like measles, chicken pox, etc.) leave the body with a lifetime immunity. It is common to see a growth spurt in a child that has been sick and allowed to express the symptoms of the illness.
4. High doses of Vitamin C can help the body heal rapidly. Doses would be much higher than parents generally give. Dosage is figured out using bowel tolerance.
14
to #6
Please check your information before you post it.
1) NOT TRUE - Numerous studies, both from the US and abroad, have demonstrated that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism. [See "MMR and Autism" BMJ. 2010 Feb 2;340:c655 for a sample.]
2) NOT TRUE - (see above citation for an example).
3) NOT TRUE - This depends on the person. Immunity can wane and those most vulnerable to infection (e.g. immunosuppressed) are most at risk.
4) NOT TRUE - No SCIENTIFIC studies have proven this and Vitamin C doses above 2000 mg/day can be TOXIC!
Additionally, I am very curious as to where you received your medical education. Before you go around touting your medical knowledge, please consider that your misinformation and inaccuracies can actually kill others. Are you willing to accept responsibility for an ill child or G-d forbid worse? If not, then keep your conspiracy theories about the FDA and drug companies to yourself.
17
Natural News on Mumps Vaccine
(NaturalNews) To hear the vaccine pushers say it, all the recent outbreaks of mumps and measles are caused by too few people seeking out vaccinations. It's all those "non-vaccinated people" who are a danger to society, they say, because they can spread disease.
Reality tells a different story, however: It is the vaccinated people who are causing these outbreaks and spreading disease!
Just this week, an outbreak of mumps among more than 1,000 people in New Jersey and New York has raised alarm among infectious disease authorities. The outbreak itself is not unusual, though. What's unusual is that the health authorities slipped up and admitted that most of the people infected with mumps had already been vaccinated against mumps.
In Ocean County, New Jersey, county spokeswoman Leslie Terjesen told CNN that 77 percent of those who caught mumps had already been vaccinated against mumps.
77 percent of those infected had been vaccinated
Usually this information is censored out of the press. The vaccine industry wants the public to believe that vaccines are effective at preventing infection. So the media typically refrains from reporting what percentage of the infected people were already vaccinated against the infectious disease.
But in this case, the 77 percent figure slipped out. And now intelligent observers are increasingly seeing the truth about these vaccines:
• Infectious disease vaccines simply don't work. If they did, then why did all these children who were already vaccinated still get mumps?
• Vaccines may actually increase your risk of disease. Notice that far more vaccinated children were stricken with mumps than non-vaccinated children?
• The people who administer vaccines never tell you that their vaccines don't really work. They tell you that you'll be "protected" with the vaccine, implying a near-100% level of protection (which is blatantly false).
• Even if you're vaccinated against a disease, you may still catch that disease anyway! So what's the point of the vaccine?
The lies of the CDC
The CDC claims the mumps vaccine is 76 to 95 percent effective, but they offer no scientific evidence whatsoever to support that claim. To date, there has never been a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study published on the mumps vaccine in humans. The so-called "scientific" evidence supporting these vaccines is purely imaginary.
I still have a $10,000 reward offered for anyone who can provide a single scientific study proving the safety and effectiveness of any H1N1 vaccine:
Does being vaccinated raise your risk of infection?
The CDC also says that 2009 was a bad year for mumps outbreaks. They blame all the people who refuse to be vaccinated for causing these outbreaks. Their theory, of course, is based on the imaginary idea that mumps vaccines halt mumps infections. But once again, it's all imaginary! As we saw this week in New Jersey, most of the people who get infected in these outbreaks are the very people who were vaccinated!
If mumps vaccines actually worked, then what you should see instead is the mumps infection spreading among those who refused the vaccines, right? It's only logical.
In fact, if vaccines really work, then why should the vaccinated people be bothered at all by those who don't get vaccinated? After all, if their vaccines protect themselves from disease, then non-vaccinated people are no threat to them, right? So why are vaccinated people so pushy about forcing non-vaccinated people to get vaccinated? http://www.naturalnews.com/
Feb 11, 2010 ... The CDC claims the mumps vaccine is 76 to 95 percent effective, but they offer no scientific evidence whatsoever to support that claim. ...
www.naturalnews.com/028142_mumps_vaccines.html |
In a report issued by German health authorities and published in a 1989 issue of the Lancet, the mumps vaccine was revealed to have caused 27 specific ...
www.naturalnews.com/022508.html |
One theory is that, in very rare cases, a child's immune system could be weakened by the measles- mumps-rubella vaccination (MMR), which is usually ...
www.naturalnews.com/011764.html |
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