Backpack Weight Law
My Poynter colleague Larry Larsen spotted an interesting story that raises questions about whether we should select our kid’s textbooks based on quality or on the weight of the book. Is there a limit to how much a textbook should weigh?
This week, Governor Gray Davis signed a bill that will limit the weight of the backpacks they lug to school every day.
“The legislation signed on Monday night will set a maximum weight for textbooks used by elementary and middle school students following medical evidence of rising injuries to children because of heavy backpacks.
“The bill also mandates the Board of Education to examine using Internet resources and CD-ROMs to replace heavy books.
“‘The mere adoption of maximum weight standards … will not resolve the issues of excessive backpack weight and the long-term health of pupils,’ Davis said.
“‘Rapid advances in electronic technology demand that we look beyond … providing a set of textbooks to each student.’
“‘I hope it has an effect soon,’ said Ali Hoffman, a 10-year-old 6th grade student in central California. ‘I’ve been carrying around this heavy backpack for years. Sometimes I feel like one of those children who had to work down the mines.’
According to the U.S. Consumer Products and Safety Commission, nearly 7,000 American children were injured last year due to the heavy load of textbooks in their backpacks, some of which weighed almost 44 pounds. Federal health recommendations say the weight should be no more than 20 percent of the child’s weight. So for a 120 lb. child, that’s 24 lbs maximum.
“The load has been steadily increasing in recent years because of homework and budget cuts, which prevent schools from having enough lockers or a double set of textbooks for home and the classroom. Some school districts have started to tackle the problem by coordinating homework assignments to lessen the load or by purchasing two sets of textbooks for their students — one set to leave at home, and one set to use in class.”
Casey Center Awards for Covering Children
Al’s Morning Meeting readers know that I think journalists should cover issues about children and families more often and more aggressively. The Casey Center is one of the best sources I have for great story ideas. This week, the Center announced its 2002 awards for covering children. There are tons of story ideas in here.
Syphilis Spreads to Small Towns
Jeff Domenick, editor, Valley News Dispatch, sent me a note reacting to a story idea I passed along earlier this week. I told you about how syphilis was coming back to big cities in alarming numbers, and I speculated that it is just a matter of time before it spread to small towns, too.
Jeff writes, “Syphilis will eventually make it to small towns? It already has, according to our sister paper, the Tribune-Review. But in New Kensington, Pa. (population, 12,000; 25 miles northeast of Pittsburgh), the problem hasn’t been confined to gay men. Rather, in this town, the problem is intravenous drug use & prostitution.“
The newspaper reported, “State health officials said that since October, 28 cases of syphilis have been reported exclusively in the New Kensington area. In each case, a prostitute, a drug user or both tested positive for the disease.
“Robert McGarvey, a state health department spokesman, said before October there had not been a reported case of syphilis in the county since 1995. Although the last syphilis case was reported about three weeks ago, officials fear the outbreak is far from over.”
