NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The school honor roll, a time-honored system for rewarding A-students, has become an apparent source of embarrassment for some underachievers.

As a result, all Nashville schools have stopped posting honor rolls, and some are also considering a ban on hanging good work in the hallways -- all at the advice of school lawyers.

After a few parents complained their children might be ridiculed for not making the list, Nashville school system lawyers warned that state privacy laws forbid releasing any academic information, good or bad, without permission.

Some schools have since put a stop to academic pep rallies. Others think they may have to cancel spelling bees. And now schools across the state may follow Nashville's lead.

The change has upset many parents who want their children recognized for hard work.

"This is as backward as it gets," said Miriam Mimms, who has a son at Meigs Magnet School and helps run the Parent Teacher Association. "There has to be a way to come back from the rigidity."

The problem appears unique to Tennessee, since most states follow federal student privacy guidelines, which allow the release of such things as honor rolls, U.S. Department of Education officials said.

"It's the first time I've heard of schools doing that," said department spokesman Jim Bradshaw.

But Nashville school lawyers based their decision last month on a state privacy law dating back to the 1970s -- a law that's not always followed because no one challenged the honor roll status quo.

School officials are developing permission slips to give parents of the Nashville district's 69,000 students the option of having their children's work recognized. They hope to get clearance before the next grading cycle -- in about six weeks at some schools.

Until then, school principals are left trying to figure out what they can and can't do.

Sandy Johnson, chief instructional officer for the Nashville schools, says the restrictions go "far beyond the honor role."

"It's for anything having to do with grades and attendance or anything normally reserved just for the student or parent," she said.

Getting parents to sign permission slips won't help protect students from being left out, but at least it will comply with the law, school officials said.

Christy Ballard, general counsel for the state Education Department, said she's "getting a lot of calls" since the Nashville decision, and will recommend that all Tennessee public schools get honor roll permission slips from parents.

In Knoxville, school district spokesman Russ Oaks said they do not think posting good information about a student violates state law. He said they put such information in the same category as sports statistics.

But some school systems already get parents to sign a release before student information is made public. Others think it might be a good idea to get rid of the honor roll altogether, as Principal Steven Baum did at Julia Green Elementary in Nashville.

"The rationale was, if there are some children that always make it and others that always don't make it, there is a very subtle message that was sent," he said. "I also understand right to privacy is the legal issue for the new century."

Baum thinks spelling bees and other publicly graded events are leftovers from the days of ranking and sorting students.

"I discourage competitive games at school," he said. "They just don't fit my world view of what a school should be."

Parents at most schools, though, have been close to outrage over the new rule.

"So far, what we've heard parents say is 'This is crazy; spend your time doing other things,' " said Teresa Dennis, principal at Percy Priest Elementary School. "It does seem really silly."

A similar issue over student privacy went to the U.S. Supreme Court two years ago, when some parents objected to students grading each other's work. The court sided with tradition in that case, ruling the long-standing practice of teachers asking students to swap papers and grade them in class does not violate federal privacy law.

"It's not always clear what falls into (the privacy laws)," says Naomi E. Gittins, an attorney with the National School Boards Association. "Schools often take a more cautious route."

On the Net:

Metro Nashville Public Schools, http://www.mnps.org/

Mayor tries to end Atkins feud with invitation to steak dinner

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg, embroiled in a battle over remarks he made about Dr. Robert Atkins, offered the diet guru's widow a low-carb mea culpa Saturday -- an invitation to a steak dinner.

Richard Rothstein, a spokesman for Veronica Atkins, said Saturday evening that the dinner invitation had been accepted.

The mayor, who a day earlier advised an angry Atkins to "lighten up," didn't deliver an apology himself. Instead, mayoral spokesman Ed Skyler issued a three-sentence statement about the food fight.

"While talking to firefighters about the challenges of losing weight, the mayor made a joke which upset Veronica Atkins," Skyler said. "He never intended to insult her late husband or offend her, and is sorry that has been the result.

"In order to make it up to Mrs. Atkins, the mayor would like to invite her to a steak dinner -- no potatoes."

Rothstein said Atkins "was delighted" with Bloomberg's offer. "She felt it was most gracious," he said.

Rothstein did not know when the two would have dinner together.

The controversial Atkins Diet stresses eating meat, eggs and cheese over high-carbohydrate foods like pasta, potatoes and bread. Bloomberg, during a visit to a Brooklyn firehouse, described Atkins as "fat" and suggested his diet might have led to his death.

Atkins died last year at 72 from head injuries sustained from a fall on an icy sidewalk.

On Friday, an angry Veronica Atkins took the dispute nationwide by appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America" to demand an apology.

"I was very, very hurt," she said. "… And mayor, you did it. Shame on you."

Bloomberg, taping an interview later Friday, said his comments were meant as a joke and there was no need for an apology.

Californian vies for "World's Funniest Cop" title

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS - Consider the anecdote a little piece of cop humor.

