Monthly Archives: December 2016

From NY Times Dealbook: Gun Control Advocates Team Up With Big Law

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Gun Control Advocates Team Up With Big Law (12/8/2016)

Fighting against gun violence has often been a lonely task for activists, who on their own were dwarfed by the size of the gun lobby.But now, gun control advocates have found new allies in corporate law firms, including Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Covington & Burling; and Arnold & Porter.

Together, big firms are committing tens of millions of dollars in free legal services from top corporate lawyers.

Until now, there has not been a coordinated effort across law firms to lobby for stricter gun control.

The coalition’s legal strategies include:

• Seeking to overturn state laws that have gone largely unchallenged, including new policies that force businesses to allow guns to be carried on their property

• Mounting the first formal challenges to congressional restrictions on publishing government data on gun violence

Brad D. Brian, co-managing partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson, said advocates don’t take issue with responsible gun owners. But he added, “There is an epidemic of gun violence in this country, and the law can save innocent lives without infringing constitutional rights.”

PRESS RELEASE, Dec. 7, 2016: Conference to Help Schools Hit Snooze Button for Student Health

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Conference to Help Schools Hit Snooze Button for Student Health

Washington, DC

Dec. 7, 2016

On April 27 and 28 school administrators and other stakeholders in student health and success will have the opportunity to gather in Washington, DC and learn how to implement later school day start times. This unique conference is a collaboration of the Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the RAND Corporation, and the non-profit Start School Later.

Myriad health groups have recommended that middle and high schools start after 8:30 a.m., including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Association of School Nurses, the Society of Pediatric Nurses, and the American Medical Association. The recommendations are based on decades’ worth of research showing that early school start times both decrease and disrupt adolescent sleep due to later shifts in sleep cycle that occur during puberty. Deficient sleep is correlated with a host of health and safety issues including car crashes, depression, diabetes, sports injuries, and more.

Many schools have adopted later start times in accordance with the recommendations, however they often do so after years of study and planning. This conference is aimed at educating on the science and helping school administrators and community advocates streamline the implementation process.

Attendees will hear from sleep scientists as well as districts who have acted on the research, including Start School Later Implementation Director Phyllis Payne who was instrumental in the later start times adopted by Fairfax Public Schools in Virginia.

“This conference will provide an opportunity to improve the health and well-being of young people across the country,” states Payne. “School leaders will join policy experts to collaborate on how to ensure a smooth return to more traditional school hours that allow middle and high school students the opportunity to sleep and wake at times that work with their body clocks and promote improved learning.”

Conference details and registration information can be found on the conference website: www.SchoolStartTimeConference.org .

Start School Later is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to ensure school start times compatible with health, safety, education, and equity. Visit their website at: http://www.startschoollater.net.

National Contact: Stacy Simera, Communications Director

Email: stacy@startschoollater.net   Tel: 330-389-9133

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