If education historian Diane Ravitch was the all-knowing eagle of education during her speech at last week's New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey's Acting Education Commissioner, Chris Cerf, was clearly the prey being circled by hawks. Blue Jersey's own Deciminyan reviewed Ravitch's speech, and it's a must read in light of my review of Cerf's...
In a standing room only venue, all eyes and ears, and iPhones and iPads, were trained on Cerf as he spoke to educators for about an hour. Tweets and texts were flying from the more tech-savvy, while others took notes with pen and paper. Cerf represents everything educators know is wrong about the divisive, corporate 'reforms' that are destroying public education nationwide: increased reliance on standardized testing and charter schools, vouchers, merit pay, and value added measures (VAM).
The former New York City Deputy Schools Chancellor under Joel Klein, Cerf came to New Jersey with some professional baggage. Leonie Haimson, education activist, Executive Director of the New York City group Class Size Matters, and founding member of Parents Across America (PAA) paints a troublesome portrait. With quite an extensive resume in the private and public sector, Cerf actually taught high school history for four years at the beginning of his career. However, it's ironic that he didn't make it to the five-year mark-the make-or-break point where teachers decide whether to stay or leave the profession. But he opened his speech with the applause garnering statement that he never worked harder than when he was teaching. Can't argue with that.
However, the hawks swooped in with boos, hisses and shouts of "liar!" when he emphatically stated that Governor Christie "has the highest regard for teachers," and that, "neither I nor the governor are against unions." Now, I think it's safe to say that anyone reading this post has some idea of current events in this state, so you know that this is simply not true. But if perchance you need some proof, look no further than Blue Jersey blogger Jersey Jazzman for evidence.
Suppose Governor Christie issued an executive order stating that if a city like Newark or even his home town if Mendham were not 100% crime-free by 2014, he would fire the entire police department and allow anyone, no matter what their qualifications, to carry a badge. He'd be subject to quite a bit of well-deserved ridicule. Yet that's exactly what he's doing with another profession - not cops, but teachers - according to noted education expert Diane Ravitch.
Ravitch was the keynote speaker on the first day of the annual convention of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) in Atlantic City today. And unlike the factually-challenged memes spewed by the corporate media and the education profiteers, Ravitch backed up her points with hard evidence.
In a comprehensive review of the right wing assault on education in New Jersey and across the country, Ravitch systematically debunked the myths being propagated by the corporatists and their enablers like the governors in Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, and yes, New Jersey.
The FAA is shutting down tonight for a simple reason. Republican extremists have decided that they need to pass anti-union legislation more than we need a functioning government. As the AP writes*:
The House bill also seeks to undo a ruling by the National Mediation Board approved last year that allows airline and railroad employees to form a union by a simple majority of those voting. Under the old rule, workers who didn't vote were treated as "no" votes.
Democrats have made clear they will not stand for this hostage taking by conservative extremists. Now New Jersey, and Atlantic City in particular, are getting hammered:
As a result, a partial shutdown of the FAA will occur tonight at midnight, furloughing nearly 650 workers at the FAA Tech Center in Atlantic City, delaying Teterboro Airport construction projects, and jeopardizing future airport construction projects in New Jersey and across the country.
Frank LoBiondo has been missing in action, sending out press releases blaming Harry Reid, but failing to get his Republican colleagues to compromise. That's always the problem with LoBiondo, who sometimes casts himself as a 1994 conservative revolutionary and sometimes as a moderate, but never has any actual influence with his party or its leadership. He relies on union support to discourage a Democratic challenger, but won't block anti-union legislation, even when it hurts his own people.
Now if Frank LoBiondo believes a real principle is at stake, he should resign from Congress and send his time suing to block every New Jersey school budget, because if not showing up for an election is a no vote none of these elections were ever valid. It might be crazy enough to make the Tea Party like him. Otherwise, he needs to be effective for the first time in his career, even if it annoys some extremists.
*The above AP link was actually recommended by Rep. LoBiondo's own website.
