BRIEFLY IN EDUCATION

Online writing tool at district schools

MY Access, a prompt-driven writing program with immediate feedback, is being introduced to fourth- to 12th-grade teachers this fall.

The program provides students with frequent opportunities to write, with immediate scoring and comments that focus on five areas: focus and meaning; content and development; organization; language use and style; and mechanics and conventions.

Students will be able to access the program from school and home.

Teacher compensated for son’s injury

At Tuesday’s school board meeting, a claim by a Laguna Beach High School teacher was approved after initially being slated for denial.

Cynthia Sorenson submitted a claim for about $250 after her son hit his head on a school railing.

The amount requested was reportedly to cover the difference between what Sorenson’s insurance would cover and what she would have to pay out-of-pocket to treat the injury.

Board member Betsy Jenkins pulled the item from the board’s consent calendar to be brought into general discussion; the claim was then unanimously approved by the three board members in attendance after a short discussion.

Typically, consent calendar items are acted upon by the board in one motion, unless a member sees fit to pull them for individual action.

Club celebrates Day for Kids

Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids was celebrated on Sept. 16 as more than 50 local club families visited the Santa Monica Pier with more than 30 other clubs from the region.

A survey related to the event that was con- ducted of more than 1,500 members through- out the nation found that most young people feel they spend enough time with their parents, but more than one-third of the respondents wished their parents would work less.

A majority said their parents or guardians are the most important role models in their lives. A majority participate in physical activities with them and eat home-cooked dinners regularly.

However, although more than three-quarters of the respondents said they have talked about Internet safety with their parents, most parents don’t surf online with their children or ask who they are communicating with online.