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Students returning to school after Christmas break may find new condom dispensers in their schools. The district is expanding the availability of free condoms to 22 high schools in the city, choosing schools based on their rates of sexually transmitted diseases. The move has been endorsed by city officials, including the mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter. The pilot program is designed to curb the “epidemic” of sexually transmitted diseases that has swept parts of the city, according to some officials.

This video reports on Philadelphia schools' installation of condom dispensers in 22 high schools.

Concern Leads to New Policy

The dispensers will be installed in the health offices of 22 high schools in the Philadelphia school district, according to the . The schools receiving the dispensers had the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases among students, including gonorrhea and chlamydia. Back in 2010, city officials saw a nearly 50 percent increase in confirmed gonorrhea cases among the city’s youth, which was closely followed by a similar rise in chlamydia cases.

Other reports showed that one in every four Philadelphia residents diagnosed with AIDs was between the ages of 13 and 24. At the same time, the city was reporting these concerning figures, condom use among teens in the city appeared to be on the decline. Dr. Donald Schwartz, the health commissioner for Philadelphia, told the New York Daily

As Common Core Standards take their place in public schools across the country, some are left wondering how these new standards will impact the education students have received in the past. Of particular concern is the shift the Common Core Standards seems to promote from the reading of classic fiction to nonfiction within the classroom. The worries over how the standards will change the standard English class have accelerated and snowballed into some wringing their hands over the disappearance of Shakespeare and other classic literary writers from the classroom. However, proponents of the new national education standards are adding their two cents to the discussion, saying the worries are unfounded and simply untrue in some cases.

This video explains the relevance of studying Shakespeare.

What are the Common Core Standards?

The Common Core Standards were developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, as an effort to find a viable alternative to the failed policies of No Child Left Behind. The first draft of the standards was released in 2009, according to the website for the ASCD. According to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the purpose of the Common Core Standards was to raise the bar on the education standards across the country, in order to prepare students for the rigors of higher education or the workforce after graduation.

The standards were created with input

The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut shook the country, leaving many asking how an individual could get into a “safe” school and open fire on young children and adults alike. As the aftermath of the shootings continues to rattle educators, students and parents, lawmakers are taking a look at what they can do to prevent such tragedies in the future. For some states and school districts, one option on the table has been to allow more, not fewer, guns in the communities and within the schools themselves. However, suggestions of arming schools staff have been met with significant concern and more than a few protests from parents and the teachers themselves.

Missouri Lawmakers Consider Arming School Staff

Missouri is one of the states considering legislation that would allow teachers and administrators to carry concealed firearms in schools. The reports that State Representative Mike Kelly (R-Lamar) has begun the process to file a bill that would allow for the practice if the teachers and administrators had a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Kelly is not alone in his efforts – thus far, 24 other state lawmakers have signed on to co-sponsor the bill. Kelly told the Globe that if the bill passes, he would try to add an amendment that would require concealed firearms to be kept on the teacher or administrator at all times throughout the school day.

Another Missouri lawmaker, State Representative Bill White (R-Joplin) is considering

One of the largest and oldest school districts in the country is the School District of Philadelphia. This public school system is the eighth largest school district in the United States, and it dates back nearly two centuries. As such, the district has faced more than a few challenges throughout its long and illustrious history. From the passage of child labor laws at the end of the 19^th century to the restructuring of the governance of the district today, the School District of Philadelphia has seen its share of strife and success.

The Early Years of the School District of Philadelphia

The School District of Philadelphia was established in 1818, although the school board was not created until a number of years later. The states that changes in the city at that time prompted the state government to establish a public school district when crime and poverty were becoming huge issues for the growing city. The school system was designed to provide a public education to the city’s poor children after forcing their free entry into private schools did not work as planned.

This video offers a look at one of the early school buildings, the Bok Building.

While the new system was an improvement over what had been established in the past, it still failed to miss the mark in many ways. Some of those problems were answered