“‘No touch’ rules discouraging teachers from restraining and comforting children are to be scrapped, Education Secretary Michael Gove has said.” [BBC] And the incoming Cameron government is proceeding with a previously signaled broad effort to roll back excessive health and safety rules that discourage harmless goings-on in schools, workplaces and the community [BBC, earlier] On the other hand, the Conservatives intend to go forward with most of a package of new measures devised by the previous Labour government that would expand discrimination and harassment law in the direction of wide-open U.S.-style rights to sue [Telegraph, Daily Mail]
Posts Tagged ‘schools’
CPSIA: Russian nesting dolls, paper clips, science kits
The website of the Golden Cockerel import firm includes a rather elaborate warning as to why its matryoshka are not meant for the under-12 set, at least not since the enactment of the calamitous Jan-Schakowsky–backed law:
the law requires each batch of toys be tested by a 3rd party laboratory to be sure they are “toy safe.” Such tests can cost well over $1000 per nesting doll set! And sometimes, as with our museum quality one-of-a-kind dolls, a “batch” consists entirely of one doll, or only a few, making it totally unfeasible to test.
CPSIA: reserving treasured toys for strictly adult use since 2008.
More: The CPSC has just sided with purported consumer groups and against pleas from the business community in adopting a broad definition of what constitute “children’s products” under the disastrous Barbara-Boxer–backed law: for example, ordinary paper clips must go through costly separate CPSIA testing when meant for kids’ use as part of a science kit with magnets and similar items [NY Times, AP/WaPo (“Kids’ science kits may take hit from safety ruling”), Commissioners Anne Northup and Nancy Nord]
“Tory blitz on compensation culture is revealed”
“Health and safety regulations which burden Britain and lead to good samaritans facing prosecution are to be swept away in a blitz on ‘compensation culture'”. Among the measures are rollbacks of liability for volunteers, emergency service responders and school recreation. “A coalition source said: ‘What we are determined to see is a great extension of personal freedom, at the same times as a rolling back both of the state and the power of the courts.'” [Telegraph]
School left students’ records on the street
And now a parent lawsuit is seeking “unspecified damages.” [NY Post]
“Student who shocked himself suing school, teacher”
The suit argues that the student wasn’t given adequate warning that attaching electrical clamps to his nipples could be dangerous. Earlier reportage on the case quoted students who accused the teacher of encouraging horseplay and making light of the dangers of mild shocks; the teacher later resigned but did not face criminal charges. [Joey Cresta, Foster’s Daily Democrat/Boston Herald (Dover, New Hampshire)] More: Lowering the Bar (“Nor am I buying the Mountain-Dew-enticement allegations.”)
August 31 roundup
- Well, that solves that problem: International Criminal Court outlaws “aggression” [Jeremy Rabkin, Weekly Standard] One contrasting view [David Bosco, Foreign Policy]
- “Attorney holds banks up to liability in ATM robberies” [Baldas, NLJ; Ted at PoL]
- New report: litigation costs to California public schools run high [California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, PDF]
- “Plaintiffs Object to Deal in Anorexia Suit Claiming School Didn’t Prevent Fat Taunts” [ABA Journal]
- Attention government contractors: “Your customer wants to see how much you make” [Hodak Value]
- New Jersey med-mal reform advocates rally after state high court guts certificate-of-merit law [NJLRA, more]
- SEPTA, the Philadelphia transit authority, files trademark action against personal injury law firm [Kennerly]
- Chemicals devastating lobsters in the Northeast? Maybe not [Logomasini, CEI]
“Oh, no! School wi-fi is making our kids sick!”
Orac at Respectful Insolence does a little skeptical investigating. [link fixed now, thanks alert reader L. Nettles]
August 12 roundup
- “Father demands $7.5 million because school officials read daughter’s text message” [KDAF via CALA Houston]
- How many different defendants can injured spectator sue in Shea Stadium broken-bat case? [Melprophet]
- Prominent trial lawyer Russell Budd of Baron & Budd hosts Obama at Texas fundraiser [PoL]
- DNA be damned: when actual nonpaternity doesn’t suffice to get out from under a child support order [Alkon, more]
- “Sean Coffey, a plaintiffs’ lawyer-turned-candidate for New York Attorney General, made more than $150,000 in state-level campaign contributions nationwide over 10 years.” [WSJ Law Blog] “Days before announcing a shareholder lawsuit against Bank of America, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli accepted $14,000 in campaign donations from a law firm hired to help litigate the case.” [WSJ]
- Big new RAND Corp. study on asbestos bankruptcy trusts may spur reform [Lloyd Dixon, Geoffrey McGovern & Amy Coombe, PDF, via Hartley, more, Daniel Fisher/Forbes, background here and here] Update: Stier.
- Public contingency suits? Of course the elected officials are in control (wink, wink) [The Recorder via Cal Civil Justice]
- Copyright enforcement mill appears to have copied its competitor’s website [TechDirt via Eric Goldman]
“Teachers Unions vs. Online Education”
Organized labor blocks a potentially valuable pathway of innovation. [Katherine Mangu-Ward, Reason]
“Teacher claims A$400,000 damages from injuries to larynx from yelling at students”
Australia: “A Bundaberg school teacher who claims she damaged her larynx yelling at children, including some with special needs, is suing the State Government for more than $400,000.” [Queensland Sunday Mail]