Health and Safety

Be wary of social media in the classroom

Column: Elizabeth Esther, The Orange County Register The nasty e-mail stunned me. Several parents, myself included, were accused of complaining about our kids’ teacher and reprimanded for not volunteering in the classroom. The assumptions were only partially true — yes, I had been unable to volunteer that year due to newborn twins — but it was just plain false that I had ever complained about my daughter’s grades. Worst of all, the e-mail had been sent to every parent on the classroom e-mail list. I was embarrassed and confused. Should I respond? And if so, how?…

Schools must enroll even without vaccinations

Column: Carol Veravanich, The Orange County Register After extensive study of the vaccines issues, my wife and I do not want our baby to have vaccines. But there is an issue with the school system's mandatory vaccines policy before attending school. From my reading, we have the legal right to claim the vaccines would be against our "beliefs." Are you aware of what school districts allow students to enroll/attend without having vaccines and the success/failure of the 'beliefs' option?...

Street near high school stays open for parking

Brian M. Cuaron, The Orange County Register San Juan Capistrano will look into installing a sidewalk rather than designate one side of Camino Lacouague for pedestrians and bicyclists...

Residents, high school parents at 'war' over street

Brian M. Cuaron, The Orange County Register People who live on or near Camino Lacouague in San Juan Capistrano say parents using the street as an unofficial drop-off point for San Juan Hills High have been making it unsafe for pedestrians and bicyclists...

Free summer meals for scores of O.C. kids

Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register School districts throughout Orange County will start serving free summer lunches and breakfasts this week to scores of students as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Summer Meals Program. Dozens of schools, parks, community centers and other sites in communities in Santa Ana, Tustin, Garden Grove, La Habra and other locations will serve sandwiches, pizza, pasta, burritos and other meals through the end of August. No forms are needed. Everyone under 18 is welcome…

Free lunch for students over summer break

Elysse James, The Orange County Register A free breakfast and lunch is provided to students in the Seamless Summer Program through the Tustin Unified School District Nutrition Services Department...

'Equal-opportunity bullying' hits O.C. schools

Brittany Levine, The Orange County As more education officials take an interest in dealing with bullying, here's a look at what some schools are doing to combat it. Welcome to the world of equal-opportunity bullying, where everyone from the little girl with a Hello Kitty backpack to the hulking boy with abusive parents is just as responsible for making other kids miserable. In the past few years, area schools have shown more of an interest in prevention as they've seen bullying become more prolific due to an increase in cyber-bullying. On top of that, the stakes are higher due to highly publicized teen suicides and high school shootings. And in this complicated world of cyber and face-to-face bullying, more expect schools to respond to incidents both on and off campus…

Students honored for stand against bullying

Fred Swegles, The Orange County Register San Clemente salutes Cool to Be Kind, a San Clemente High School club that spreads the message that bullying should not be tolerated. It aims to spread the movement to other schools...

More kids join club to fight bullying

Brittany Levine, The Orange County Register - San Clemente High School's Cool to be Kind club says Blue Ribbon Week peaked students' interest in trying to stop youth violence...

Middle school portable catches fire

Elysse James, The Orange County Register A fire broke out on Saturday night in a portable building at a Tustin middle school. An air conditioning unit on top of the building at Hewes Middle School caught on fire, setting off an alarm around 11 p.m., said Tustin Unified School District Spokesman Mark Eliot ... The fire was caused by an electrical short, Eliot said...

Possible TB case reported at Esperanza High

Jessica Terrell, The Orange County Register Parents have being invited to a special information session at Esperanza High School on Thursday night, after Orange County health officials identified a person at the school as possibly having active tuberculosis. Health Care Agency officials would not say if the individual was a student or member of the staff, but said they had worked diligently to identify everyone who may have been in close contact with the person and been exposed to the disease…

Nursing board opposes student anti-seizure bill

Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register The state nursing board voted Wednesday to oppose a Senate bill that would give school workers clear authority to administer an anti-seizure medication to students in an emergency. The 7-1 vote by the state Board of Registered Nursing was the culmination of more than an hour of emotional, tear-filled testimony from local parents who support the bill and the nursing union leaders who oppose it…