“School board OKs resolution for cultural standards - Worthington Daily Globe” plus 1 more

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School board OKs resolution for cultural standards - Worthington Daily Globe Posted: 10 Aug 2010 02:42 PM PDT CHAMBERLAIN, S.D. — After three months of discussion and four drafts, Chamberlain School District now has a cultural standards resolution on the books. The school board approved the measure 6-0, with Cliff Stone absent Monday night, with little fanfare, as no one from The Coalition for Cultural Equality was present. Representatives of the group worked with some board members on the measure. The resolution stipulates that the school district will foster inclusion, equality and diversity into the area community and measure progress in achieving a culturally positive learning community outside the school system, through annual learning opportunities or other avenues. Superintendent Debbie Johnson told the board she wasn't sure why no one from the group attended. She said she told coalition representative Jim Cadwell about the resolution's status with the board since the last board meeting two weeks ago. "I think that they truly believe that they have voiced their opinion," Johnson said of coalition leaders. "I just think (Cadwell) was comfortable with where we were at with the resolution." The coalition proposed the resolution in March at a school board meeting in Fort Thompson, several weeks before six students wore "White Pride World Wide" Tshirts to school on April 28. American Indians make up 36 percent of the district's students, but the resolution refers to all minority students. An attempt to reach Cadwell, of Chamberlain, was unsuccessful Monday night. The latest draft came after a July 12 meeting with coalition and school board representatives and Johnson. Both sides made compromises at that time, with the board agreeing to remove the word "attempt," in favor of language that the district will follow standards that were proposed. In exchange, coalition representatives decided to remove "institutional racism" from the resolution. That deals with unsaid things or policies in which students aren't always treated the same. Cadwell said last month the fourth draft showed the district was willing to make a commitment to accomplish standards. Both sides needed to be willing to give something up to get a working document, he said. "We need to have something that is measurable," Cadwell said. The school board tabled the matter until the full coalition could weigh in on that draft. Johnson did not know if that meeting occurred. Johnson said the resolution shows the school board is committed to meeting all students' needs. She said she gave board members a list of 14 policies in areas such as nondiscrimination and Indian policies and procedures that supported the resolution and what the district already did. The resolution will be used as a guide for administrators and the board during the school year, along with supporting current policies, Johnson said. "There are some things we will have to determine how we will measure it, and that's what we talked about at those meetings," she said. Coalition members left that task up to district officials, Johnson said. Cadwell gave an example of conducting a survey as a measurement tool. Board Chairwoman Susie Knippling, of Gann Valley, said she was pleased with the draft approved by the board. She said it is part of district policies to have cultural competencies. "The new resolution says we have been working on that and we still are working on it," Knippling said. "I feel that we really put forth the effort to be culturally competent in every way." Knippling, too, admitted that she was surprised that no coalition representatives were present. "Hopefully, they're happy with the resolution," she said. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

China's anti-smoking campaign hits cultural roadblocks - News-Leader.com Posted: 09 Aug 2010 12:53 AM PDT Beijing -- In China, tobacco companies sponsor schools. Almost half of all male doctors smoke. And one wedding dinner ritual involves the bride lighting cigarettes for each of her male guests. China has committed to banning smoking at public indoor venues by Jan. 9 next year, in accordance with a global anti-tobacco treaty backed by the World Health Organization. But smoking is such a way of life that China is unlikely to meet the deadline, and even the government seems resigned to failure. "There are only some months left," said Jiang Yuan, deputy director of the National Office of Tobacco Control. "And I feel that it is extremely difficult to reach that goal...China is facing a tremendous challenge in tobacco control." Smoking is linked to the deaths of at least 1 million people in China every year. The WHO cites a projection by Oxford University professor Sir Richard Peto that of the young Chinese men alive today, one in three will die from tobacco. "You're talking about one in three of the Tsinghua University male graduates, one in three of the male CEOs of high-tech businesses, one in three engineers, one in three scientists, one in three policymakers and military leaders," said Dr. Sarah England, who runs the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative in China. "It becomes a question of national interest." Over the past several years, China has banned tobacco advertising on radio, television and newspapers and outlawed smoking in some places, such as on airplanes. During the 2008 Olympics, Beijing and other host cities in China went smoke-free. In recent months, China banned smoking at pavilions and restaurants in the Shanghai Expo, as well as the Health Ministry's own 19-story office building in Beijing -- the first central government agency to prohibit puffing indoors. Weeks ago, authorities also instructed kindergartens and elementary, secondary and vocational schools to ban smoking on campus and bar teachers from lighting up in front of students. But health authorities are still losing the fight against a habit that has wafted into nearly every corner of society, backed by a powerful state-owned tobacco monopoly. The rate of smoking has not changed significantly, and tobacco production has actually gone up. Earlier this year, the Chinese media buzzed with reports of a 3-year-old girl hooked on smoking. Photos posted on the Internet showed round-cheeked Xing Yawen sitting on a chair taking a drag from a cigarette. The child's mother said Yawen started smoking possibly due to trauma after being hit by a truck in February last year. "In the past, we worked too hard and maybe we neglected her," 33-year-old Gao Shuli said by phone. "The child is too small and knows nothing, but smoking will affect her entire future." The WHO agreement requires countries to fight smoking through measures that include raising cigarette prices and taxes, mandating health warnings on cigarette packs and banning tobacco advertising. Parties are also expected to ensure that all indoor public places, workplaces and public transport are smoke-free within five years of the treaty coming into force -- which in China's case was on Jan. 9, 2006. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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