8:00 pm-10:00 pm Ocean B
Welcome Reception
Hosted by Senators Jim Whelan, Nick Sacco, Donald Norcross, James Beach & Jeff Van Drew, Assemblymen Peter Barnes, John Burzichelli, Upendra Chivukula, Herb Conaway, Craig Coughlin, Patrick Diegnan, Tom Giblin, Jerry Green, Gordon Johnson, Vincent Prieto & Gary Schaer
9:30 pm-11:30 pm Hudson Hospitality Reception
Hosted by Mayor Mark Smith, Hudson County Democratic Organization Chairman
Friday May 13, 2011
8:00 am-9:30 am Ocean Ballroom
Kick off Breakfast hosted by Senate President Stephen Sweeney
10:00 am-12:00 pm Blenheim Room
General Session: Understanding Your Message with Brad Lawrence, Message and Media
12:00 pm-1:30 pm Ocean Ballroom
Women's Step Up Luncheon hosted by Speaker Sheila Oliver With Special Guests:
U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg
Mayor Dana Redd
NJDSC Secretary Janice Kovach
Co-hosted by Senators Loretta Weinberg & Linda Greenstein, Assemblywomen Nellie Pou, Celeste Riley, Grace Spencer, Linda Stender, Valerie Vainieri Huttle & Bonnie Watson Coleman
2:00 pm-5:30 pm Breakout Sessions:
Track 1: New Media and Communications
Marlborough Salon A
Track 2: Winning as a Local Candidate
Dennis Salon A/B
Track 3: Field Tactics, Targeting and Technology
Marlborough Salon B/C
4:30 pm-5:30 pm Dennis Salon C
Democratic State Committee Meeting/Voting Session
6:00 pm-7:00 pm Atrium
Cocktail Reception hosted by Mayor Cory Booker
7:00 pm-9:00 pm Ocean Ballroom
Congressional Dinner hosted by:
U.S. Congressman Rob Andrews
U.S. Congressman Rush Holt
U.S. Congressman Frank Pallone
U.S. Congressman Steve Rothman
U.S. Congressman Albio Sires
9:30 pm-11:30 pm TBD
Democrats 2000 After Hours Reception
Saturday May 14th, 2011
8:30am-10:30 am Ocean B
Breakfast with U.S. Congressman Bill Pascrell
If you're planning to get your Democrat on at the Democratic State Conference in AC, you've got about 24 hours to register at the discounted rate of $111. This year's conference focuses on training and new media. And with Christie's favorables crumbling under the weight of his own aggression, and a well-financed NJGOP gearing up to give Christie the Republican legislature he's asked for, it seems to me it's a good time for 3 days of putting our heads together and muscling up. I'm a huge proponent of skills training. It's a good time for the DSC to focus on that right now, and good that this conference comes in May, not September.
So, if you weren't planning on going, there may be a few reasons to rethink. In the post-Christie universe, there could be a lot of value in rank-and-file progressive activists showing up. If there's a struggle for the soul of the Democratic Party, it is between those leaders whose sense of mission is unshakable in the face of a headline-grabbing cocksure governor and those for whom forward movement is challenged by that cocksure governor whose own party marches in lockstep behind him. This is the struggle that plays out here at Blue Jersey every day.
It turns out that the self described "100% clean" Trump is a liar and that he did have some mob connections in his Atlantic City casino.
One of his prime Atlantic City developments, the Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino, relied on a partnership with two investors reputedly linked to the mob, prompting New Jersey regulators to force Trump to buy them out. And he employed a known Asian organized crime figure as a vice president at his Taj Mahal casino for five years, defending the executive against regulators' attempts to take away his license, according to law enforcement officials.
As the famously brash developer now considers a run for the presidency, this history could complicate his efforts to project an image of a trusted power in the business world. It exposes a seamy underside to Trump's rise to fortune -- one that involved intimate links to unsavory characters.
I hope the Republican birther base fanatics all vote for Trump in the primaries and that he becomes their nominee. Of course that's unlikely since his "run" is just a publicity stunt to feed his ego and his ratings.
Wouldn't it be cool if NBC were to find it's conscience and say to this assoholic clown: "YOU'RE FIRED!!!" One can dream...
SO I was having a conversation with a conservative recently and the subject of NJ putting money into the casinos in Atlantic City came up. I said "Do we really need to use our tax dollars to prop up casinos and Atlantic City?"
TO which I got a reply of "Yes, but the casinos contribute to the state economy, think about how many people would be out of work if they fail?"
"Hmmm... So what you're saying is it's OK for the government to get into the business of bailing out free enterprise if it can't support itself?"
"No....I mean...we'll lose all those jobs...."
