Some Florida high school students believe that drinking a cap full of bleach will prevent HIV/AIDS, according to results from a new survey that has politicians in the state scrambling to overhaul sex education classes. Some Florida students, the survey says, believe that smoking marijuana and drinking Mountain Dew will prevent pregnancy.

Some advocates of a bill that would require a more comprehensive approach in the state’s sex education believe that these myths have spread because of the state’s reliance on abstinence-only sex education, according to the article.

Under a bill currently under consideration, schools would begin teaching about condoms and other methods of birth control and disease prevention in addition to abstinence.

What do you think? Should abstinence-only supporters take responsibility for the growth of these dangerous myths? Is a more robust sex education class the answer? 

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Parents in the Pittsburgh Public School System want the sex education offerings beefed up.

The organizers of the "Pittsburgh Public Schools Silencing Sex Education" campaign say the current policy to teach teenagers about sex by preaching abstinence does not answer many of their questions and provide them with the information they need to make healthy and responsible decisions, according to the article.

The campaign organizers want "comprehensive sex education that would teach students about contraception and sexual practices in addition to abstinence," according to the article. 

I thought this was especially interesting because of last week's news that one in four teenage girls in America has at least one STD.

What are students being taught about sex in schools in Maryland? Is it sufficient? Should abstinence be taught? Is that even realistic in the current social climate?

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If childhood obesity and health-related reasons were not enough proof, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now reports that time spent in physical education may help improve girls’ academic performance.

While this sounds like good news, teachers and administrators will probably tell you that it is a serious struggle to incorporate more physical education into the school day. Many educators are busy trying to live up to mandates that focus on standardized test scores and increases in student achievement in math and reading.

The study, which is published online in the Journal of American Public Health, indicates that trimming physical education programs may not be the best way to raise test scores in schools, this USA Today article states.

Researchers tracked the reading and math skills of more than 5,000 students between kindergarten and fifth grade as shown on a series of standardized tests, according to the article. They discovered that girls who received the highest levels of physical education, or 70 to 300 minutes a week, scored consistently higher on the tests than those who spent less than 35 minutes a week.

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Surprise, surprise. Some school systems claim that the announcement of the historic beef recall last month came way too late.

Based on prepared congressional testimony to be delivered yesterday, two officials with the School Nutrition Association were expected to urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to update its recall communications system, according to USA Today.

Dora Rivas, director of child nutrition for Dallas schools, said 12 days passed from Feb. 5, the day she heard from the state commodity office about a recall of one type of ground beef, which she pulled, to Feb. 17, the day the USDA announced the full Westland recall, the article states. It wasn’t until Feb. 22 that Dallas knew the full extent of the recall and pulled all of the affected beef, the article adds.

Maryland school systems, on the other hand, were told to put the meat on administrative hold on Feb. 1 by the Maryland State Department of Education.

It is unknown whether any of that meat made it into school cafeterias.

The MSDE warning did not catch the meat that went to Allegany, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, Montgomery, Worcester, Wicomico, Baltimore County and Baltimore City in 2007.

In total, about 37 million pounds of the 143 million pounds of beef recalled went to school lunch programs and other federal nutrition programs since October 2006, according to Ron Vogel of the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. 

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Who knew that the story I wrote about TB would be so popular?

The Associated Press picked it up. A newspaper in Delaware linked to it. I’m not even going to talk about the T.V. reporters.

My colleague Dennis O’Brien also did a blog post – with a neat graphic -- about it.

Here are the nuts and bolts of the story: Howard County health officials are investigating whether the county's first tuberculosis case this year, diagnosed in a student, spread the bacterial illness to staff members or other students at Hammond High School in Columbia.

The students and staff members at the Columbia school were told of the diagnosis Monday. The county Health Department sent letters Saturday to 50 students who ride the bus with the student, warning them that they might have been exposed and encouraging them to get tested.

Health officials learned about the infected student four weeks ago.

No one – other than the student – has contracted the disease, according to health officials. 

Do you think that the health department and school officials should have notified students and parents about the student immediately? Do you think they waited too long?

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As if the news of the largest beef recall ever wasn’t enough to make you queasy, it turns out that a huge chunk of the beef went to schools. And some of the meat went to cafeterias in Maryland!

Anne Arundel, Baltimore Co., Carroll, St. Mary’s, Worcester, Wicomico, and Prince George’s -- all school systems that received the recalled beef from Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing Company -- were told to put the meat on administrative hold on Feb. 1 by the Maryland State Department of Education.

It is unknown whether any of that meat made it into school cafeterias.

This month's heads-up from MSDE could not catch the meat that went to Allegany, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, Montgomery, Worcester, Wicomico, Baltimore County and Baltimore City in 2007. (About 37 million pounds of the 143 million pounds of beef recalled Sunday went to school lunch programs and other federal nutrition programs since October 2006, according to Ron Vogel of the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.)

Breathe a little easier, parents, students, and staff. Investigators have found no cases of illness related to the recalled meat, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman quoted in the article.

Check out MSDE's press release here. 

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That’s the center of a debate brewing in one Denver high school.

Pregnant students there are asking for at least four weeks of maternity leave and not to be penalized with unexcused absences.

Colorado's public schools, like many school systems, tend to place pregnant students or new moms in specialized programs or craft individualized education plans for them.

Denver Public Schools has no districtwide policy, which leaves it up to schools to work out plans for students continuing their education, according to a Denver Post article.

What kind of policy does your school system have for pregnant teens or teens who have recently given birth? Do you agree with students receiving four weeks of maternity leave while not receiving unexcused absences?

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Life got your teen stressed, depressed?

Tonight HC DrugFree, a Howard County nonprofit organization, is sponsoring a free program for parents and teens that will address the factors that can lead to stress, depression and substance abuse in teens.

Dr. David Gold, a counselor with Crossroads Psychological Associates in Columbia, will share tips about how to spot signs of teen depression.

Organizers of the program promise plenty of time for parents and teens to converse about their experiences.

If you are interested in going, the 90-minute program starts at 7 p.m. at Atholton High School, 6520 Freetown Rd., Columbia, MD 21044.

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With pressures mounting from religious groups and parents, more schools are abandoning traditional Halloween parties.

Child obesity and wellness policies have also altered the traditional menus of candy corn, and cupcakes. Now, you’re more likely to catch a kid snacking on carrot sticks with reduced fat ranch dressing.

Take Running Brook Elementary School in Columbia for example. Tomorrow I’m heading to the school for their annual vocabulary parade. The school asks students to dress up as vocabulary words. If a student picks the word “rain”, he or she will dress as a rain drop.

The parade will be followed by a party featuring healthy snacks.

This definitely isn’t your mama’s Halloween party!

What are your schools doing this Halloween? Are schools going to far to curb the Halloween tradition?

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I informed you about the recent slew of staph outbreaks last week. Here’s an update. A 17-year-old Virginia high school student died after being hospitalized with the infection last week. As a result, officials shut down 21 schools for cleaning to keep the illness from spreading. Read more in this article.

Last week, Ruma reported that four local high schools - Severna Park, Glen Burnie, Old Mill and Chesapeake - had received reports of 28 staphylococcus infections over the past three weeks.

On Friday, Wilde Lake High School in Columbia informed parents that one student had been infected with the staph. The school shared the following safety tips to protect against the infection:

1. Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

2. Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.

3. Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages.

4. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.

5. Use a barrier between your skin and shared equipment.

5:20 p.m. UPDATE: Read this article about a disturbing CDC report. One official believes that deaths tied to the drug-resistant staph "superbug" could exceed those caused by AIDS.

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