Compiled by Mark Carney
In San Mateo County, minorities are disproportionately affected by childhood obesity: 74 percent of Hispanics, 69 percent of African-Americans, and 83 percent of Pacifi c Islanders could not meet all physical fitness standards set for students by the state of California. In response, the school district instituted a program of healthy nutrition and physical activity, which seems to be paying off. Eight after-school programs in the district recently received “Healthy Apple Awards for Excellence in Nutrition & Physical Activity”, awarded by a committee of recreational and healthcare professionals.
Although certainly an improvement, Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County Health Offi cer, sadly noted that, “This is the fi rst generation of children who will live shorter lives and have a lower quality of life than their parents.”
Undocumented Californians Can Pay In-State Tuition
Undocumented California students gained a major victory when, in an unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court declared that students who attend at least three years of high school in California and who graduate from a California high school are eligible for in-state tuition rates at California public colleges and universities, regardless of their immigration status. The case, Martinez vs. Regents of the University of California, was argued by the ACLU and the National Immigration Law Center.
