Chhattisgarh bans teachers, students from using mobiles

RAIPUR – The Chhattisgarh government has banned teachers and students from using mobile phones in government and private schools, official sources said Tuesday.

“The government has issued an order to ban the use of mobile phones by teachers and students in schools,” sources in the school education department told IANS. The education department has asked officials … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Chhattisgarh bans teachers, students from using mobiles.

Survey finds though texting is key to teens’ lives, schools see cell phones as ‘disruptive’

Survey: Teens love cell phones; schools, not quite

NEW YORK – Teenagers have embraced text messaging as their main form of communication, but mobile phones are often a source of tension with parents and schools, a new survey found.
The frequency with which teens text has overtaken every other form of interaction, including instant messaging and talking … Read more >>>.

US Education Department to announce changes in complying with gender equity law in sports

Officials reverse Bush policy on equity compliance

The U.S. Department of Education is repealing a Bush-era policy that some critics argue was a way to avoid complying with federal law in providing equal opportunities for female athletes.
Under the move, schools and colleges must now provide stronger evidence that they offer equal opportunities for athletic participation under … Read : US Education Department to announce changes in complying with gender equity law in sports.

Pa. school district admits taking 56,000 secret webcam photos, screen shots of student laptops

Pa. district took 56,000 images on student laptops

PHILADELPHIA – A suburban school district secretly captured at least 56,000 webcam photographs and screen shots from laptops issued to high school students, its lawyer acknowledged Monday.
“It’s clear there were students who were likely captured in their homes,” said lawyer Henry Hockeimer, who represents the Lower Merion School …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Pa. school district admits taking 56,000 secret webcam photos, screen shots of student laptops.

Governor or maniacal dictator? Insults overshadow issues as NJ considers school cuts

In NJ school cut debate, insults overshadow issues

HADDONFIELD, N.J. – They’re the kind of obscenity-laced schoolyard taunts that could get a student suspended.
But the target of this tirade is New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie – and the perpetrators are the state’s teachers, irate over his calls for salary freezes and funding cuts for schools.
In Facebook … Read more : Governor or maniacal dictator? Insults overshadow issues as NJ considers school cuts.

Indian MDs, working alongside medicine men, heal and offer role models

Native care blends modern doctoring, medicine men

TUBA CITY, Ariz. – The hospital stands in the midst of a world of traditions: of Hopi clowns dancing around centuries-old villages, of Navajo elders tending their sheep, of customs as ancient as the winds that buffet the mesas and desert lands that stretch to the horizon.
And so, even …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Indian MDs, working alongside medicine men, heal and offer role models.

JPL worker demoted after discussing intelligent design sues for religious discrimination

JPL worker sues over intelligent design demotion

PASADENA, Calif. – A Jet Propulsion Laboratory worker who distributed religious DVDs on the job is suing the JPL for discrimination after he was demoted.
David Coppedge’s lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles County says he was demoted last April for sharing his views in the workplace. He wants … Read this article on Gaea Times at : JPL worker demoted after discussing intelligent design sues for religious discrimination.

Justices split sharply on whether campus Christian group can exclude non-Christians

Court splits sharply on campus Christian argument

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court seemed to split sharply Monday on whether a law school can deny recognition to a Christian student group that won’t let gays join, a case that could determine whether nondiscrimination policies trump the rights of private organizations to determine who can – and cannot …. Source article  : Justices split sharply on whether campus Christian group can exclude non-Christians.

DynaVox looking to raise about $150 million in initial public offering this week

DynaVox looking to raise about $150M in IPO

SEATTLE – DynaVox Inc., which makes special education software and devices for people who are unable to speak, is looking to raise about $150 million in an initial public offering this week.
DynaVox, based in Pittsburgh, plans to use some of the proceeds from the IPO to buy equity …. Source article  : DynaVox looking to raise about $150 million in initial public offering this week.

Failure to check ragging is negligence: Court

NEW DELHI – The Delhi High Court Monday said that an educational institution’s failure to check ragging amounts to negligence.

While ordering maintenance of decorum in such institutions, Justice G.S. Sistani said: “It has been held that failure to prevent ragging is to be construed as an act of negligence in maintaining discipline in educational institutions …. Read the original article  : here.

Russian children’s rights ombudsman says US adoptions freeze to last for up to 2 months

Russia: US adoptions freeze to last for weeks

MOSCOW – All Russian adoptions to the United States will remain suspended until a new agreement is negotiated, which could take up to two months, the Kremlin’s children’s rights ombudsman said Monday.
Russia froze U.S. adoptions last week after a boy was put on a plane back to Russia [..] Read the original article: here.

Supreme Court to hear arguments on whether campus Christian group can exclude non-Christians

Court to hear arguments on campus Christian group

WASHINGTON – In a case that pits nondiscrimination policies against freedom of religion, the Supreme Court is grappling with whether universities and colleges can deny official recognition to Christian student groups that refuse to let non-Christians and gays join.
The high court was to hear arguments Monday from the …. Original article  : Supreme Court to hear arguments on whether campus Christian group can exclude non-Christians.