Feds might do what Minnesota couldn't on school bullying

By Michael Peterson, Minnesota 2020

Congress is currently rewriting and replacing the defunct No Child Left Behind law. This new bill, dubbed the Strengthening America's Schools Act, should focus on student learning and building thinking skills and limits inflexible test standards. However, buried in the 1,150-page bill is an act Minnesota Senator Al Franken introduced, called the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA). Franken, along with others, is seeking to extend title IX style discrimination protection to the LGBT community by extending civil rights protections to students based on sexuality and gender identity.

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Minnesota 2020

Schools seek remedies to racial suspension gap

By Charles Hallman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

Black students nationwide are suspended at least twice more frequently than any other student group and up to three times more often in many Twin Cities metro area urban and suburban school districts. However, school officials say that they are working on reducing Black suspension rates using a variety of strategies.

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One Minneapolis Forum: What about the Latino community?

By Erin Collins, TC Daily Planet

I went to the June 6 One Minneapolis Mayoral Forum expecting a lot of discussion of issues specific to the Latino community, and with the assignment of covering that focus.

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Asking the organizers: How did One Minneapolis forum work?

By Erin Collins, TC Daily Planet

Photo courtesy of Shiraz Mukarram/ 1 Mpls

"I'm tired of helping candidates win. They contact us right before the election and ask me to organize my people and then they forget about us, " said Henry Jiménez, one of the organizers of the One Minneapolis Mayoral Forum on June 6. Jiménez went on to explain, "So that's why we organized this as soon as we heard the mayor was not running for reelection. We knew that we needed to organize to get the best possible mayor. I want them to really get to know what our needs are. I think it's time for us to have this conversation about race." Jiménez's co-organizers were Marjaan Sirdar, Jenny Lock, Ishmael Israel, Nimco Ahmed, and Jeff Hnilicka.

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One Minneapolis mayoral forum: Young Minneapolis puts candidates on the spot

By Lauretta Dawolo Towns, TC Daily Planet

One Minneapolis forum organizer Henry Jiménez. (Photo by Lauretta Dawolo)

One Minneapolis, touted as one of the most diverse forums in the Minneapolis mayoral race thus far, was organized by Henry Jiménez and Marjaan Sirdar to focus on youth and racial disparities. Forum moderator Nekima Levy-Pounds said that, “this is a forum for the people by the people,” and opened by identifying major challenges that ought to be priorities for the next Minneapolis mayor including the employment gap, education gap, contact between police and black men, and affordable housing.

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Zero tolerance stifles mental health education

By Michael Peterson, Minnesota 2020

Growing up in the St. Paul public school system, I only remember “zero tolerance” as the standard operating procedure for discipline. Obviously, this went for major offenses, such as weapons or drugs on school grounds, but it also applied in many situations that were not so immediately applicable, leading to suspension for acts like fighting or even disrespecting teachers. Police officers were a common sight in school (I even knew one by name), and officers on horseback were present for about a week following a rather large fight that ended in 16 arrests. My experience seems to echo what is happening across the nation, as zero tolerance has led to huge, and racially imbalanced, suspension rates, a “school to prison pipeline” that leaves students stranded on the fringes of society and has no measurable effect on school violence.

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Minnesota 2020

Youth workers organize mayoral candidate forum focused on racial disparities in Minneapolis

By Siobhan Kierans, KFAI Radio

On June 6, a coalition of young voters will press the candidates for Mayor of Minneapolis on the issue of racial inequality.

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Health care appropriations target children's services

By Susan Hegarty, Session Daily

Besides authorizing Medical Assistance coverage for early intervention treatment of children with autism, a bill re-passed by the House late Friday would require large employers to offer insurance benefits for autism spectrum disorder therapy.

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Helping intoxicated underage drinkers do the right thing

By Mike Cook, Session Daily

Underage drinkers looking out for their health or that of a friend could avoid a minor consumption ticket.

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