Category: Children and Families
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Social Theory vs. Science in K-12 Discipline in Virginia – Fraud or Just Wrong?
by James C. Sherlock American school children have in my lifetime been the subject of widespread experiments in theory disguised as breakthroughs in education. Consider the “new mathโ and the “reading wars” as prominent examples. Now we have social theory on school discipline created by federal civil rights lawyers piggybacking on what may or may…
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The Public Housing and Education Debate – Who, Exactly, are the Racists?
by James C. Sherlock There is agreement on both sides of the political divide in Virginia and the rest of the country that public housing projects were and are hellholes. I have written that the bipartisan response, vouchers, run into lack of supply virtually everywhere. Cue the debate about causes and solutions. Letโs take a…
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Where Does Virginia Most Need Charter Schools?
by James C. Sherlock Discussing failing schools in Virginia, people tend to speak in generalities. When an example is needed, the City of Richmond Public Schools is chosen — an uncontested layup. But failed schools are not a problem just in Richmond. And bad public schools in Richmond are not limited to RPS. They are…
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No, Your Middle Schooler Doesn’t HAVE to Get the HPV Vaccine
by Kerry Dougherty Virginia Beach Delegate Tim Anderson took his sons to see the new โMinionsโ movie two weeks ago at the Regal Cinemas at Town Center. They were settled in their seats when a disturbing image appeared on the screen. The movie wasn’t offensive. But a public service announcement from the Virginia Department of…
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Mamas, Let Your Babies Grow Up Before Getting Vaccinated
by James A. Bacon About 21,000 Virginia children aged four and under have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the three weeks since the shots were made available, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. That amounts to only 5% of the age group, observes reporter Eric Kolenich, but it’s significantly higher than the national average of 2%. I’m…
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Hospitals Continue to Cut Labor and Delivery and NICU Services
by James C. Sherlock Virginia and the nation continue to see the results of the baby bust. I wrote yesterday of the baby cliff, the 15% decline in live births that started in the great recession of 2007-09. It continues. And it continues to drive change, much of it not good. I have written here…
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Gender Dysphoria Treatment for Children Needs Some Rules in Virginia
by James C. Sherlock Virginia needs, for the protection of children, parents, and physicians, a law to specify minimum age requirements and require court orders for voluntary medical intervention in child sexual development. When there are physical abnormalities involved, the court can order those treatments as well. On the other hand, I propose a ban…
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School Security and Public Recreation
by James C. Sherlock Richmond Free Press (RFP) has editorialized about an issue of importance to all Virginians. The editorial “Indoor basketball courts or outdoor courts? Why not both?” discusses the fact that the City of Richmond has late-stage plans for the construction of the new George Wythe High School that have secure entrances to…
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Life in the 21st Century: No Limits to Human Depravity
by James A. Bacon Sherrell Rivera of Chesterfield County pleaded guilty on Tuesday to killing her two-year-old son by putting liquid methadone in his sippy cup, giving him an unintentional fatal overdose. Rivera had a prescription for methadone to treat an opioid addiction, and son Kruz had been addicted at birth due to her drug…
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Highest Need Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in Virginia
by James C. Sherlock Without adequate primary medical, dental and mental health care, people cannot function properly. They often go through life sick and untreated.ย By “sick” in this case I refer to less well than achievable with proper primary care. Just because there is adequate access to primary care in a particular area does…
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The โOccasional” Butchery of Children
By James C. Sherlock The New York Post wrote recently: At 12 years old, Chloe Cole decided she was transgender. At 13, she was put on puberty blockers and prescribed testosterone. At 15, she underwent a double mastectomy. Less than a year later, she realized sheโd made a mistake. Note the gracious acceptance of agency…
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Gang Activity in Richmond Public Schools Not Reported to Police
by James C. Sherlock I am seldom surprised by the policies and actions of the Richmond Public Schools (RPS). When I read of the handling by RPS of federally funded ChromeBooks — an inventory of nearly 45,000 with over 20,000 unused and nearly 2,000 more unaccounted for — to support a student population of 21,000…
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โToxic” Parents in Harrisonburg
by James C. Sherlock Harrisonburg City Public Schools (HCPS) have a tough row to hoe. April Howard, HCPS chief officer for student support, noted in a presentation to the school board on October 19 of 2021: Fall 2021 Student Trends โ Observations of increased anxiety โ Increased school refusal โ Increased reports of suicidal ideation—utilization…
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How are Virginians Preparing for the Coming Food Price Shocks?
by James C. Sherlock Virginians have only begun to experience price inflation at the grocery store. Price increases are in the food pipeline that will be a much bigger problem starting this summer. Farmers and ranchers invest up front. They borrow money to do it. They are incredibly efficient at what they do, but are…
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“The Kids Are Out of Control”
๏ปฟ Here’s more evidence that the social fabric is fraying: a high school senior was stabbed to death in a fight that spilled into an Alexandria neighborhood shopping center a couple of days ago. Just as Americans seem powerless to stop tragedies like the Uvalde school shooting, we seem impotent to halt the far more…