In today’s America, 1 in 5 children faces hunger or food insecurity – a reality reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). For Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic youth, these numbers are even higher. With rising poverty and deepening income inequality, the number of children living in food-insecure households has increased by 45% since 2021.

When a new school year begins, most teachers don’t wait long before they begin scheduling tests, and assigning loads of homework and reading assignments.

The New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection is providing targeted privacy protection tips for adults and children ahead of the new school year. Under New York State’s Education Law, if you are a parent of a child in the New York State schools, you have rights regarding the privacy and security of your child’s personal information and data. New York State law requires each educational agency to publish a parents’ bill of rights for data privacy and security on its website.

The New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection warns New Yorkers of “friendly greeting” phishing scams, which are deceptive text messages from unknown senders that can lead to fraud. Phishing is a common technique that scammers use to send fraudulent communications that appear to come from a reputable or trusted source. It is really an attempt to trick consumers into revealing personal information or clicking on harmful links that can download malware to their devices. Phishing scams are usually performed through text messages, emails, or chats on WhatsApp, Signal, or Facebook Messenger platforms.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (State Parks) encourage New Yorkers to give back to the State lands and sites they treasure and get outdoors by participating in stewardship events for Fish and Wildlife Day on Saturday, Sept. 28.

The New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection is providing targeted privacy protection tips for adults and children ahead of the new school year. Under New York State’s Education Law, if you are a parent of a child in the New York State schools, you have rights regarding the privacy and security of your child’s personal information and data. New York State law requires each educational agency to publish a parents’ bill of rights for data privacy and security on its website.