Police officer Michael Mancini, 42, from Santa Cruz, Calif., remembered the night he directed his flashlight into a car at a man slumped over the steering wheel.

"I go, `Thank God, you're not dead.' And he goes, 'Are you sure, dude? 'Cause all I see is a bright light."'

At the annual conference of the American Society for Law Enforcement Training, police brushed up on everything from tactical responses to CPR. But perhaps the most anticipated part of the weeklong meeting here was a Friday night showdown to see who would win the title of World's Funniest Cop. Last year's champion, Mancini was one of the competitors.

It's far from amateur hour. Last year, in California, Jay Leno hosted the event.

But are police officers funny?

"When I think of cops, I don't think of wacky fun," said comedian Chad Riden, 28, from Nashville, Tenn. That changed when Riden met Dan Whitehurst, 41, a detective for the Nashville Police Department who won the competition in 2001. Riden learned the detective, now a friend, had a gift for humor.

Humor can be a secret weapon on the job for police, those taking part in the competition said. It defuses tense situations. It helps morale within a department. And it can keep criminals appropriately off balance.

"Humor with a suspect I'm investigating, it can kind of humanize me," Whitehurst said.

"Comedy is a powerful tool," said Mancini, who works with the Santa Cruz harbor patrol. "If we weren't funny, we'd be firemen."

The competition drew an audience of about 450 people in a ballroom at the Adam's Mark Hotel. Mancini and Whitehurst competed against Jim Keith, 60, who works in communications for the Des Peres Police Department in suburban St. Louis.

Keith was transformed from an unassuming guy who works with juveniles in an anti-crime program - and who called the opportunity to perform stand up in front of the crowd "a blessing" - into his tank top, plaid boxer-wearing stage persona, known as "The Dad."

His routine included stories about his "two wonderful kids," including a daughter who turned 16. "She just got her hunting license. I mean learner's permit," he joked, saying the teen kept confusing pedestrians with "bogeys at two o'clock."

The night's jokes, like much of comedy aimed at adult audiences, included profanity and barbs that weren't politically correct by anyone's standards. But the audience was warned at the start, and the performers also included moments geared toward reaching their law enforcement audience.

Keith told conference attendees that in his work with underage offenders he asks them the last time a parent or grandparent unexpectedly told them they were loved, and he asks them when they last said "I love you" to someone important in their family.

He asked audience members to consider doing the same. "Call Mom for no reason and say I love you," he advised.

Then he told the crowd of officers Friday night, "But whatever you do, don't do it now because she'll want to know what jail you're in and how much the bond is."

In a close competition determined by audience applause, Mancini won the competition again this year. Keith was first runner-up and Whitehurst second-runner up. They won trophies, and Mancini received a donated bulletproof vest. He asked that it be given to another officer who needs one, as he won another last year.

On the Net:

American Society for Law Enforcement Training: www.aslet.org

New Jersey couple sues Blockbuster after child views porn on PG tape

Associated Press

WOODBURY, N.J. -- A couple who says their 4-year-old daughter saw hard-core pornography on a PG-rated movie tape from Blockbuster has sued the video company.

The plaintiffs, who were not identified, said the footage appeared on a "Home Alone 3" tape rented April 7 from a Glassboro store.

The pornographic material appeared for 10 minutes after the movie credits for the 1997 film.

According to the lawsuit filed in Superior Court, Blockbuster "had a responsibility and a duty to inspect, monitor and ensure the quality and propriety of all video products purchased by its customers."

Randy Hargrove, a spokesman for Dallas-based Blockbuster Inc., said Friday that the company does not carry X- or NC-17-rated movies, and depends on renters to return a tape "in the same condition it was given to them."

"Unfortunately there are those rare instances when someone will abuse that privilege and damage one of our tapes," he said.

Campus warns of nearby sex offender

Associated Press

LAGUNA HILLS -- An elementary school is locking classroom doors and asking parents to pick up students from campus after learning that a registered sex offender lives nearby.

Lomarena Elementary School is taking the safety precautions after sheriff's officials distributed fliers Thursday notifying residents that registered sex offender Joel Estes lives in the neighborhood.

"We will be doing this as long as it takes for the school community and the community to feel safe, and (for) things to go back to normal outside the school," Principal Ed MacNevin said. "Inside the school we're just going to continue to do what we've always done."

The 51-year-old Estes was convicted of molesting a 14-year-old boy who he offered food and money to in exchange for sexual favors. He is on probation and must keep at least 100 yards from schools, arcades or video stores.

Estes said he "is upset for the community that they are scared," but that he is not a danger to the community and that he "turned to the Lord" when he was in jail. "God has forgiven me for my sins, and I am trying to make a better life for myself," he said.

Estes told authorities he planned to live at the residence only temporarily, sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said. Police decided to notify the community after learning that he was living in the area.

Several parents said they plan to keep a closer watch over their children.

"You have to watch out and be a little bit more careful," said Rob Allen, who has two children at the school. And if he has to, "he'll walk them (to school) all the way through sixth grade."

Orange County's Laguna Hills area is about 40 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.