Last week we learned that students in city schools would be taught about sexual intercourse and its implications as the DOE set one semester of required cirriculum for sixth or seventh graders and students in their first two years of high school. Thankfully, parents who prefer to keep their children ignorant of the crucial details surrounding humanity's most primal and consequential activities have prevailed: some of the course work has been cut. Specifically, the "risk cards" that were to be used by middle schoolers to explain different types of sex acts and their health implications. Thankfully, a dusty VHS copy of Showgirls is willing to fill in the gaps. more ›

The NYC Department of Education (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been in a stand-off all year over PCBs in city schools. Despite the EPA's warnings about PCBs, which have been linked to cancer as well as immune and reproductive system disorders, the city has largely stuck to the attitude, "we just don't have any money to fix that...and nobody's died." But after the EPA reported that all nine schools spot-checked this year for PCBs in antiquated lighting fixtures were found to have elevated amounts, the city is changing their tune: Mayor Bloomberg has finally approved a $708 million plan to replace all the cancer-spewing lighting in city schools. more ›

Recently parents and kids gathered at City Hall to protest the DOE's ban on homemade treats at school bake sales and a New Yorker reporter bore witness to "the noise made by wooden spoons being banged against saucepans." Doing away with brownies from scratch, the regulations limit sales to packaged foods like whole grain Pop-Tarts and reduced fat Doritos, so at the rally kids in foot-tall paper chef's hats chanted “N.Y.C. D.O.E. Read our lips. No more chips,” and “Yay, apple! Boo, Snapple!” Their hand-lettered picket signs read “Joel Klein Get Out of the Pantry” and “Our Schools Are Not Supermarkets.” But the opposition was present too—not the schools chancellor and his cronies but a row of pre-teen boys shouting “We want junk food! We want Doritos!” more ›

At a meeting with New York City students who are angry about the MTA's cost-cutting plan to abolish student MetroCards, MTA chair Jay Walder said he will postpone his agency's vote on the controversial measure. "We'd like to have as much time as possible for discussions with the state and city and hopefully find a way through this difficult situation," Walder said. According to the Post, he added that he hopes "students can make a decision about what school they would like to attend without them worrying about how they will get there." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council may not agree on the appropriateness of cell phones in public schools, but the DoE is now handing out cell phones to a select group of students. The privately funded pilot program will give cell phones to students and reward positive behavior, such as showing up to class, behaving and doing well. more ›