| Author | Message | ||
     fringe Citizen Username: Fringe Post Number: 826 Registered: 5-2001 |
The date of the below memo is that of the last BOE meeting. Part or all of it was contained in the comments to the BOE on that evening. ....... Martin Luther King Association 2004-2005 School Year March 7, 2005 The general administration at Columbia High School has created and perpetuated an atmosphere of distrust and tension throughout the school. The number of security guards that "protect and serve" our schools are increasing every year. Armed police officers are now common to this institution of education and gray "prison" like doors are being installed throughout the high school to further intensify the already growing tension. Some of the issues our students encounter on a daily basis are: * The constant harassment of the students by the administrators on the basis of wearing identification badges and the accompanied color coordinated lanyards. * The idea that minority students are not competent of position in 4 level honors classes is ever present in the fact that lower level students aren't given a fair chance to move up. This ultimately results in a lower GPA because of the way course credits are weighted. * The administration generally interacts with the students in a very impersonal manner. Many students have said that they are "treated as though they were problems to be dealt with rather than as students." * Though this community is perceived as being one of the more diverse ones, the class rooms are segregated based upon criterion that remains undefined at this point in time. The segregation of the school based upon ability grouping is visibly defined racially as well and spills over into the lunchrooms. Our community is on the verge of a "white flight" and as so, many precautions and preventative measures are being executed to prevent this from happening. Taxes are being raised, landscaping and real-estate values are being raised, our towns shopping areas and train stations are being improved upon to attract New Yorkers. These entire phenomenons' are actively presenting themselves within our schools and are affecting our children. It is our goal to analyze our situation to find a solution for the issues that are negatively affecting the youth. Page 2 3rd draft *Allow all students to choose which levels they would like to take. Have programs in place that will make available the work that lower level students have either missed or not gotten to in order to make it easier for lower level students to eventually move up. * All classes must be available to all students of all levels equally. * The Board of education and Columbia administration must create an environment that promotes a curriculum that is challenging to all students. * Require the Board to track the Achievement GAP by making all statistics and demographics the public's information and a large issue on the Board's agenda when discussing strategic planning. * At the end of each marking period require all teachers to provide their syllabus and worksheets that may have been missed by students as a result of being in lower level courses so that the students can move up levels if they felt that they are ready for them. * Have requirements sheets for "all students that want to move up a level" inside of the student handbook and handout the sheet in the beginning of the school year. * If you are not level three or higher, then you are not in college prep courses (scrap #4 on the agenda under Achievement gap) * Administration must tell everyone about AP courses and their testing dates. Have teachers, counselors, and department heads come to each class and tell all students about what test will consist of , when and where the tests are, and the requirements. Teachers must notify that main office when [and] who spoke to their classes by filling out a form and sending it to the main office for verification. This all will be done during "AP notification week". * There must be an application that an organization will fill out, given in a certain amount of time prior to the tentative event date. Application must be reviewed and decided upon within a week. If the proposal application has been denied, then the administration must outline what issues they have with the proposal application and allow the group to respond with a modified proposal within seven business days. This must all be universal for all groups, assemblies, and after school events (including musicals, and events that take place in the auditorium or Black Box Theater). There must be a slot on the application where the organization specifies whether the program is during the day or during the night. * A committee must be set up to monitor that all assemblies and shows are done equitable around the school. * Mrs. Pollack must apologize for any offensive language during her stay at Columbia and the discrimination and mistreatment of student[s] that has been executed by her administration. * Open forum assembly and then open forum with the community. Have the Board members on stage at Columbia with a small contingency of students and have a mediator/facilitator on stage posing questions that the student body can elaborate on, comment, add questions, etc. The Board will be given a certain amount of time to answer and the student contingency will have a certain amount of time to answer. * Have multiple meetings with the Board and Dr. Horoschak. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 3456 Registered: 5-2001  |
Oh for pete sake, there is so much hogwash in this I don't know where to start. Here's for starters..."* A committee must be set up to monitor that all assemblies and shows are done equitable around the school." I guess the author of this won't be getting into AP English. Have the students choose their level? Sure, barriers could be lifted, if they are really there, but I know that there are clear requirements about what is needed to get into various classes. Maybe they or their parents should be more proactive here. Also, many classes are 3/4 combined. If a student starts doing 4 work in a 3/4 setting, great! Constant harrassment about ID tags? Oh please, wear the damn things. | ||
| Wordsmith Citizen Username: Wordsmith Post Number: 10 Registered: 5-2003  |
I didn't realize CHS used capital punishment. I guess it's a tougher environment than I thought. To my knowledge, Mrs. Pollack hasn't actually executed any students (although maybe she has wanted to). Thus, by the logic of this memo, she has nothing to apologize for. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 3457 Registered: 5-2001 |
