http://denver.yourhub.comThe latest story posts in The Denver Newspaper Agency YourHub.comen-usnews@yourhub.com(c) 2009, YourHub.com5Zero Tolerance Discipline in our schools is ineffective, outdated, and harmful. How do I know? Our family was subjected to it during our son's 8th grade year, and it was the most traumatic experience of our lives. In order to find out whether our ordeal was a "necessary evil" to keep schools safe...http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/Archive/Education/General-Education/Story~276724.aspx3/11/2007 5:38:21 PMLouise Benson Zero Tolerance Discipline in our schools is ineffective, outdated, and harmful. How do I know? Our family was subjected to it during our son's 8th grade year, and it was the most traumatic experience of our lives. In order to find out whether our ordeal was a "necessary evil" to keep schools safe...http://denver.yourhub.com/Glendale/Stories/Archive/Education/General-Education/Story~280272.aspx3/17/2007 7:49:46 AMLouise Benson Zero Tolerance Discipline in our schools is ineffective, outdated, and harmful. How do I know? Our family was subjected to it during our son's 8th grade year, and it was the most traumatic experience of our lives. In order to find out whether our ordeal was a "necessary evil" to keep schools safe...http://denver.yourhub.com/Thornton/Stories/Archive/Education/General-Education/Story~280275.aspx3/17/2007 8:19:17 AMLouise Benson Zero Tolerance Discipline in our schools is ineffective, outdated, and harmful. How do I know? Our family was subjected to it in our son's 8th grade year, and it was the most traumatic experience of our lives. In order to find out whether our ordeal was a "necessary evil" to keep schools safe, I ...http://denver.yourhub.com/GreenwoodVillage/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~287302.aspx3/31/2007 7:02:57 PMLouise Benson As we approach the 8th anniversary of the tragedy at Columbine High School, there will undoubtedly be the annual media attention to the important issues of school safety. What gets less attention is how anti-bullying strategies have evolved since two teens who were bullied every day of their live...http://denver.yourhub.com/Thornton/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~287412.aspx4/1/2007 4:34:57 PMLouise Benson As we approach the 8th anniversary of the tragedy at Columbine High School, there will undoubtedly be the annual media attention to important issues of school safety. What gets less attention is how anti-bullying strategies have evolved since two teens who were bullied every day of their lives ex...http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~287419.aspx4/1/2007 5:25:52 PMLouise Benson As we approach the 8th anniversary of the tragedy at Columbine High School, there will undoubtedly be the annual media attention to important issues of school safety. What gets less attention is how anti-bullying strategies have evolved since two teens who were bullied every day of their lives ex...http://denver.yourhub.com/Glendale/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~287428.aspx4/1/2007 6:13:22 PMLouise Benson The Juvenile Justice symposium at the Boulder World Affairs Conference this week confirmed many of the concepts in my just-released book, Scapegoating for Columbine: Collateral Damage in the War on School Violence. Zero Tolerance school discipline hurls many non-violent students into the just...http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~292221.aspx4/10/2007 7:54:31 PMLouise Benson The Juvenile Justice Symposium at the World Affairs Conference in Boulder this week confirmed many of the concepts in my just released book, Scapegoating for Columbine: Collateral Damage in the War on School Violence. Zero Tolerance school discipline hurls many nonviolent students into the ju...http://denver.yourhub.com/Glendale/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~292233.aspx4/10/2007 8:51:21 PMLouise Benson The airwaves and newspapers are beginning to fill with the zero tolerance blowback from Monday's horrific massacre at Virginia Tech. Already at CU, a journalism student has been arrested for speaking angrily during a heated discussion about the tragedy. The charges, "Interference with the sta...http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~296527.aspx4/18/2007 3:09:12 PMLouise Benson The airwaves and newspapers are beginning to fill with the zero tolerance blowback from Monday's horrific massacre at Virginia Tech. Already at CU-Boulder, a student has been arrested for speaking angrily during a heated discussion about the tragedy. The charges, "Interference with staff, fac...http://denver.yourhub.com/Glendale/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~296565.aspx4/18/2007 3:51:18 PMLouise Benson The airwaves and newspapers are beginning to fill with the zero tolerance blowback from Monday's horrific massacre at Virginia Tech. Already at CU-Boulder, a student has been arrested for speaking angrily during a heated discussion about the tragedy. The charges, "Interference with staff, fac...http://denver.yourhub.com/GreenwoodVillage/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~296590.aspx4/18/2007 4:17:04 PMLouise Benson Just after Columbine eight years ago, then-Governor George Bush attributed this tragedy to "A wave of evil passing over the land." He was not using the term "evil'' in a generic way, but in the Biblical sense, and many called for the reinstitution of prayer and the Ten Commandments in public scho...http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~299893.aspx4/25/2007 5:13:19 PMLouise Benson I was at the Boulder Valley School Board meeting Tuesday evening, May 8th. The main agenda item was gender identity, and whether to specifically add this to race, sexual orientation, and other categories that are protected from discrimination in schools. I was there to get on my soapbox again abo...http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~307584.aspx5/12/2007 3:39:30 PMLouise Benson The Boulder Valley School Board did not take kindly to the national firestorm of criticism about the Sex and Drugs Panel at Boulder High School. They have retracted their original and correct assessment that the panel was inappropriate, and parents were due an apology. There's no way they were go...http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~313980.aspx5/26/2007 