"So what about GM? SHould we have bailed them out or not? Free market economy right?"
"Well, no....the government needs to help..."
In the contentious world of politics, many are calling for bipartisan cooperation. A legislator's job is certainly easier and less stressful if he or she can work cooperatively with the other party. But bipartisanship run amok can result in capitulation - capitulation of ideals and failure to serve those who matter most, the electorate.
Such is the case in New Jersey, where the Democratic legislative majority has allowed Republican Governor Chris Christie to run roughshod over state employees, labor unions, and public school students.
Now, Democrats and Republicans in New Jersey have joined forces to try once again to revitalize Atlantic City tourism. On the surface, this is a wonderful and much-needed initiative. Once the crown jewel of shore attractions, the "Las Vegas of the East" has succumbed to the proliferation of gambling establishments throughout the northeast, and has been consistently losing market share and revenue.
And the Senate is still passing bills. Another day in Trenton is about to begin. Bills will be before us about the tourism district in Atlantic City, revising casino industry regulations and abolishing COAH. I will be speaking and lobbying for two bills - the first amending our State medicaid plan to cover more folks for family planning services. Let's see if we can get a few Republican votes for this in the Senate. I'm counting on a few thinking "R" colleagues to join in putting forth this "no brainer" since the state gets $9 for every $1 of match it allocates.
Since the Governor vetoed the last family planning money, two sites in Browns Mills and Mt. Holley in Burlington have stopped seeing family planning patients. In the past year these health centers saw over 2300 patients. The Dover Health Center will close at the end of this month and in the past year this center saw over 3900 patients. The Planned Parenthood of Northern New Jersey in Elizabeth will probably see more than 800 fewer patients due to reductions and restructuring. Mercer, Ocean and Somerset County centers will also be affected. Each of those numbers represents a real person in need of services. This is just the tip of the coming iceberg in poor women's access to health services. What is the Governor and some of his party stalwarts proving with these cuts? Come on guys and gals, time to set "right" at least a few of these "wrongs"!
And speaking of setting things right, Governor Corzine signed a bill into law literally his last moments in office. A bill that came out of a Middlesex community where a bunch of "upstarts" (read: reformers) attempted to change the form of government in one of their communities. After hard work, they got the government change on the ballot and came within a few votes of winning. Leaders of the party (read: my own party) got a little nervous. So what was there to do? Oh we can change the law and require that a government change referendum (even after a loss) cannot be brought up again for ten years rather than the three years in the then current law! That will teach those citizens. By the time 10 years pass, most of them will either be gone or they'll have given up. Not very (read: small d) democratic! We will be considering my bill today which returns the law to the 2009 version: three years in between referendum after a loss and five years if there was a win and the government actually changed. Keep your fingers crossed that Senator Vitale and I have enough votes in our Democratic caucus to get this passed. Watch the vote tally on this one.
It was a good day Saturday with the repeal of DADT. It is sad though to see what's happened to the really brave war hero, Sen. John McCain. First Sarah Palin, then a prediction that our military will fall apart with this repeal. And Arizona doesn't need counseling for veterans facing mental health problems as a result of their service to our country - but maybe New Jersey does? We should all be as angry as Congressman Holt is. Years of cruel imprisonment couldn't vanquish John McCain, but the pressure of partisan politics seems to have done the job on him. There's not much more to say about that. The repeal of DADT is a giant step forward for our country and for granting full civil rights to the gay community. We all know what's still missing. Looking forward to the courts doing the "right thing" (read: marriage) here too.
And let's hope the Governor did something right by selecting Christopher Cerf of Montclair as the next Education Commissioner. Don't know that much about him yet, but others have said he is smart and knows how to build consensus. I just hope Mr. Christie will not throw him out if he manages to attract the NJEA to join him in a grant application or to build agreement on a program to improve our schools.
And so today, we in the Senate have a chance to "right" a few "wrongs". 'Tis the season to be kind to one another. Let's hope that "spirit" will pervade the Senate chambers today.
Merry Christmas. Thank you Blue Jersey for helping to build a community of progressives. Thank you to our bloggers, commenters, and readers for giving voice to many good ideas.