Oh, another thing. Fine, let 2 and 3 be in level 4 classes, no barriers to entry. Are they ready for D's? Also, a ps. In my junior's english class, there are 3 and 4 combined. Level 3 does not have as many requirements as 4. But certainly, the level 3's know what the level 4's are doing and what they are required to do. Apparently there are kids who NEVER even do the work. NEVER! NEVER even try! They do not want to be there let alone be in level 4! (oh, and I do not know if these students in this particular class are black or white. It doesn't matter, though, because either way, they are not doing level 4 work.) | ||
| bottomline Citizen Username: Bottomline Post Number: 196 Registered: 8-2003 |
"The Board of education and Columbia administration must create an environment that promotes a curriculum that is challenging to all students." Amen! There are plenty of smart kids -- black and white -- skating by, getting good grades without lifting a finger. Tell the teachers at all levels to turn up the heat. I bet the whole community can unite behind this goal. | ||
| Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 7932 Registered: 5-2001 |
Wordsmith, the document Fringe printed is clearly labled as a draft. It is probably scribbled notes written down in haste. I don't think it is proper to be critical of the use of language. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 5882 Registered: 1-2003  |
Execute means "carry out" in this context. It doesn't mean putting to death. It evolved to mean that because of the phrase "execute a death sentence" and in that context, it also means to carry out. | ||
| Wordsmith Citizen Username: Wordsmith Post Number: 11 Registered: 5-2003 |
Dear Ms. Wordsmith, In their memo to the BOE, the students said, “Open forum assembly and then open forum with the community.” Apparently they are using the phrase “open forum” as an imperative verb, but I’m only guessing. Are you familiar with this usage? Sincerely, - Kay Ottick *************************** Dear Ms. Ottick, I had a similar reaction. I surmise that “open forum” means communicate or discuss. I was further confused by the first occurrence, which says, “open forum assembly.” At first I thought perhaps assembly was the object of the verb. Instead, I decided this phrase simply means to conduct an assembly with an open forum. Despite this confusion, however, I wouldn’t be too hard on these poor children. After all, they grew up in the age of video games, the Internet and whole language. In our youth we didn’t have such fascinating distractions, so we had to find amusement with basic subject-verb-object agreement. Yours, Ms. Wordsmith | ||
| bklyntonj Citizen Username: Bklyntonj Post Number: 328 Registered: 7-2003 |
Kudos to the MLK Assoc.!!! I hear these issues mentioned so much its pathetic. Its even caused a "black flight" because black parents feel their children are mistreated and face discrimination from faculty and other people of authority in the school. Shame on any of you for not looking at this matter as more than just some "whining kids". This is a race issue in this town that needs to be addressed. Deal with it. Do not act like it doesn't exist and allow matters to get worse. Just hear them out and begin dialogue. | ||
| mypointofview Citizen Username: Notyoume Post Number: 3 Registered: 10-2004 |
Fringe's draft consisted of problems and ideas that students had during an assembly held today at Columbia. I'm not sure that Fringe took notes from the assembly, but all of these points were brought up. Also I believe that there should be an easier way to move up levels. Many kids try hard in lower levels and get great grades, but still aren't able to move up because of this "GAP". I know that there are students who have been stuck in level 4 math classes that get strait a's and are taking the inititive to talk to their teachers about moving up, but the response is always, "you are defintally able to move up to the next level, but there is a lot of work that you have missed meaning you really shouldn't move up." This leads to children not being able to excell like they can, and being held behind. Maybe summer programs could be open to anybody who wants to catch up. | ||
| Taylor M Citizen Username: Anotherusername Post Number: 391 Registered: 8-2004 |
ffof You forgot this one: "Mrs. Pollack must apologize for any offensive language during her stay at Columbia and the discrimination and mistreatment of student[s] that has been executed by her administration. " What bull... | ||
| Southorangemom Citizen Username: Southorangemom Post Number: 180 Registered: 6-2003 |
If you haven't been on the receiving end of one of Ms. Pollack's outbursts, then maybe you should accept what others are saying. | ||
| whiffleball Citizen Username: Whiffleball Post Number: 33 Registered: 6-2001 |
Why is it that the Administration continues to turn a blind eye to the generally recognized problems at CHS? Maybe we should think long and hard when it comes to pulling the lever in April to re-elect the incumbants. Maybe it's time for a change - to those who might take that hard look at what's really going on both at CHS. | ||
| extuscan Citizen Username: Extuscan Post Number: 450 Registered: 6-2001 |
"and gray "prison" like doors are being installed throughout the high school " What exactly is being refered to here?????? | ||
| Fruitcake Citizen Username: Fruitcake Post Number: 200 Registered: 9-2003 |
Paint the doors pink if you don't like 'em gray. | ||
| extuscan Citizen Username: Extuscan Post Number: 451 Registered: 6-2001 |
Don't mock my post for no reason. I'm just having these horrible visions of the oak doors in A-Wing being ripped out and replaced with grey metal doors. I hope thats not it. Don't think for a second that they haven't done it before though! What they've done to that beautiful building in the last 5 years makes me want to puke. --John | ||
| Fruitcake Citizen Username: Fruitcake Post Number: 201 Registered: 9-2003 |
Sorry, man, I'm not mocking you. I'm mocking whoever wrote it in the first place. I have no idea if there are any new doors in CHS or what color they might be. There are so many other critical issues. I hope the protesters could focus on something other than paint colors. | ||
| barbara glassman Citizen Username: Mamala Post Number: 6 Registered: 6-2004 |
i've heard of new doors being installed in one of the cafeterias | ||
| dacar Citizen Username: Dacar Post Number: 146 Registered: 6-2001 |
somebody has the opposite problem as Maplewood--- Some white students at a South Jersey Catholic school walked out of classes Tuesday in protest over a speech by the New Jersey Secretary of State Regina Thomas. Tensions have been building up at Paul VI High School since Thomas' speech on racial justice last week. Many students and faculty members walked out of the speech offended. They said that she lambasted one student for not knowing his black history and that she insinuated that the students were racist. | ||
| Reflective Citizen Username: Reflective Post Number: 830 Registered: 3-2003 |
the article is posted on Drudge |
