Homecoming Pg 7
Clear Creek High School
State
New Staff Pg 6
Creek Football Pg 15
September 2009- Issue 1 2305 E. Main, League City, TX 77573
graduation requirements change Allie Hinga With the increased graduation requirements put in place since Texas’ four by four plan, as well as Clear Creek Independent School District’s move to a uniform seven period schedule, students have been experiencing increasing limita- tions on the number of elective credits they can take during high school. For many students, however, this restraint may decrease since the state revised graduation requirements with the passage of House Bill (HB) 3 this summer. The new law allows additional flexibility in elective classes for those under the Recommended High School Plan. On June 25, 2009, school districts across the state were informed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) that the 81st legislature had made changes to the
state graduation requirements that would go into effect immediately, starting on September 1, instead of being phased in with the next incoming class of freshmen, as is the traditional procedure. This allows all students currently enrolled in high school to benefit from HB 3. The new law affects students on both the Recommended and Minimum High School Plans. Students on the Minimum Plan are now required to take one year of fine arts elective, and some students may satisfy their English IV credit with another related course if they meet specific criteria. Also, to qualify to graduate on the Minimum plan, students must be at least 16 years old, have completed two credits in each core subject, or have failed to be promoted to 10th grade at least once. Students on the Recommended High School Plan (RHSP) receive additional space for elective credits under HB 3 by eliminating the requirement of both a technology applications and health credit and reducing the number of required Physical Education credits from one and a half credits to one credit. This will give students graduating on the RHSP six elective credits instead of three and a half. At this time, the Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP) was not affected by HB 3. Each school reserves the right to decide whether the new law will be implemented in its district. In response to the new law, both CCISD and Clear Creek High School have encouraged students to keep the schedules they selected last February for the 2009-2010 school year. Since the district built its staff
for the year based on students’ course selections last school year, district officials say it would be difficult to accommodate schedule changes for all students affected by HB 3. “We don’t have the flexibility to just dump classes left and right,” Creek’s head counselor Ms. Ponce said. Also, some colleges still require certain courses no longer needed under the new law, such as technology applications. The district says that the courses students took prior to HB 3 will still count towards credit requirements for graduation. Although many students may not be able to change their schedules, the HB 3 will help some students get back on track for graduation. Counselors will be working with some students to see if HB 3 may help those who do not have enough credits to graduate by eliminating those classes no longer required by law from their schedules. Since many students will retain their original schedules, however, the full effects of the law will not be felt for some time. “Students will enjoy the full benefits of House Bill 3 next February when they go through course selections,”Ponce said. “Those on the Recommended Plan will have the option to select electives of their choice if they do not want a technology, health, or additional P.E. credit.” Though this year may not yet bring significant changes for student scheduling in CCISD, in the future options will be available to students to balance both academics and elective courses.
Sixteen year olds, the newest group to driving, will experience a population increase by 0.5 million by the end of this year. Their crash rate is three times more than 17-year-olds and 5 times greater than that of 18-year-olds. The new laws passed by Texas legislature are relative to attempts made by the National Safety Council, or NSC.
Last January, the NSC became the first national organization to propose a ban on cell phone use while driving. The council not only works to prevent injuries and deaths on the road, but also at work, at homes, and in communities. With the new laws in place, drivers must turn their cell phones off while driving. Photo by Kaitlyn Boryk
Photo by Wynette Jameson
New cell phone laws aim to keep kids safe
Jordan Little
As of September 1, Texas drivers will have to be more careful about where they use their cell phones. As of the first, no driver will be able to use a cell phone while driving through a school zone, unless he or she uses a wireless device or the car is stopped. Violators of the law can be fined up to $200. One exception to the law is if the driver uses a cell phone to call the police, fire department, or emergency medical services. Some may be shocked to find that eighty percent of traffic deaths happen at speeds under 40 miles per hour, like the typical 25 mph speed in a school zone, and happen within 25 miles of home. Drivers in the U.S. who aren’t paying attention cause 1.5 million crashes each year, 4,000 per day. In the two seconds it takes for a driver to dial their cell phone, the car, traveling at 60 mph, has moved 176 feet, or half the length of a football field accordig to www.txdot.gov. Another law that will go into effect September 1 will make it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to use their cell phone while driving. Drivers who receive their license on that day or after must abide by the law. “It’s unsafe to text while you’re driving. I watched a video on Facebook called Texting While Driving. It was so intense and I never want to text and drive
again,” senior Lindsey Carelock said. National teen driving statistics may be one cause of the restrictions of cell phone use while driving. According to www.txdot.gov, in the year 2002, of a total of 8,984 deaths in teen driver related accidents, 3,723 of those deaths were young drivers aging from 16-20 years old. Car crashes are the leading cause of teenage deaths and teens have a higher chance of being involved in a car crash than any other age group. Drivers between the ages of 16-19 have a fatality rate four times the rate of 25 to 69-year-old drivers or older drivers with more years of experience (www. txdot.gov). Add use of a cell phone while driving to the statistics and the risks are even higher. A study of the current population trends shows that next year there will be 23 percent more 16- to 20–year-old drivers than today’s total of 26.1 million.