Safer schools

Massive gun attacks at American high schools have instilled fear within us all, but schools are actually safer today, according to an EducationNews.org report in March.

The report states that:
* In the most recently reported federal data, there were 17 recent homicides and five suicides at schools, less than 1 per million students enrolled
* The number of school-associated violent deaths has decreased by 40 percent in a decade, from 43 to 26 last year, in a population of 52 million students
* The violent crime victimization rate at schools declined from 48 to 28 per 1,000 students over the past decade
* Reports of physical fights fell 14 percent and reports of students injured in fights dropped 20 percent in the past decade
The decreasing rates stem from the efforts educators have made to reduce violence by expelling violent students through “zero tolerance” policies and encouraging students to report violent activities, which helps schools identify threats and reduce violence.

Soda banned at public schools

The nation’s largest soft drink distributors have agreed to stop selling sweetened sodas in public schools, according to an Associated Press report released yesterday.

The agreement with Cadbury Schweppes PLC, Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and the American Beverage Association was arranged by former president Bill Clinton’s personal foundation and the American Heart Association.

The agreement, which will allow the companies to sell other beverages in public schools, follows a wave of regulations by school districts and state legislatures to cut back on student consumption of soda amid reports of rising childhood obesity rates.

Nearly 35 million students nationwide will be affected by the deal, according to The Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

Students have begun purchasing other drinks in recent years, but sweetened soda remains the most popular, accounting for 45 percent of beverages sold in schools in 2005.

How quickly the change takes effect depends on individual school districts’ willingness to alter existing contracts. The companies say they will implement the changes at 75 percent of the nation’s public schools by the 2008-2009 school year, and all schools a year later.