Long before closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, many Pennsylvania schools faced a different health crisis: unsafe facilities. Crumbling buildings, asbestos, lead, and other school facility health and safety risks plague many schools across Pennsylvania, particularly in low-income districts and those that enroll a high percentage of Black and…

Many people assume that schools and childcare centers are environmentally safe places for children to learn. However, adverse health effects from pest allergy related illnesses or pesticide exposure incidents can demonstrate the need for safer and more effective pest management strategies. The goal of this research is to measure the efficacy of…

An inspection of 138 New Jersey school buildings revealed that a significant percentage of school officials do not have a good understanding of their asbestos management plan and, therefore, are failing to meet all of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act's requirements. (MLF)

All schools are required to develop and implement an asbestos management plan (AMP). The key component of this plan is each school's operations and maintenance (O&M) program. This report outlines the importance of such programs. It describes an O&M program as an administrative framework that prescribes specific activities and work…

A series of studies in New Jersey schools documented asbestos abatement and management activities in 17 schools representing 20 abatement sites. Findings demonstrate that school officials must increase their awareness of asbestos issues, improve the oversight of asbestos abatement and management programs, and improve lines of communication among…

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, student interest in school programs dealing with careers in law, public safety, and national security is on the rise. This article describes students' experiences at the Academy for Law and Public Safety at Butler High School in Butler, New Jersey. This vocational academy is one of a number of career…

This user-friendly guidance manual is organized by the "target audience" or "end user." First, the manual introduces a "Typical School," which is a school organized in such a way that it represents how many schools in the real world are organized. This Typical School is subdivided into "Organizational Units"…

Based on the principle that safety education should be a vital component in science instruction, this manual was designed to assist elementary teachers in doing more experiments and activities more confidently by making them aware of dangers and precautions. It also aims to make students aware that safety is a lifetime process and responsibility.…

This volume includes the following conference papers: "The Status and Direction of Workers' Compensation" (James R. Chelius); "The Minnesota Experience with Workers' Compensation Reform" (Steve Keefe); "The 1982 Changes in California" (Alan Tebb); "Two Rounds of Workers' Compensation Reform in Michigan" (H.…

For 15 years, "Newark Kids Count" has provided insight into the challenges facing Newark's children and families. This report presents the portrait of Newark children in 2010. A special section on Newark charter schools is also presented. Advocates for Children of New Jersey's (ACNJ's) goal in choosing this topic was to inform the…

For at least 40 years, Newark's name has been practically synonymous with poverty and crime. Its troubled image had roots in reality. For too many families, Newark has been a hard place to raise children. For too many children, it has been a rough place to grow up. But there are signs of change, as found in "Newark Kids Count 2007," an…

This paper presents the "New Jersey Kids Count 2007: The State of Children in Our State." Gained ground on the state of children for 2007 include: (1) The number of low-income households earning federal tax credits increased 33 percent since 2001, while the average amount of the checks they received jumped 44 percent to $1,804 for tax…

Over the past five years, Newark has seen creeping gains in several indicators of child and family well-being, particularly economics, education and health. Even though there is some good news to report, the fact remains that Newark children still suffer disproportionately compared to children growing up in other parts of Essex County, New Jersey…

"Newark Kids Count 2004" presents a statistical snapshot of child well-being that can be used to inform those efforts to create a strong community safety net for Newark's youngest citizens. Following is a look at some of the major trends documented in this year's report: (1) Poverty persists; (2) Nutritional supports lag; (3) Unmarried…

For the 8th year, "Newark Kids Count 2005" paints a statistical portrait of city children, who are born with so much promise and given so few chances to fulfill that promise. As the city, and indeed the state, labor to build a child welfare system that keeps children safe and families together, everyone must remember that real children…