|
 A bill currently pending in the U.S. House of Representatives threatens to subject a broad array of private religious and independent schools to an unprecedented degree of federal regulation.
HR 4247, authored by California Representative George Miller, would place various mandates relating to the use of pupil restraint and seclusion, including staff training, monitoring and reporting requirements, upon any private school in which students receive benefits from federally funded programs. Thus, a school in which a single pupil received Title I services would become subject to the (unfunded) federal mandates. (For example, special need students in private schools may be part of an after-schools program funded by Federal funds. The private school does not receive any funds but the student receives services.)
Click here to contact your Congressperson about this legislation.
According to the Council for American Private Education (CAPE): "In the history of education legislation, the federal government has never imposed training or certification requirements on religious and independent schools for any reason." The policy HR 4247 would establish places private schools "...between a rock and a hard place: [they may either] accept the federal intrusion in policies and practices or give up participation in federal programs that benefit students and their teachers."
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
 Too few young people enter adulthood ready for college, work and life. National data shows that only four in 10 youth are adequately prepared for adulthood by age 21. Resiliency and youth development research indicates that families, organizations and communities can all help youth succeed if they provide young people with the basic tools, supports, and opportunities they need in order to be successful.
Since youth are developing 24/7, the community has a major a role in helping them be successful. Volunteers serve as big brothers, big sisters, coaches, role models, or mentors. Research also indicates what communities need to provide all youth to succeed -- safe environments, caring adults, opportunities for voice, civic engagement, hands-on experiences, and challenging and relevant skill-building, are all things that help young people develop to their fullest potential. (Read more about families in the Catholic social teaching tradition.)
|
|
Read more...
|
In order to promote effective catechesis and standardize the quality of the formation of catechists under their jurisdiction, the Bishops of the California Catholic Conference, in consultation with the Directors of Catechetical Ministry, the Superintendents of Catholic Schools, the Directors of Youth Ministry and the Directors of Adult Faith Formation of the Dioceses of the State of California, have prepared and released updated Guidelines for the Formation and Certification of Catechists and Master Catechists.
Under the leadership of the Most Reverend Edward Clark, Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Chair of the Education Committee of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops, and with the invaluable assistance of Sister Olive Murphy, RSM, Director of Religious Education for the Diocese of Santa Rosa , the Catholic bishops of California have updated the Guidelines for the Formation and Certification of Catechists and Master Catechists to include current R.C.I.A. practices and recent documents from the Vatican and the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops. The project to update the Guidelines was begun under the leadership of the Most Revered Allen Vigneron, who is now the Archbishop of Detroit.
The Guidelines will be promulgated for use by the dioceses in their training programs, which lead to certification or re-certification of catechists.
Guidelines for Obtaining the California Catechist Certificate
and the California Master Catechist Certificate
English Spanish |
|
Most of California’s Catholic families with school-age children choose to enroll them in the state’s public schools—rather than in Catholic or other private schools. However, many families are unfamiliar with the laws that govern what their child will be allowed to do—or asked to do—and unaware of certain ideas and information their child will be taught while at school.
This pamphlet has been prepared to give general information about what the Catholic Church teaches, what state law permits public schools to teach, what freedoms are granted to older students by state law, and what are the rights of parents or guardians regarding the education of their children.
Download a brochure of the information contained in this article - English Spanish.
Dowload a flyer in English or Spanish.
Download a listing of the Education Codes cited in this article - click here.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
|