Arbitration Awards Governor Christie, who has been pushing his "Tool Kit" as a solution to high property taxes, now is quoted in the hard copy Record (page 8) of today, as saying, "There's no silver bullet to fix it." Thank you Mr. Governor. Christie had wanted the arbitration cap to include pension and health benefit costs, over which local entities have little control. The cap compromise excludes these two costs, allows for increases above 2% in multiyear contracts if the overall increase does not exceed 2%, and calls for the limits to go away after three years. The governor secured less "wiggle room" to fudge the cost basis of the cap and a random selection of the arbitrators. As a result Police and firefighter union contracts would be limited to 2 percent annual pay increases if they seek arbitration, although arbitration is not even available in many municipalities.
So the convention of the New Jersey League of Municipalities is over. The attendees were a Who's Who list of New Jersey power brokers. With one exception. Governor Christie decided it was more important to hobnob with Republican Tea Party glitterati in San Diego than to interact with the people he's paid to serve with. But that's another story.
Like any convention, there were working sessions, and there were after-hours parties where the politicians could interact informally with the various contractors who provide goods and services to the taxpayers. There's nothing wrong with this. Public servants who work hard should be encouraged to have some off-hours fun, schmoozing with their peers in the private sector. What is disturbing, however, is the way these events are paid for and the message they send to the politicians.
At the Meadowlands today Sen. Jim Whelan (D- Atlantic County) said, "If we do this right we will find a way to save and strengthen the horse racing industry, find a way to save and strengthen the casino industry, and at the same time find a way to get Xanadu finished." Good luck, Sen. Whelan. Casinos, horse racing, and Xanadu are in deep financial trouble, beyond just fixes which the legislature or the governor can implement. The solutions being discussed are primarily about gaming - an independent agency to revive the AC casino business, slots/VLT's for horse racing, and a possible casino attached to Xanadu.
The second Democratic Gaming Summit was held today at the Meadowlands Racetrack with about 1,000 in attendance - union members, race track enthusiasts, "suits" representing moneyed interests, and legislators trying their best to appear impartial while just as frequently representing the interests of their local constituents and business supporters.
A rising tide raises all boats, and certainly a better economy is what we need. However, the competition in the gaming industry will only get fiercer and continue to cannibalize itself. Internet gambling as it expands, which it will regardless of what the federal government wants, will only make physical location gambling more problematic. Gaming might produce short term gratification but longer term broader-based solutions are needed.
A better solution in Atlantic City where failing casinos are in death-like competition with surrounding states and some are worth only a fraction of their value four years ago, might be to return to its roots as an ocean-front family-friendly vacation resort which now happens to allow gambling. The Meadowlands race track at a minimum will have to tighten its belt but might have lessons to learn from the success this year at Monmouth. As Xanadu is located in a county with an excess of shopping malls, its new developer (when/if selected) might benefit by looking more at the entertainment, rather than retail, aspect of its proposed business model.
"We laughed together, we stood together
We were almost one
then that fatal day you changed on me,
now the war has begun
I take a look in your eyes, I don't like what I see."
(Texas Chainsaw Massacre Soundtrack Lyrics: Sworn Enemy)
I was born in Delaware. City life was in the north. In the south there were predominately beaches and farms. Sound familiar? The two areas never got along well with each other. During the Civil War, the south wanted to secede and the northern area did not. The capitol, Dover, was in the middle where the warring parties gathered to fight their battles.
We have a battle today in Trenton between the north and the south. The stakes are gigantic with large sums of money involved: gaming and the future of Atlantic City vs. gaming and the future of the Meadowlands. Powerful people, including casino executives, politicians, and entrepreneurs who want a piece of the action or to deny a region a piece of the action, have big stakes in the results. The little guy is like roadkill. I can already hear the ominous soundtrack of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There will be winners and losers, and there will be blood.
According to the Statehouse Bureau as reported on Sunday in the Press of Atlantic City, Gov. Christie and Senate President Sweeney are coming closer to agreement on Atlantic City. The sticking point, Sweeney said, is semantics: "I want a private-public partnership, not public-private." Sweeney heads the Senate and the powerful bloc of South Jersey lawmakers. Casino executives, of course, are fiercely protective of their turf and oppose gaming expansion in the north.
Christie and Sweeney support the southern plan, but the northern axis also has a large block. The saga will continue again in mid-September with a legislative gaming committee meeting at the Meadowlands. Ultimately there will be compromises, but with so much at stake I can hear the chainsaw soundtrack swelling. There will be blood.
P.S. I was born in northern Delaware and live in northern New Jersey.
