children
LEARNS lawsuit “aims to protect our school district”
My name is Laverne Sims, chair of the group Concerned Citizens of the Marvell Area. I am writing to dispel some of the rumors, misinformation and propaganda that our state leaders are spreading about our lawsuit against the state concerning the plan to sell our school district to a charter-school management company. I was a […]
Births decline in most states, continuing a long-term trend
Fast-growing Texas and Florida had the biggest increases in the number of births last year, while a dozen other states — half of them in the South — continued to rebound from pandemic lows. In the United States as a whole, however, the number of births has plateaued after a modest increase following the worst […]
Low fertility rates, high housing prices mean fewer children in most states
Thirty-five states have fewer children than they did five years ago, a situation caused by declining birth rates nationwide, but also by young families migrating across state borders in search of cheaper housing. Even in the 15 states that gained children, all but North Dakota experienced greater growth in the adult population, meaning children now […]
Bus driver shortage in rural Arkansas district strands kids, angers parents
Nicole Haynes is exasperated by excuses from the Sheridan School District. A parent of two children in the district, Haynes lives in daily uncertainty. She never knows if the school bus her children ride will run on schedule. She sometimes receives an automated text alerting her at the last minute that the bus may be […]
At a McDonald’s in Kentucky, 10-year-olds worked past midnight, Department of Labor finds
WASHINGTON — Children as young as 10 were found working past midnight at a McDonald’s restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, the U.S. Department of Labor said in announcing numerous civil penalties levied on fast-food franchises. As part of an investigation into federal child labor law violations in the Southeast, the Labor Department said three separate franchises […]
Arkansas families describe living where lawmakers are hostile to their transgender children
Parker Saxton, 18, sings tenor in his high school choir and enjoys drawing. Sabrina Jennen, 17, also enjoys drawing and is considering a nursing career. Dylan Brandt, 17, works at a hardware store and is the manager of his high school’s cheerleading team. Brooke Dennis will be 11 this month and looks forward to playing […]
Labor exploitation of unaccompanied migrant children probed at U.S. House hearing
WASHINGTON — U.S. House members in a hearing on Tuesday questioned the head of a federal agency in charge of unaccompanied migrant children about multiple reports of their exploitation as workers in U.S. meatpacking plants and elsewhere. Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight & Accountability Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs […]
Kids at work: States try to ease child labor laws at behest of industry
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in 11 states have either passed or introduced laws to roll back child labor laws — a push that’s come from industry trade organizations and mostly conservative legislators as businesses scramble for low-wage workers. In the past two years, those states have moved to extend working hours for children, eliminate work permit […]
The GOP won on Thursday in Tennessee. They’ll lose the fight on gun safety | John L. Micek
In the annals of brazenly destructive attacks on democracy, Thursday’s vote by Tennessee’s Republican-controlled state House to expel two Democratic lawmakers who led a decorum-busting protest over the cold-blooded murders of children is right up there. The hard reality that both of the expelled lawmakers were young Black men, while another lawmaker who avoided expulsion […]
Arkansas bill to remove work permit requirement for children under 16 goes to Sanders’ desk
A proposed Arkansas law that would remove the requirement for children under 16 to prove their age to get a job will head to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ desk for approval. House Bill 1410, or the Youth Hiring Act, would delete the portion of existing law that requires an employment certificate “accessible to the Division […]
Arkansas Senate approves bill allowing malpractice suits for transgender minors’ health care
A proposed law that would allow medical malpractice lawsuits against Arkansas doctors who provide gender-affirming care to transgender minors passed the Senate on Tuesday with a party-line vote and will go to the House for consideration. Senate Bill 199 would create civil liability for a doctor who “performs a gender transition procedure on a minor […]
Lack of action by Congress to protect kids online criticized at U.S. Senate hearing
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators on Tuesday voiced frustration and outrage that Congress has been unable to pass legislation bolstering protection for children online, including adding guardrails to social media platforms. During a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrats and Republicans pledged to keep working together to pass several bipartisan bills that didn’t make it […]