Seattle Schools Community Forum

I get that we don't want girls going to prom super-exposed.  (And, you would think parents would refuse to buy a dress that was too sexy. )  But we have some real Sarge Marge administrators out there as this story from the Daily News shows. The girl in the polka dot dress is a LOT more covered up in her dress than in many other prom dress I have seen.  Not wearing a bra?  I'd bet most of the girls aren't.  (I also think it's a pretty adorable dress.) The girl in the red lace dress looks great and she's pretty covered up but here's what the assistant principal said: The Harrisburg High School student was reportedly told she was too busty by her assistant principal. "She said, 'You have more boobs than other girls," Alexus told Penn Live . "The other girls have less to show.'" Then there is the horrible prom photo of kids with a Confederate flag and guns.  Apparently not all of the parents of the students shown even knew th...

I recently became aware of a serious issue with teenagers and their relationships called breakup violence.     I learned more about it via a CBS show " 48 Hours " (mostly about murders) and this one was about a "beautiful" high school couple.  She was the petite, smart girl with the football boyfriend.  But, their senior year, he became more and more possessive and controlling.  She didn't like it and ended the relationship. He didn't hit her.  He didn't threaten her.  But, during their relationship, he texted her endlessly, told her who to talk to (and not to talk to) and generally tried to control her life.  From the show: As authorities learned more about how Lauren Astley's body ended up in the marsh, they started to believe she was a victim of a disturbing trend: breakup violence. It is a crime that has no zip code. It's urban, suburban, and rural. A relationship ends and what happens is an emotional surge of uncontrollable anger....

I'm sure most of you heard about the drive-by shooting in Lake Stevens of Molly Conley,  student at Bishop Blanchet High School.  She was shot to death on her 15th birthday; the police have no suspects in custody at this time. From My Northwest , Linda Thomas reports that the school sent home her report card and in the envelope was a letter she wrote to her class as a last assignment.  Blanchet is a Catholic school so Molly does speak in religious terms.  But what she asks of her classmates (and herself) should ring true for all teens.  Show this to your middle schooler or teen and ask them to consider what she says going forward in their lives.  Hers is over but maybe she can generate some real thought about how students treat each other. I particularly like her last paragraph. Dear Class of 2016, I pray that we can find a way to connect and get along before our last year together. I pray we are different. I pray that we can be a family. I pray ...

A number of news stories have crossed my path this month about boys and girls.  This thread is about issues that happen to kids outside of school. One heads up I wanted to give parents of girls is the movie, Spring Breakers .  Now, you don't have to get too worried because it's rated R so I would hope most of your students could not just go to see it. Spring Breakers is about a group of college girls who want a spring break, have no money, rob a restaurant and they're off and running.   However, you should be warned for a couple of reasons. One, this is NOT a comedy.  It's pretty serious stuff.  Trailer . Two, it stars some very familiar (to young tweens and teens) actors like Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), Selena Gomez (Disney Channel) and Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars).    I read an article in the NY Times and for most of these young actresses, this is a breaking-away-from-type movie for them and their careers....

From Prevention WINS: Teens, Marijuana & Alcohol: Setting the Framework for Healthy Communication Featuring Dr. Kevin Haggerty , University of Washington Social Development Research Group ·          Tuesday, January 15, 7PM @ Nathan Hale High School, hosted by Raiders Against Destructive Decisions ·          Thursday, January 17, 7PM @ Roosevelt High School, hosted by the Roosevelt High School PTSA For more information contact: Annemarie Michaels at anplumpe@seattleschools.org  or Inga Manskopf at inga.manskopf@seattlechildrens.org. 

Here's a dilemma (or maybe not).  Over at the Jezebel blog, they found that there were a number of teens who, after the reelection of President Obama, sent out very hateful and racist tweets.  Jezebel looked these teens up and where they went to school, checked their school's code of conduct, and then contacted their respective administrations.  In many cases, either the school code of conduct and/or student athletic code of conduct was violate. Jezebel says: We contacted their school's administrators with the hope that, if their educators were made aware of their students' ignorance, perhaps they could teach them about racial sensitivity. Or they could let them know that while the First Amendment protects their freedom of speech, it doesn't protect them from the consequences that might result from expressing their opinions.  Additionally, several of the teens use imagery of their high schools' sports teams on their Twitter accounts and Facebook p...

From the AP : Free birth control led to substantially lower rates of abortions and teen births, a large study concluded Thursday, offering strong evidence for how a contested Obama administration policy could benefit women's health. The project tracked more than 9,000 women in St. Louis, many of them poor or uninsured. They were given their choice of a range of contraceptive methods at no cost — from birth-control pills to goofproof options such as the IUD or a matchstick-size implant. The effect on teen pregnancy was striking: There were 6.3 births per 1,000 teenagers in the study. Compare that to a national rate of 34 births per 1,000 teens in 2010. There also were substantially lower rates of abortion, when compared with women in the metro area and nationally: 4.4 to 7.5 abortions per 1,000 women in the study, compared with 13.4 to 17 abortions per 1,000 women overall in the St. Louis region, Peipert calculated. That's also lower than the national rate...

I love children's literature.  It's one thing that I look back on with fondest during the time my children were growing up.  I loved revisiting old childhood favorites of mine and was so thrilled with all the new literature out there.  (I remember when I worked at All for Kids Books and Music and the buyer handed me a book without a cover - a publishers' copy - and said "This is the next big thing."  I read it and was enthralled.  It was Harry Potter.) But since my boys are young adults, I haven't kept up as much.  But there's a new debate over how much realism should be in young adult books.  The Times had a story from the Scripps Howard news service about this issue.  This debate was first sparked by the 1967 publication of "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton, which is considered the first book truly aimed at teens. Many parents were horrified by Hinton's picture of violent, disillusioned young adults, but teen readers loved the book — a...

I was reading the Washington Post Answer sheet (about education) and the question was ask, "What's the number one thing parents can do to help teachers?" The answer was, in an admittedly small survey, make sure your child gets adequate sleep . I was a little surprised, not because it isn't important, but that it would be the main thing that teachers thought of as an answer. Teachers, what do you think? On the subject of parenting , I read this article in the September O Magazine with suggestions from a teenager about how to talk to teens. It's useful info but with some cavets: "When I talk, please turn off the tv, phone, computer - it's frustrating to have to compete for your attention." "Bring up dicey subjects in a natural way; don't interrupt breakfast to ask if I'm taking drugs." "Because I said so' isn't helpful; if I don't know why I shouldn't do it. I'll probably do it again." "Yes,...

From the PI online, a story of a study out of Rhode Island boarding school that shows that teens do better going to school later (and they're talking just 30 minutes later). Anyone who has a teen surprised? I didn't think so. The results were in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (which, unfortunately, you can only access with a subscription. From the article: Giving teens 30 extra minutes to start their school day leads to more alertness in class, better moods, less tardiness, and even healthier breakfasts, a small study found. "The results were stunning. There's no other word to use," said Patricia Moss, academic dean at the Rhode Island boarding school where the study was done. "We didn't think we'd get that much bang for the buck." Researchers say there's a reason why even 30 minutes can make a big difference. Teens tend to be in their deepest sleep around dawn - when they typically need to arise for school. ...