Newton Public Schools (NPS) has suspended the N rule for review this year in order to develop a more equitable absence policy.    A state mandate last year disallowed schools from giving consequences...

From the moment the five-minute warning bell rings at the beginning of a school day until the final stampede out the door, students have a lot on their plate. Ever-mounting piles of homework and a seemingly incessant amount of tests, essays and quizzes keep pupils constantly occupied.