News Release –
PERTH AMBOY – The Citizens Campaign launched a city-wide survey this week to help the Perth Amboy School District create a community-based Student Code of Excellence.
Residents, teachers, business owners and others who live or work in Perth Amboy have until August 29 to fill out the Community Code of Excellence Survey to provide feedback on how the district should handle misbehavior in its schools.
The goal is to set a community standard for dealing with the most common in-school misbehaviors such as bringing a cell phone on school property, violating school uniform policy, or getting into an altercation with another student.
The School District is currently reviewing its Code of Student Conduct after a four year hiatus, and is dedicated to incorporating innovative best practices in school discipline. The results of this survey will be forwarded to the school district.
Helping lead this initiative is Perth Amboy resident Latica Hicks, who said, “Having community input is critical for building a solid foundation for a healthy school environment so our children can thrive.”
Surveys are available at designated locations throughout the city, including the Raritan Bay Area YMCA, JR Medical Center, the City’s Recreation Department on Olive Street, Perth Amboy Public Library/Brighton Ave Community Center and the Puerto Rican Assoc for Human Development of 100 First Street.
An online version can be filled out at www.thecitizenscampaign.org/impactperthamboy.
The idea for the community survey was born out of The Citizens Campaign’s conference, Empowering Perth Amboy Parents & Students, held in April. Education experts from urban school districts highlighted the importance of getting community involvement in setting the Code of Conduct (which is being called the Code of Excellence in Perth Amboy).
Several Perth Amboy residents are spearheading community outreach, the committee includes: Donna Stewart, Latica Hicks, Jesus Ramos, Manny Seda and Joel Reyes. Anyone interested in helping in this initiative should contact Aneil Mohammed at aneil@thecitizenscampaign.org or (732) 548-9798 x.3.
Suggestion, If Wilma Diaz’ administration wants student to learn a new code of ethics she should start following the rules herself and stop doing favors for her friends.
Please read.
Personal Injury – Slip and Fall Outside Medical Center
Posted by Rachel Shaw on Tue, Jun 03, 2014 @ 01:21 PM
iSha
In this case, a woman tripped and fell over a concrete slab on hospital property. The hospital claimed they were immune to pay for her injuries, citing “charitable immunities.” But not all the hospitals funding was from charity, so they were responsible to pay for this woman’s injuries.
PREMISES LIABILITY
$725,000 for knee replacement after fall outside medical center
Jones v. Jewish Renaissance Medical Center; Middlesex County Superior Court; Jan. 13, 2014.
Facts & Allegations: On Oct. 7, 2009, plaintiff Laverne Jones, 55, was walking along a sidewalk adjacent to the Jewish Renaissance Medical Center in Perth Amboy when she allegedly fell after tripping on a raised slab of concrete. Her primary injury was to her knee, she claimed, and she eventually required a total replacement. She also underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff following the accident.
Jones sued the medical center for negligence, contending that the raised slab constituted a known and dangerous condition.
Discovery revealed that a contemporary construction plan for the area of the medical center’s property where Jones’ accident occurred had called for a replacement of the entire sidewalk, which was noted in the plans to be in need of repair. Accordingly, about a year into the litigation the complaint was amended to add as defendants two construction companies involved in those improvements, and the medical center officer (Alan Goldsmith) overseeing the construction.
The construction defendants were able to demonstrate that the specific $9,700 aspect of the construction program to replace the sidewalk had been pulled back by the medical center for cost-saving reasons. Those additional construction defendants achieved summary-judgment dismissal of the claims against them.
The accident occurred moments after Jones exited the medical center, where she had just undergone an initial dental examination and to discuss dental care, she claimed.
The medical center is a nonprofit corporation with its stated mission being to provide preventive care to individuals in need living in and around Perth Amboy. As such, the medical center claimed charitable immunity from Jones’ personal-injury action.
A plenary hearing on the medical center’s eligibility for charitable immunity was held. The court ruled that the medical center was not significantly funded by charitable donations, and found that the vast majority of its funding came from government grants and not donations, and, as such, it was not entitled to charitable-immunity defenses. (Jones’ attorney argued that financial records showed that the hospital receives only roughly $60,000 a year in charitable donations, and posts roughly a $2 million annual profit on its $8 million in revenues.)
Injuries/Damages: Following her fall, Jones was taken to the medical center’s emergency room, where it was noted that she had suffered considerable knee and shoulder injuries. She was diagnosed with a torn meniscus of the knee and underwent arthroscopic surgery, which reportedly failed. It was determined that she had significant damage to the articular cartilage, the weight-bearing surface of the knee, and she ultimately underwent a total knee replacement.
Jones also suffered a torn rotator cuff in the accident, it was claimed, and underwent open surgery to repair that injury.
Read more: http://www.njlawjournal.com/id=1202657405612/%24725%2C000-for-Knee-Replacement-After-Fall-Outside-Medical-Center#ixzz33bMbRsf0