Brickbat: Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent

The California’
Supreme court’s ethics advisory committee has recommended that it
ban judges from membership in the Boy
Scouts because the group does not allow homosexuals to
serve as troop leaders. California judges are banned from
membership in groups that discriminate on the basis of sexual
orientation. That ban exempts nonprofit youth organizations such as
the Boy Scouts, but judges are required to reveal any connections
to the Boy Scouts in cases involving gay rights.

from Hit & Run http://ift.tt/1iV7ZqV
via IFTTT

Snow Days Are Okay, Says Harvard Study

Schools have already endured a wave of weather-related
cancellations this winter. Now, to make up for lost instructional
time, a few states are considering tagging on makeup days to the
end of the semester. Some districts want to cancel spring break
altogether.

They may not need to bother. As Emily Richmond
notes in The Atlantic, new research from
Harvard Public Policy Professor Joshua Goodman finds that makeup
days may be unnecessary; based on statewide tests, closing schools
barely affects achievement rates.

Schools shouldn’t worry too much about weather-related closures,
the study suggests, because the negative consequences of staying
open often outweigh the benefits of staying open. Even when schools
don’t close, many concerned parents keep their kids at home. (One
mother
told The Atlantic, “I don’t want to worry about them
on the bus sliding around the road.”) These kids end up falling
behind.

Then of course there are the whimsical benefits that lay beyond
the scope of the study. The Atlantic
reports:

A father who grew up in Connecticut said the snow day had been a
rite of passage in his own childhood and he was enjoying sharing
the experience with his own kids–at least on a very limited
basis.

The bottom line is that snow days are okay. The negative
consequences of keeping schools open often outweigh the benefits of
a day of class. Oh and, forget “makeup days.” 

from Hit & Run http://ift.tt/1dNWMmE
via IFTTT

Rapson: Fayette ready for district voting changes

Qualifying starts in three short weeks for two seats on both the county commission and board of education, but the short time frame is not expected to cause a problem for district voting to be implemented in Fayette County this year, according to County Administrator Steve Rapson.

Elections staff will have to manually look up a candidate’s address to confirm they live in the appropriate new district, Rapson said.

A new voting district map could be approved as early as next week, as the federal judge in the district voting case will conduct a Feb. 18 hearing on the court-proposed map.

read more

via The Citizen http://ift.tt/1eZlntj

Faith community preps to aid in responding to disasters

t is a disaster that no community wants to see. But it happened last year in Adairsville when an F3 tornado leveled portions of the northwest Georgia city. Former Adairsville City Manager Pat Crook and Bartow County EMA Director Paul Cuprowski presented the circumstances of the tornado’s aftermath at the annual Fayette County Faith-based Disaster Network meeting held Feb. 8 at New Hope Baptist Church. The presentation was a primer on the effective role churches can play in disaster response.

It was in January 2013 that an F3 tornado tore through a portion of Adairsville in Bartow County.

read more

via The Citizen http://ift.tt/MhRkm0

Social media now part of disaster responses

The advent of Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media have established a role in everyday communications and are being used by church groups during disasters. The role of social media during such events was a topic at the annual Fayette County Faith-based Disaster Network Conference held Feb. 8 at New Hope Baptist Church.

The presentation on the use of social media by faith-based organizations during times of disaster was made by Ga. Dept of Public Health District 4 Risk Communicator Hayla Folden and Monroe County EMA Director Matt Perry.

read more

via The Citizen http://ift.tt/1cByahk

F’ville progresses on westside sewer construction

Work on the installation of Fayetteville’s sewer lines from the area of Ga. Highway 54 just east of Piedmont Fayette Hospital to the new Pinewood Atlanta Studios property is ongoing and, despite bouts of inclement weather, is expected to be completed in 30-45 days.

The $1.6 million sewer project will tie the city’s sewer system to the 288-acre Pinewood Atlanta Studios property now under development along Veterans Parkway and Sandy Creek Road. That property, along with a total of approximately 1,200 acres, was annexed into the city last September.

read more

via The Citizen http://ift.tt/1cBya0G

Sup’t. to make decision on snow days

A decision will be made in the coming weeks by the Fayette County School System to address the school days to be made up as a result of the winter storm that hit during the last week of January.

With several weeks of winter remaining and the potential existing for additional winter storms like the one forecast this week, Superintendent Jody Barrow on Feb. 4 said he would make the decision on make-up days once he has more solid information to act on.

read more

via The Citizen http://ift.tt/1dqpBKj