EDUCATIONAL SERVICE PROVIDERS STANDARDS
(September 2000) The Council of Better Business Bureaus (BBB), www.bbb.org, adopted “standards aimed at promoting good business practices within the education industry,” describing a “baseline of professional conduct in advertising, student evaluation, fees, confidentiality of student records, claimed results, and guarantees.” These specific standards were targeted to tutoring businesses “but also apply to education businesses generally by setting forth basic principles in the purchase and presentation of education services.”

EDUCATION SECRETARY ON PUBLIC SCHOOL MONOPOLY
(February 28, 2001) U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, in a talk to Empower America conference in Silicon Valley, was quoted as saying “the idea of a public school monopoly is dead. It needs to be relegated to the Smithsonian because we are going to be in competition with other people.”

NEW HORIZONS SCHOOL IN CALIF. CLOSED
(March 2, 2001) The Bakersfield Californian reported a private school for troubled teens with 13 students was closed and its students were taken into protective custody after allegations of physical and mental abuse. http://www.bakersfield.com/local/Story/400116p-400105c.html.

HIGH SELF-ESTEEM MORE LIKELY TO USE DRUGS?
(March 5, 2001) A report on the Lindesmith Center web site http://www.drugpolicy.org, concludes “U.K. Report Finds Youth with High Self-Esteem More Likely to Use Drugs.”

SUIT AGAINST APA, CHADD AND NOVARITIS DISMISSED
(March 12, 2001) Additude Magazine, in a story titled “Ritalin Lawsuit Dismissed,” http://www.additudemag.com/News%20Room/Headlinesmain.htm, states “A federal judge in California has dismissed a class-action lawsuit claiming that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) conspired with CHADD and Novaritis to improperly broaden the diagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).” Dr. Steven M. Mirin, medical director for the APA stated “This ruling confirms that this lawsuit, and others like it, have no basis in law or fact. ADHD is a real disease that requires professional diagnosis and treatment. This is a victory for parents seeking to act in the best interests of their children.”

FOURTH AMENDMENT NOT APPLY TO SOCIAL WORKERS
(March 12, 2001) WorldNetDaily, http://www.wnd.com, in an article titled “Parents of 2-Year-old ‘Streaker’ Taken to Court,” reports that the parents lost in their claim that the social worker could not enter their home due to the US Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protecting the family “from searches without probabe cause.” Cleveland County District Judge Anna Foster ruled that “social workers are not subject to the Fourth Amendment in civil child-abuse and neglect investigations.” The Court found that the Fourth Amendment applies to criminal action and the state, but not to social workers. The family is appealing the decision, and are represented by the Home School Legal Defense Association.

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE EXPERIMENT
(March 15, 2001) An analysis of a two year Restorative Justice Experiment in Indianapolis found the restorative justice approach “has met the needs of victims much better than the conventional system, as well as significantly reducing rearrests of young offenders.” They compared the conventional juvenile justice system with this approach, in which victims confront the pepertrator who is a first time offender, and a reparation agreement is reached. http://www.ncpa.org/ba/ba353/ba353.html

SCHOOL DEATH ESTIMATE REVISED UPWARD
(March 15, 2001) According to the Associated Press, Ken Trump, a Cleveland-based consultant, said the deaths in and around, or related to, schools during the 1999- 2000 school year, was actually 31. The National School Safety Center had estimated the number at 16, but noted figures are difficult to come by because “there is no nationally mandated school crime reporting.”

STUDENT BULLYING IS TARGET IN SEVERAL STATES
(March 19, 2001) One result of recent school shootings is state legislation promoting schools to take action “to prohibit harassment, intimidation and bullying.” According to the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com, Colorado, Washington and Oregon are considering such legislation. Georgia and New Hampshire among others have passed similar measures. Other responses by states have been legislation banning guns in schools, increased power to discipline disruptive children, mediation and conflict resolution programs, and broad “guidelines for what is acceptable student behavior.” Others, like J. Brien O’Callaghan, a clinical psychologist in Bethel, Conn., feels anti-bullying legislation is just a “feel-good response”, saying the real problem is “parenting dysfunction.”

KIDS BAD HABITS BLAMED ON MOVIES
(March 23, 2001) The MSNBC story: “Kids’ Bad Habits Blamed on Movies,” reported a research survey of 5,000 middle school children in New Hampshire and Vermont that was conducted by Dartmouth Medical College. Results reported to the Society of Behavioral Medicine were that “kids whose parents don’t let them watch R-rated movies are five times less likely to try cigarettes or alcohol than youngsters who are allowed to watch whatever they want.”

TEACHERS OUT OF LOOP
(March 26, 2001) The Washington Times, http://www.washingtontimes.com, reported a survey compiled by the opinion firm Public Agenda in which 70% of the teachers around the country interviewed said “they are ‘left out of the loop’ in crucial school decisions.” Darrell Capwell, a spokesman for the American Federation of Teachers says the survey shows teachers are included in School District decisions as “almost an afterthought.”

THERAPIST RISK LIABILITY WITH "BORDERLINE FAMILIES”
(April 4, 2001) In edition 2, 2000 of Insight, a trade journal features an interview with Psychologist/Attorney Bryant L. Welch, in which he describes the potential liability risks in working with borderline patients. He states that “borderline patients can benefit enormously from good, long term psychotherapy…It’s “a real tragedy to me that a licensing board can create a climate of fear…if the patient regresses and files a complaint then there will be a judgment of unethical conduct against the therapist.” A variety of safeguards are recommended, including: periodic consultations with a colleague who understands the dilemmas associated with borderline cases, setting appropriate limits, and adequate documentation.