A recent report on the condition of juvenile prisons in New York described violence, broken bones, suicidal behavior and deficient mental health services. The state’s facilities hold more than 700 juveniles. As a result of these conditions, the official in charge of juvenile prisons asked judges that handle juvenile delinquency cases to exercise caution in [...]

After a ten-year decline in the use of marijuana and alcohol,  a new study indicates the numbers are going up. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America released a study in February, 2010 after conducting a national survey in 2009 of approximately 3200 teenagers.
The number of teens in grades 9 through 12 who reported drinking alcohol [...]

When Wisconsin teenager, Anthony Stancl, was 13, he was found delinquent of sexual assault of a three-year-old child he was babysitting. Four years later, he came up with a new way to get young boys to have sex with him.
Stancl created a fake profile on Facebook posing as Kayla, a girl. He persuaded 31 boys to send [...]

An Arizona school district is experimenting with wireless Internet on school buses. Bus No. 92  from Empire High School has been outfitted with a mobile Internet.
Instead of the usual behavior on the bus during long routes to and from school, students are quietly logging on in their seats. Teasing, shouting, punching and climbing over seats [...]

In January, 2010, a teacher took a 7th-grade girl’s cellphone. On it were nude pictures of herself and a 12-year-old boy. At least one of the pictures was shown to classmates at Ben Franklin Middle School in Indiana.
Although criminal charges for an adult could bring a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison, this incident [...]

Admitting that he had been bulied as a kid, Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick issued a warning to all school bullies. In February, 2010, he went to an elementary school and over the school intercom stated “No bullying, because if I hear about it I’m coming back to deal with it myself.”
Governor Patrick received an email [...]

Farah Nur Arafah suspected another  girl of attempting to break up her relationship with her boyfriend. So Farah went on Facebook and posted insulting comments about 18-year-old Felly Fandini. She called her a pig and a dog, as well as saying she was overweight and promiscuous.
The girls live near Jakarta, Indonesia. The country has some [...]

Many people watch the Super Bowl each year for the innovative and entertaining commercials. 2010 was no exception. During the February 7, 2010 event, Denny’s restaurant advertised free “Grand Slam” breakfasts for everyone who showed up on Tuesday, February 9 between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Lines at most Denny’s across the nation started forming in [...]

At an evening forum for parents and students in September, 2009, Cindy Schwalb spoke her mind. She was upset at the school’s handling of a “pantsing” trend going on at Hasbrouck Heights Middle School. Cindy’s 13 year old daughter had her sweatpants pulled down by a boy.
During the forum, Cindy cursed at the principal. She was [...]

California tried to take a stand against swearing in 2010. Part of the state legislature passed a resolution in February, 2010 declaring the first week of March as “Cuss Free Week.”  The lawmakers are urging people to take the No Cussing Challenge in order to set a tone of harmony and connectedness in our communications. The message is that [...]

Alexis Xanders is a 15 year old freshman at Newark High School in Ohio. Another girl had harassed her since fifth grade. “I don’t really know why. She just never liked me,” she said.
In September, 2009, Alexis and her boyfriend were walking home. A group of six to ten classmates followed them. The group egged [...]

Daniel Martin is a 17 year old student in Phoenix, Arizona. His mother works for the medical examiner’s office identifying bodies and determining causes of death.
A conversation with his mother about bodies found in the desert and their condition peaked Daniel’s interest. Corpses are often affected by the elements and scavenging animals. However, it seemed that [...]

Whether Ron Sterr’s letter reflected his personal view of second graders at Litchfield Elementary School in Arizona or was a parody, as he explained, it cost him his position as the school’s principal.
In January, 2009, he sent a letter to a second grade teacher poking fun at students with food allergies and one with a nervous [...]

At one of the nation’s top public high schools, students hacked into the computer system in January 2010. Just before first semester grades were to come out, the system was compromised and class grades altered.
Churchill High School in Maryland has 2100 students. The school has a 98% graduation rate with an average  SAT score of [...]

At the beginning of the school year in September, 2009, several teens from Newbury-Port, Massachusetts got together and created a fake Facebook page. They pretended to be another student at the school and, in his name, made negative comments about other classmates. They were 13 and 14 years old and one was a former friend [...]