Child Welfare
Tracy Simer of the Jackson Sun reports on the meeting yesterday between Tennessee child welfare officials and leaders of the state’s faith community, many of whom have expressed an interest in assisting the state with families in crisis.
A lot has changed in Maine since a 2001 tragedy involving a child killed by her foster parent, reports Clarke Canfield of the Associated Press. The state has drastically lowered the number of children placed into foster care.
Education/Jobs
NPR News’ Claudio Sanchez reports on the bleak picture facing the nation’s community colleges, which the Obama administration once pledged to be a major solution in fixing the economy and yet face budget cuts in 43 states today.
A newly approved charter school in Newark, N.J. is receiving attention for being designed entirely for autistic students. As reported by NJ Spotlight’s John Mooney, the school, which charges $55,000 in tuition per student, is drawing both praise and criticism.
From hr.blr.com, the Massachusetts Department of Workforce Development/Career Services is using a $1 million grant from U.S. Department of Labor to improve databases to link career and education data. Massachusetts was one of 13 states to receive this grant from DOL last month.
Juvenile Justice
Laura Dolan of CNN reports that Juvenile Law Center lawyer Lourdes Rosado is representing the 13-year-old boy facing an adult trial for a homicide he allegedly committed at age 11. Rosado is also involved in JLC’s litigation regarding the infamous Cash-for-Kids scandal in Luzerne County, Pa.
Local television station KHQ reports on its website that the Washington State School Superintendent has asked for legislation that would require law enforcement to notify schools within 30 days of the release of certain young offenders.
Nick Reisman of New York’s Star Gazette reports on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State speech, in which he hinted at closure and consolidation plans for the state’s juvenile justice facilities.
