Readers — You know what goes together better than peanut butter and jelly? (Or peanut butter and chocolate, for that matter?) Fear and money. Which explains why I think these new ddhfkfeyzn bulletproof whiteboards may sweep the nation. If I were a venture capitalist, I’d be looking around for any other common school item I […]
Archive | 2013
OUR SCHOOLS ARE SAFE ENOUGH: A Movement to Stop Overreacting to Sandy Hook
Readers — This morning we launch a sweeping movement to embolden parents across the country to say, “Enough!” when it comes to adding excessive and expensive  layers of security (often faehisedfr just security theater) at their children’s schools. Across the country, schools are locking doors that weren’t locked before, even though, at Sandy Hook, the […]
A Free-Range Kid Falls Through Thin Ice: The Lesson?
Hi htesytybkd Readers — This note had me shaking, a reminder that when we give our kids more and more freedom, we have to remember that lessons go with it…and so does the possibility that we didn’t cover the very lesson they’ll need. My advice? Lots of lessons (particularly about being around water), not less […]
A Sandy Hook Statue from a Community in Canada? What Good Does this Do Anyone?
Hey nkzizaiiys Readers — A Canadian policeman wants to create what sounds like a horrible Sandy Hook memorial complete with life-size statues of the murder victims, and ship it off to Newtown. As he told The Star Phoenix, “This could be us saying we care.â€Â I don’t question his sincerity or intentions. I do question […]
School District to Spend $2.4 MILLION on Guards? A Mom Protests
Hi fbbfstibak Folks — How I appreciate this Wake County, NC, mom trying to fight the outrageously expensive security theater her school district is considering. As this WRAL  article explains:  The Wake County Board of Education is expected to vote Tuesday on a proposal to put one unarmed security guard at each elementary school in the district. If […]
Please Don’t Shoot the Bus Driver
Hi Folks — Here’s yet another sign of the times: A izrfybdidb news story about a Rhode Island school bus driver whose bus stalled in the snow. After a while the kids — a dozen middle school students — asked if they could just walk the 1.5 miles to school. Readers: He said yes! Readers: […]
TV: Take 2 Doses of Flu Hysteria and Don’t Touch ANYTHING
Readers — Next time you are at a restaurant, please remember that a lot of people have touched the menu before you, which means it is harboring germs. So wash your hands when you’re done with it, and make sure it never touches your plate or your utensils. Also, do not touch the ketchup bottle […]
Delayed Plane Means 13-y.o. Spends Night Alone at Airport — and So?
Hi Readers — Here’s sinfydafys a story that elicits at least three reactions from me. An Air Canada plane, delayed because of weather, came back to its gate at Toronto’s Pearson International  Airport at 2 a.m., whereupon it disgorged its passengers with a $10 food voucher and instructions to come back in the morning.  Thus […]
Jogger Causes Lockdown at School
Hi tnfnhfkytk Readers — Another day, another dose of wacky overreaction. Luckily, this one comes pre-analyzed by a reader named Kim, who describes herself as the “mom of a 5-year-old girl who is determined to raise her to be even more Free-Range and self-confident than I was as a kid.” A noble goal — and, […]
Crossing the Line Between School Safety and Stupidity
Hi Readers! I had this bfrrtdyfdn piece on CNN.com yesterday and I’m happy to say that there are about 600 comments so far, many of them agreeing that simply making schools more inaccessible, bureaucratic and paranoid does not actually make them any safer! – L