Police Log

Vehicle Spins Out, Hits Salem School Bus

The following information was submitted by the Salem Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

The following is an excerpt from the Salem Police Department's log: Tuesday Jan. 15: Wednesday, Jan. 16: Winter Weather Accidents Other Arrests: Joseph W. Eddy, 20, of 354 Broadway Lane, Lynn, was arrested on a charge of trespassing. Michael W. Pearl, 20, of 21 Bertuccio Ave., Salem, was arrested on a charge of trespassing. Christopher Thomas II, 26, of 29 Bakersfield St., Dorchester, was arrested on a charge of carrying a large knife and disorderdly conduct. --- If you have a question about this police log, please send it to Salem Patch.

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Should Teachers, Adoptive Parents Have to Submit Fingerprints for Background Checks?

Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation that would require teachers, workers at child care centers and school bus drivers to submit fingerprints for criminal background checks.

Should school and child care employees fingerprinted before starting employment in order to check their criminal backgrounds? How about fingerprinting anyone who wants to adopt or foster a child? The governor thinks so. The state education office announced on Friday that Gov. Deval Patrick had signed a bill authorizing the Department of Early Education and Care and school districts to conduct fingerprint-supported national criminal history background checks on all teachers, school employees and early education providers in Massachusetts.   "Prior to this law, school districts and early education providers were allowed only to conduct name-based Criminal Offender Record Information checks covering criminal history record information for …

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Governor May Sign Bill To Require Teachers, Bus Drivers to Submit Fingerprints

The fingerprint background checks would also apply to everyone seeking to adopt children or become foster parents.

The Associated Press is reporting Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is considering signing legislation that would require teachers, workers at child care centers, school bus drivers and others to submit fingerprints for criminal background checks. The fingerprint background checks would also apply to everyone seeking to adopt children or become foster parents, as the legislation is written. Fingerprints would be submitted to the Massachusetts State Police for a state criminal history check and forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history check, reported the Associated Press. What do you think? Tell us in the comments section below.

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Longer School Days Are Coming to Select Massachusetts Schools

Massachusetts is one of five states to add 300 hours of class time every year for certain schools. Will it help?

Will more time in school translate into greater student achievement? Federal and state officials are announcing today that Massachusetts, along with Connecticut, New York, Tennessee and Colorado, are participating in a pilot program to find out. Csmonitor.com reports that the program will add at least 300 hours of learning time in some schools starting next fall.  Fall River and Lawrence are the two Massachusetts towns included in the pilot project. Boston.com reports that this new program adds to an effort launched six years ago in Massachusetts to lengthen the school day in several school districts. The pilot program reportedly will last three years and include almost 20,000 students in 40 schools with an eye to bringing in more schools …

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CHART: North Shore High School Graduation Rates

Here's how North Shore public high schools compare on graduation rates.

Recent data on nationwide high school graduation rates has placed Massachusetts outside the top 10 states in the nation with an average of 83 percent of students graduating. The preliminary data was based on four-year cohort groups and released by the U.S. Department of Education on Monday. Final numbers will be released in the coming months. Salem High finds itself just below that state average with an 81.7 percent rate of graduation, which is still an improvement over recent years. When compared to other nearby public high schools, Salem is doing better than Lynn English or Lynn Classical, but trails Beverly and Danvers High. Here's how North Shore high schools compare:

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PHOTOS: SHS Band Marches in Beverly Holiday Parade

Here are some shots of the Salem High School band marching in the Beverly Holiday Parade.

Salem High School's marching band participated in the 65th Annual Beverly Holiday Parade on Sunday. Here are some photos from their performance. Have a photo of the band you'd like to share with your neighbors? Feel free to post them here, just click the add photos and videos button above.

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Salem's Thanksgiving Comeback Falls Short

Dunston leads Salem seniors in their final Thanksgiving game.

Quarterback Christian Dunston led the Salem Witch's onto the field at Hurd Stadium in Beverly yesterday for the 114th Thanksgiving Day game between Salem and the Beverly Panthers. Beverly jumped out quickly and dominated for much of the game with a big name offense led by Senior Brendan Flaherty. The undefeated Panthers put four touchdowns on the board before Salem's Christian Dunston managed to connect in the end zone with Ben Sattiewhite with 4:45 left in the game. The Witch's defense then recovered a Beverly fumble with 3:45 remaining on the clock. Dunston and Sattiewhite converted that opportunity into another Salem score bringing Salem to within two touchdowns at 28-14. The resilient Salem team continued its efforts until time ran out…

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Salem Public Schools Delayed by 2 Hours Tuesday

City makes calls to delay school after Hurricane Sandy hits Salem.

After a day contending with Hurricane Sandy, there will be a 2-hour delay for all Salem Public Schools Tuesday. The city made the call just after 8:30 p.m. The mayor posted the following on her Twitter page: "Salem School Superintendent just announced there will be a 2 hour delay for the start of school tomorrow."

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PHOTOS: Carlton Gets Patchy for Halloween

Salem Patch visited Carlton Elementary on last week and decorated Patch trick-or-treat bags with students and parents at the school's Pumpkin Festival.

Salem Patch joined Carlton students and parents Thursday for some Halloween fun. In addition to mummy fun and a pumpkin contest, Patch donated bags, which students decorated to use as trick-or-treat bags. Thanks for a great evening and creative inspiration, Carlton! We had a wonderful time. If you have any photos from the event, be sure to add them to this article.

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Support Salem Teachers on World Teachers' Day

Give back to local teachers by celebrating World Teachers' Day on Oct. 5.

World Teachers' Day, celebrated on Oct. 5, is a great opportunity to show teachers in Salem Public Schools how great you think they are. But, the day also takes on a deeper meaning, standing for the protection of teachers' rights. Since its inception in 1994, World Teachers' Day has had a theme every year. The theme for 2012 is “Take a stand for teachers.” This day was founded by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Its aim is to educate the public about the conditions of being a teacher around the world, focusing specifically on the protection of teachers' rights, and the proper training, development and status raising of teachers. UNESCO’s partners in this effort are the International Labour …

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