Constitutionality of the Death Penalty

Prior to making any conclusions about the death penalty, it's important to understand how the laws of the United States have applied it and why.  To do so, read about the Constitutionality of the Death Penalty.  You should begin on the page that opens in the hyperlink and continue to the end of the article on page 10.  (Alternatively, you can see and print a copy of the full article here.) Answer the questions on this worksheet as you read (you can make a copy of the worksheet to edit by going to file then clicking on "make a copy".  Be prepared to discuss in class.

So How Do I know Who I Should Vote For?

Check out these links.  What do you think of your results?  Are there any biases in any of these surveys?  Are you surprised by your results?  Why or why not?

USA Today Candidate Match

VoteSmart

ISideWith

SelectSmart

OntheIssues

Debate Highlights

Go to this link to see highlights from the 2nd Presidential Debate.

Election Season Contd.

As the election gets closer, it's important that we not only pay attention to the races, the candidates and the issues, but also to ensure that we have a solid grounding in the political process.  For your next assignment, you will work to do each of these things. With a partner, please work through the following.

Instructions:

• Go to http://upfront.scholastic.com/issues/09_03_12/book
• Read pages 6-9.  When you have finished, go back to page 6 and click on “Discuss this Article” circle (in red).  With a partner, discuss the questions.
• Read pages 10-11.  Make sure to click on the Red link “For more election lingo” on the top of page 10.  Be sure that you understand and can define each of the terms.
• Go to the Upfront Magazine
• Read the article
• Then with your partner, click on Games and Quizzes tab, select the “Electoral Challenge” game and then go ahead and play.
• Discuss the outcome. Who won? Why? What was the strategy used for victory?
• Next, read pages 12-13 in the magazine on polling.
• “Discuss this article" questions
• Then, go to the Web Links tab which will take you to Gallup, Real Clear Politics, and NYTimes swing state polls.
• Discuss with your partner. What polls did you look at? What do these latest polls show? What pieces of data are most interesting and why? Do you think this data will have an impact on the election? Why?
• Next, open this document and follow its instructions.  You can save the document as your own and then edit to respond to the questions.

Drug Testing Policy Town Hall Meeting

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Board of Education of the Township High School District hereby invites all interested parties to air their views on the new drug testing policy (*See below) at a town hall meeting to take place on October 11-12.

·       Each speaker must create a typewritten outline to be turned in prior to their opportunity to speak.

·       Each speaker will be limited to two minutes and is expected to have a firm grasp of the issues. 

·       Each speaker is required to demonstrate their understanding of the issues by using facts and argument from sources given as well as prior Supreme Court precedent (the Acton and Earls cases).

·       Each speaker should be prepared to answer questions from the school board.

 

Township High School District Policy:

The objectives of the District’s drug policy are:

• To educate children and adults as to the serious physical, mental, and emotional harm caused by the use of drugs.
• To provide a deterrent to the use of drugs by students of the District.
• To give students a valid reason to resist peer pressure to use drugs.
• To provide and maintain a safe, secure school environment, free of drug use and its effects.
• To eliminate the negative impact of drug use on the safety of students and others while traveling to and from school as well as throughout the school day and during school activities.

In order to meet the objectives of this program, all students and their parent/guardian are asked to sign a consent form agreeing to be part of the drug testing program for Township High School District.  During initial implementation, all students will take a mandatory drug test, and all students will be involved in random testing equivalent to a minimum of 10% of the group per month.  In subsequent years, incoming ninth graders will take a mandatory drug test, and all students, grades nine through twelve, will be involved in random testing at an equivalent to a minimum of 10% of the group per month.  Students entering the district after the first day or who had not been part of the initial mandatory testing will be given the test at the next random testing date.  Testing requires students to provide a urine sample, which is collected by an independent lab and screened for signs of tobacco and alcohol use, as well as for illegal substances.  If any of these substances are found as a result of the drug test, consequences will be imposed according to the policies listed on pages 18-21 of the student handbook.