Atlanta Grad Rate Investigation

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Atlanta Public Schools claim a 30 percent increase in high school graduation rates since 2002, but the boost in numbers may be the result of hidden truancy rates, according to an Atlanta Journal Constitution investigation. The story says:
The mass exodus from Atlanta’s high schools may be the primary reason for one of the district’s proudest academic achievements: a dramatic increase in its graduation rate… District officials boast that the rate of students getting diplomas within four years has risen 30 percentage points since 2002. But the rate’s only surge, from 43 percent to 72 percent, came between 2003 and 2005, the Journal-Constitution’s analysis of state data found. During that time, the district removed from its rolls about 30 percent of all pupils in grades nine through 12 — roughly 16,000 students. As a result, most of those students no longer figured into the district’s calculation of what Superintendent Beverly Hall has descried as the “all-important” graduation rate: The fewer students being counted, the fewer graduates needed to make the rate higher.  A student listed as a dropout would count against the rate.  A transfer would not – even if school officials didn’t know, or didn’t try to find out, where a student went.

Cartoon Net Fights Bullying

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Cartoon Network will launch a Bullying Prevention Campaign in October called Stop Bullying: Speak Up.  A series of public service announcements will target young people who often witness bullying and urge them to take action.  According to a company news release, “Bystanders represent the 75-85% of students in schools that witness incidents of bullying every year, whether on the playground, in the classroom, on the bus, on social media websites, or cell phones.”

Cartoon Network execs made the announcement at the National Bullying Prevention Summit in Washington today. Campaign partners include sister company CNN, and the Anti-Defamation League, which released it's own set of recommendations to fight bullying, as well.

Real Gun, Fake Gun, Doesn’t Matter!

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So you’re 16 years old and broke. And you’re sitting around brainstorming ways to get money. On a whim you decide to stick up the convenience store around the corner. You don’t want to hurt anyone; you just want the dough. To be sure you’ll even use a fake gun.

Family Group Targets Unruly Kids

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Floyd County has a program that is keeping runaways, truants and children caught up in other status offenses out of juvenile court.  The Parent and Family Support Group targets entire families.  The Rome News-Tribune is profiling the program in a series of stories. The Support Group was started by former Juvenile Court Probation Officer April Thomas. The group helps children like 13 year old Arianna Creamer, who was hitting and talking back to her mother, Julianne.  Julianne turned to Juvenile Court for help. Judge Timothy Pape tells the newspaper he tries to keep unruly kids from hurting themselves without treating them like criminals.

GA Children Trapped by Immigration Debate

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While the battle over immigration plays out across the country, children of immigrants in Georgia face fear, anxiety and stress-related health problems, according to a report from the Sapelo Foundation.  Children who are U.S. citizens by birth, are getting separated from their families more often as local police agencies arrest illegal immigrants under the expanding 287 (g) program.  The study also found women and children  who are victims of assault and domestic abuse are afraid to call police because they fear getting deported.  In Immigration Enforcement and its Impact on Latino Children in the State of Georgia, author Elise Shore spells out long-term, traumatic consequences for children.   Among the recommendations:

Prohibit checkpoints and road blocks near schools, churches and day care centers
Local police should adopt ICE humanitarian guidelines for sole caregivers
The foster care system needs bilingual and bicultural workers to understand the needs of immigrants

Cutting Down On Sexting

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One in six teenagers is involved in sexting, according to research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. In most cases, the sexually explicit texts or images are sent from one child to another. Across the country, these messages are considered a form child pornography which can lead to prison time in many states. The Youth Online Safety Working Group gives advice on managing and preventing sexting incidents in Interdisciplinary Response to Youths Sexting.  They recommend that authorities determine legal action on a case by case basis, and increase awareness of polices and state laws to help cut down on the sexting problem. For more information:

Pew Internet and American Life Project

Gadgetell

Youth Online Safety Working Group

Former D.A. Educating ‘Ignorant’ Teens About Law

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J.Tom Morgan has a lot of Facebook friends – more than 4,000 actually. Just about all of them are teenagers peppering him with questions about Georgia law. They want to know their rights and how to avoid getting into serious trouble. And the former longtime DeKalb County District Attorney is more than happy to let them know. Morgan has sold more than 27,000 copies of Ignorance Is No Defense, A Teenager’s Guide to Georgia Law, a self-published book that he speaks about at schools, community centers and just about everywhere else anyone will listen, in hopes of educating young people and their parents about Georgia law.

New Child Welfare Law Specialists

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Move over Atticus Finch, there’s a new kind of lawyer in town: The Child Welfare Law Specialist. Georgia now has 17 of these specialized attorneys, certified by the National Association of Counsel for Children. They are uniquely qualified to represent children, parents and state welfare agencies in abuse, neglect and dependency cases:

Jamie Averett
Patricia Buonodono
Darice Good
Diana Johnson
Mary McCord
Kimberly Mullins
Temika Murry
Anissa Patton
Jennifer Satija
LaMia Saxby
Brooke Silverthorn
Jamie Smith
Leslie Stewart
Marie Watson
Suzanne Whitaker
Ashley Willcott
Rosalind Zollicoffer

Specialists must pass a written exam on child welfare law, and prove their knowledge through peer review, education and writing.  The Child Welfare legal specialty is recognized by the American Bar Association, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau, The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and other groups

If you know someone who might qualify, check out the application.  The next application deadline is August 15, 2010

Violence Forum Unites Teens, Experts

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A scarlet red electric guitar would normally seem out of place at a youth violence forum, but Monday evening the bloodstained instrument served as a symbolic reminder of a young man’s life cut short. Eighteen-year-old Blake Jimerson clutched it in homage to his fallen friend Katerius “Terry” Moody throughout the “Just Squash It” Emergency Town Hall Meeting, an event prompted in part by the murder of the Benjamin E. Mays High School graduate on June 26th at an East Point block party. The 18-year-old crooner was fatally shot during an impromptu performance; four other teens were wounded. “This is the last thing Terry had on him before he died,” Jimerson, a recent Washington High School graduate, told the audience of more than 100 about his friend who had planned to enlist in the U.S. Marines next month. “The blood is still on it.”

The meeting at B.E.S.T. Academy, an all-male middle school in Northwest Atlanta, was touted as an opportunity for Metro Atlanta youth -- and those who work directly with them -- to come together to propose solutions.

Atlanta Teens Fight Crime

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Crime victims and former gamg members came together at Atlanta City Hall this week to celebrate the group called  Zone Safety Atlanta.  It’s a peer mentoring program that introduces teens to good citizenship and practical skills.  One of the founders calls it “Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts meet urban America. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on this program, which began during a crime wave in 2002.  Zone Safety Atlanta is credited with reducing recidivism by 60% and violence in schools by 80% among young people and gang members who participate.