What I want to know is why the New Jersey Democrats could spare 10 lawmakers for a Summit in Atlantic City, to spend one entire day chattering about gambling, horses and tourists. And let Loretta Weinberg and Linda Stender walk into a room by themselves to be ambushed by GOP staffers one-upping them with news that women's health funding just lost all key GOP support.
What about this confuses you Democrats, in terms of priority?
Does nobody in the Democratic Party get the disastrous optics of this? All that Dem firepower all day long to rescue gambling industries that on their best day are fun places to spend leisure money and on their worst are a regressive tax on poor saps we tempt into risking their mortgage money while distracting them with half-dressed women, colored lights and booze? While what's at stake for the women of New Jersey is maintaining access to health care for at least 40,000 women? That is necessity, not leisure. Are you kidding me?
Tell me all you want that the AC Summit was about jobs. Union jobs. Good.
Shut the GOP out of your summit because Christie's Hanson Commission was hand-picked and secretive. Whatev.
Suit up to fight off a Christie takeover AC plan that's GOP incursion on your Democratic-controlled city. If you must.
But you did not look good doing this. You let the conversation in the papers be about your decision to shut out the GOP. No less outrageous than the governor's choices, but way more public, and thus more publicly petty. Particularly when you start trotting out old turf wars North v. South, which was some time after the bugler dressed in a red costume get-up opened the summit like he was blowing the start of some race. Do you feel me here?
Legislating with the Governor from Hell must be demoralizing and frustrating. But it's time to get your act together. And leaving two women legislators hanging in the wind to advocate for the most at-risk members of half your citizenry is not it.
I don't know if the Dems have the legislative strength to overcome this veto, now that Christie pulled the leash on GOP senators Diane Allen, Kip Bateman, Andrew Ciesla, Christopher Connors, Sean Kean & Robert Singer, and stopped them thinking for themselves. Is this override just a sinking ship you don't wanna be on? If so, think again. You want to be Democrats, you're going to have to show up for women, and for people at risk. You're not going to do that, you'll have to call yourself something else.
Because the GOP's dominated by the Christies and the Jay Webbers, for whom Roe v. Wade isn't settled law, it's law they don't feel like recognizing. Access to birth control and the prevention of unplanned pregnancy isn't access to health care for them, it's an excuse to inflict their opinions about morality on the rest of us on women, never risking their own lives. Forget pap smears, breast cancer screenings - that's not even on their radar.
We see you Dems who came out for women. Thank you. But, Democrats, for most of you - Your house is burning, and you left your women inside while you went to the track. Get straight.
The Democrats-only day-long gambling summit is underway in Atlantic City - the first of 3 planned. This is the Democrats' - 10 of them are down there - rapid-response answer to the Hanson Report, the 6-month review of NJ's massive gambling industry delivered at the request of Chris Christie. That's the report that calls for a massive overhaul of Atlantic City's entertainment centers, putting them under government control. And it also recommended NJ unload Meadowlands Racetrack and Monmouth Park, and get the state out of the failing horseracing business - alarming that industry's two biggest champions, both Democrats; Steve Sweeney and James Whelan.
The day began with a red-coated bugler, signaling - in case you missed it - that a lot of the conversation will be about the horsies. I can't view the stream from where I am, but I understand there have been some testy moments, including some harsh talk about the breakdown between North and South, and the state's big investment in Atlantic City. Bright lights. Blighted city. Bring your mortgage money.
Governor Chris Christie, who is on a rampage privatizing every government service in sight, has done an about face when it comes to Atlantic City. Christie is proposing carving out the revenue-producing casino district from the rest of the blighted city. The state would take over municipal services, and no doubt those services would be candidates for Christie's ill-advised privatization initiative.
At one time, Atlantic City was the gambling mecca of the East Coast - an alternative to Las Vegas a lot closer to the population centers on the Atlantic seaboard. But over the years, as other states legalized gambling, Atlantic City's attractiveness started to wane.
Looking at the other recent state takeover of local government, Camden, one can only wonder if this is the right approach. While the Camden waterfront has been gentrified and is a tourist destination, urban decay and all the issues that go with it are just blocks away. I'm afraid the people of Atlantic City will suffer the same fate.