3:39:27 PMLouise Benson The Boulder Valley School Board did not take kindly to the firestorm of criticism about the Sex and Drugs Panel at Boulder High School. They have retracted their original and correct assessment that the panel was inappropriate, and parents were due an apology. There's no way that they were going ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Broomfield/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~313989.aspx5/26/2007 4:07:05 PMLouise Benson Recalling board members of the Boulder Valley School Board is much easier said than done, now having researched the issue. Turns out, someone -- I wonder who, the teacher's union perhaps? -- has made this process nearly impossible. In order to get a recall on the ballot, the petition process requ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/Opinion/Politics/Story~318733.aspx6/7/2007 7:40:57 PMLouise Benson The local and national media coverage of the Sex and Drugs Panel at Boulder High School has dropped off the radar screen, but positive changes are occurring quietly off camera. A letter was sent to Boulder High parents, detailing the multiple failures to uphold district policy INB "Teaching A...http://denver.yourhub.com/Broomfield/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~328606.aspx6/29/2007 8:49:24 PMLouise Benson The local and national media coverage of the Sex and Drugs Panel at Boulder High School has dropped off the media radar screen, but positive changes have been occurring quietly off camera. A letter was sent to Boulder High parents, detailing the multiple failures to uphold district policy INB...http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~332005.aspx7/8/2007 7:39:07 PMLouise Benson Are you living in Ward 2? This ward is west of 287 and generally south of 120th. If so, read on. I'm Louise Benson and I'm running for City Council. I have lived in Broomfield for over 20 years and think it's a great place to live for families and seniors (not too hopping for the single set, ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Broomfield/Stories/Opinion/Politics/Story~333549.aspx7/11/2007 4:40:39 PMLouise Benson Let me first say I am not a "Wal-Mart hater." Wal-Mart gets a lot of grief from union-backed groups, and I'm not a big union fan -- I think unions have outgrown their britches and just become bullies. But I did sign the petition against the newest Broomfield Wal-Mart that was presented to me ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Broomfield/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~337615.aspx7/21/2007 3:41:02 PMLouise Benson Dr. Chris King , the new Superintendent of Boulder Valley Schools, spent $52,000 of the taxpayer's money to rally the troops and give his vision for the district, at a big hoopla on Monday, no doubt all of them on the clock. At last night's School Board meeting, board members leaped to his...http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~348169.aspx8/15/2007 12:37:35 PMLouise Benson Dr. Chris King, the new Superintendent of the Boulder Valley Schools, spent $52,000 of the taxpayer's money to rally the troops and give his vision for the district, at a big hoopla on Monday, no doubt all of them on the clock. I would say that having the party at the Broomfield Event Center ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Broomfield/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~348220.aspx8/15/2007 1:24:28 PMLouise Benson The Almighty Dollar won out at last night's Broomfield City Council meeting, as the Broomfield United Methodist Church was sent back to the drawing board on their request for a small parking lot. Many Councilors said Broomfield didn't need more asphalt, and neighbors would be subject to noise, lo...http://denver.yourhub.com/Broomfield/Stories/Opinion/Politics/Story~351463.aspx8/22/2007 3:08:27 PMLouise Benson As a candidate for Broomfield City Council Ward 2, I have been walking the neighborhoods and conducting meetings to take the pulse of the electorate. An issue that frequently comes up is travel expenses incurred by the Mayor and Councilors. The the word "junket" is often used, meaning taking a tr...http://denver.yourhub.com/Broomfield/Stories/Opinion/Politics/Story~354642.aspx8/29/2007 2:56:21 PMLouise Benson I have just returned from the Colorado Medical Society Annual Convention in Steamboat Springs. Many issues were thrashed out, such as recommending motorcycle helmet laws, and monitoring care in store-based health clinics. But the big headliner was comprehensive health care reform in Colorado,...http://denver.yourhub.com/Broomfield/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~359645.aspx9/9/2007 8:03:40 PMLouise Benson As a candidate for Broomfield City Council, I have been asked my opinion on the Northwest Parkway fiasco. There is no easy answer, but right now as a Broomfield citizen, I am embarrassed that a foreign company (Brisa) had to come in and bail it out! I have lived here long enough to remember t...http://denver.yourhub.com/Broomfield/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~363148.aspx9/15/2007 6:30:30 PMLouise Benson First it was Max Karson at CU, now a student at the University of Florida has been tasered for speaking his mind to Senator Kerry, and refusing to be silenced. I saw the video of the incident on TV this morning, and he should have left the microphone when his time was up, and should have cooperat...http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~364671.aspx9/19/2007 10:09:22 AMLouise Benson It has been two weeks since I attended a Broomfield public input meeting on the Northwest Corridor for Fastracks, and I just found out that the final RTD Board vote to use diesel rail is two weeks away. A preliminary vote was overwhelmingly in favor, 14-1. Only the "O" Boulder rep John Tayer vote...http://denver.yourhub.com/Broomfield/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~372110.aspx10/4/2007 7:26:03 AMLouise Benson Kohl Elementary will no longer have an annual Halloween party, an icon of American childhood. Instead, a "Fall Celebration" will be this Friday, to be more "inclusive." Halloween developed from "All Hallow's Eve," a Christian religious event that has morphed into a truly non-sectarian America...http://denver.yourhub.com/Broomfield/Stories/Opinion/General-Sound-Off/Story~372116.aspx10/4/2007 7:53:11 AMLouise Benson