Bloomberg Says “iBan”
In November of 2006, Mayor Michael Bloomberg enforced an 18-year-old ban on cell phones in schools. According to the ban, students cannot bring cell phones to school and all phones found on school grounds are to be confiscated.
The policy also bans all electronic devices including iPods, which are not only a distraction but are also commonly stolen.
Bloomberg said cell phones made it easier to cheat, organize gang activity and sell drugs. Many students and parents are unhappy with this new policy because they believe cell phones are essential for emergency communication, especially for students who attend commuter schools.
“With train delays and after school activities, I could be hours late and my parents wouldn’t know where I was without a cell phone,” said sophomore Dylan Levy.
Many teachers appreciate the policy because it eliminates the disruption of cell phones in class. Some, however, are indifferent. “As long as I don’t see them in the classroom, I don’t care,” said technology teacher Beth Anne Rominiecki.
Although Stuyvesant implemented this policy in mid-November, the administration has followed more of a “don’t show, don’t tell” policy—as long as faculty members and administrators do not see electronic devices, students are free to possess them.
“Students should not be forced to disobey an unjust rule,” said Parents’ Association Recording Secretary Ellen Bilofsky. “The rule should be changed.”
In the Monday, May 7 ruling of Price v. the Department of Education (DOE), eight New York City parents challenged the cell phone ban. The judge ruled in favor of the DOE, and the ban is still in place.
Bologna and Weinwurm Coordinate as COSAs
Last year, Principal Stanley Teitel appointed physical education teachers Peter Bologna and Lisa Weinwurm as Coordinators of Student Affairs (COSA).
The transition from the previous COSA, social studies teacher Matthew Polazzo, was a bit rocky since most students felt that he went above and beyond of what the position required of him. “Mr. Polazzo was always there to fight for us,” said junior Marta Bralic. “He was hard to give up.”
Furthermore, students felt that their general opinion should have a greater influence on who should fill a position that interacts directly with the student body.
“We felt the new COSAs were imposed upon us,” said Bralic. “The Student Union was slowed down due to the animosity.”
As the year comes to a close, students have become used to the change. However, Bralic said that after the senior class of 2007 graduates, “the new generation of the SU will be more accepting,” she said.
R.I.P. Gabriel Blitz and Eugene Marshalik
In March and April, the Stuyvesant community mourned the deaths of senior Gabriel Blitz and alumnus Yevgeniy Marshalik (’05).
Blitz, who had a passion for amphibians and reptiles, was founder and president of the Herpetology Society of Stuyvesant. He also volunteered at the Bronx Zoo’s Reptile House and a reptile preserve in Westchester. He will receive an honorary degree at the senior graduation ceremonies on June 25.
Marshalik was a sophomore at New York University and worked as an auxiliary police officer. In early April, he was killed while chasing a man who had shot a pizzeria employee in Greenwich Village. At Stuyvesant, he was an important part of the Speech and Debate team. He continued to help coach team members and judge competitions even after he graduated. Marshalik received an inspector’s funeral on March 18.
College Trip and Open School Week Cancelled
The cancellation of this year’s third college trip to the mid-Atlantic frustrated many juniors. The trip, scheduled for the March 30 weekend, was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts and poor planning.
“It’s disappointing, considering the fact that a lot of people don’t have time to go [to see colleges] by themselves,” said junior Iris Leung. “We’re just going to have spend more time during the summer.”
The trips were planned in September, but Assistant Principal Pupil Personnel Services Eleanor Archie’s extended absence due to illness hindered further progress. Teitel took over responsibility for the trips late into the year, leaving little time to plan the last trip.
The class of 2007 had four college trips during their junior year while the class of 2008 had only a one-day trip and a three-day trip.
Other reasons for the cancellation include a conflict with a Jewish holiday, Teitel’s inability to oversee the trip, a possibility of too few chaperones and the large amount of standardized exams in the following months.
Junior class president Michelle Lee has proposed a senior college trip in either early August or late September. “As of right now, the administration is considering carrying out such a plan,” said Lee.
In addition, the administration cancelled Open School Week for the week of March 19. The event, which occurs once each term, allows parents to sit in on their children’s classes and speak with teachers after class. The United Federation of Teachers had requested the cancellation since several teachers complained about parents disrupting classes. However, it is possible that Open School Week will be reinstated.
Teitel Limits Locker Liberties
Despite student opposition to the three-part Trident security plan, which Teitel proposed to the School Leadership Team (SLT) last November, at least one part of the Trident will be put into effect this fall.
The entire plan calls for three new safety measures: lockers to be equipped with locks purchased from the school, the use of the ID scanners throughout the day and the requirement of teachers to wear ID badges.
The SU agreed only to the locker policy of the Trident Plan at an SLT meeting in May.
Teitel cited several reasons for the policy, including concern over the discovery of contraband in students’ lockers when the lockers were not originally assigned to them.
When students return to school in September, they will receive locker numbers. If they wish to take their lockers, they must purchase the locker combination for a fee of 10 or 11 dollars.
“Stuyvesant is getting more and more strict because students are getting worse and worse as the years fly by,” said senior Kathie Chang.
The SU asked the administration to let students leave school during free periods in return for support of the locker policy. However, SU President George Zisiadis said that, as of next term, there will be no compensation. “It’s very unfortunate it had to come to this,” said Zisiadis.
Although the administration was willing to try the new system, the structure of the scanner systems makes it impossible to monitor the whereabouts of students if they leave during their free periods.
“It’s the administration’s fault for overreacting so harshly,” said Zisiadis. “But it’s also a minority of students that are constantly ruining life for the [other] students.”
Although Zisiadis will not be president next year, the SU will continue to negotiate with the administration. “We’re not going to close the book on [this policy],” said Zisiadis.