The Governor's motives for this takeover may seem to be laudable. But I'm afraid that I trust the Governor about as far as I can throw him. His track record over the first six months of his reign shows that he cares more about millionaires and developers than he does about the middle class and the poor. His shenanigans with Reform Jersey Now demonstrate that his regard for the spirit of the law is lacking. Will his diversion of tax money on the Xanadu project from government services to the Chris Christie Crony Developers be a precursor for a similar approach in Atlantic City?
Atlantic City is one of New Jersey's many jewels. Its legendary boardwalk and Convention Center are deeply rooted in our nation's history. And the gambling industry provides New Jersey residents with much-needed jobs. But is a state takeover by a power-hungry executive the right solution? At a time when our urban centers are closing libraries and firing teachers, we owe it to the people of Atlantic City to find the best solution that meets the needs of all its residents. Aid to schools, libraries, and the tourism industry - yes. But takeover of the city by an ego maniacal ambitious former prosecutor who skirts around the edges of legality is worrisome at best.
"This report is a blueprint that will guide our efforts in managing and protecting our gaming, sports and entertainment resources more responsibly and reforming issues critical to New Jersey's economic future," said Governor Christie. "I look forward to reviewing all of the Commission's recommendations so that we can put these industries on a solid foundation and path to long-term economic growth and prosperity."
He'll be holding a second press conference at 2pm in Atlantic City.
(Update: NJN will stream it here)
Key elements are a state takeover of the casino district in Atlantic City to make it "clean and safe," elimination of the thoroughbred meet at the Meadowlands, and qualified support for more state aid to Xanadu. Also, no video lottery terminals (VLTs) outside Atlantic City for now. Horse racing, in short, is dying. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority would be closed.
The report calls for the privatization of IZOD and PNC Arts Center while at the same time wants to "ensure that competition among them is mutually beneficial and not counterproductive to their financial success." I laughed at that contradiction (and this one too), but the whole situation is an unholy mess of regulation, socialism, capitalism, greed, corruption, immorality, and failure. In any case, I have no opinion of what should be done now.
Reactions are all over the map -- Blue Jersey has already heard from Democrats who support the plan and those who reject it.
Assemblyman Paul Moriarty praises it:
"This report will require a thorough and careful analysis, but I am pleased to hear the emphasis it places on keeping Atlantic City as New Jersey's entertainment and gaming focal point...
Senator Steve Sweeney mocks it:
"Anyone who walks the Atlantic City Boardwalk for five minutes would come to the same conclusions that it took this commission six months of closed-door meetings to reach," said Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem). "Improving New Jersey's gaming and entertainment industry means more than just cleaning the streets and slapping on some paint. It means bringing new products into the market that will attract visitors and beat back the steady stream of new competitors. It means creating jobs and welcoming businesses. This report only goes half way."
"Any recommendation to sell or close the Meadowlands race track is beyond disappointing. I urge Gov. Christie to reject it and instead embrace efforts to bring video lottery terminals to the track to modernize it and allow it to readily compete with other states.
Senator Jim Whelan is thoughtful:
"Obviously, we need serious, system-wide changes to the way New Jersey manages and regulates gaming and entertainment, in Atlantic City and across the State. You don't have to look any further than the casinos' bottom line to see that the current system is failing the businesses, and it's failing the people of the State.
"We are happy that the Governor has put a new focus on Atlantic City, but even after seeing the report, there are more questions than answers. Hopefully, moving forward through the Gaming Summit that Senate President Sweeny has proposed, we can get those answers.
"Gaming deregulation, sports betting, Internet betting, lowering the 500-room requirement for casinos, and the completion of the Revel casino are all issues where details are lacking; these matters must be a part of the solution to revitalize Atlantic City."
Tell us what you think should be done.
Update: More varied reaction. Lesniak reaches back to 1984 to ask "Where's the beef?" and continues to flog the dead horse of sports betting, while Van Drew calls the report "encouraging" and "a great starting point."
After the latest case of food fights in the lunch room, Atlantic City High School is punishing students by only serving plain cheese sandwiches for lunch the next 3 days. Students can get six slices of cheese on wheat bread and the cafeteria workers even have shirts made up about the sandwiches. Check out this story from NBC 10 out of Philadelphia:So what do you think, does the punishment fit the crime? They're not the only district looking to take action as a Paramus middle school has taken away the "fun" parts of graduation after their food fight. Take the poll below the fold and let us know what you think in the comments.
