March 1, 2008
Students Protest at Roxbury School
Students at the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury blocked doors and hallways because the headmaster chided them in a lecture for being tardy. The school responded with a lockdown.
The students were clearly organized, as 200 of them were involved. Megan Woolhouse at the Globe notes that the student body isn't exactly a crew of troublemakers: "The protest was unusual at the school, which typically has a well-behaved student body of 1,300 and boasts test scores in math that are among the top in the state." We're not surprised. On the school's home page, a headline cries out "Segway built by students!!!!!!!!!!" (The number of exclamation points you see reflects what's actually on the site.)
However, comments from the students explaining their actions didn't appear in the article. It isn't clear if they just wanted to show they needed more time to go from class to class, if they were trying to make a larger point, or if they were just trying to stick it to The Man. We'd like to hear their side as well.
Image from the school's website.
|
First of all, in our school, the John D. O’bryant, we have alot of Madison Park students who are constantly in our building for no reason at all. Then when we here that if for any reason we are in the hallways that we are subject to detention, suspension hearings, and getting searched it really upset the student body. So the students decided to peacefully protest by not going to class on time. It’s not as if we were trying to prevent people from going to class. We basically wanted to get the attention of the teachers and administrators because they don’t really listen to what we have to say. If there was a different way to get there attention, I am sure that route would have been taken instead. Also the new tardy policy is not fair to the students who do try to make it to class on time but are not able to. In between classes the hallways are so congested and the younger kids (7th and 8th graders) take their time getting to class which prevents us from arriving on time. When students do try to make an effort to get to class on time/early by running, walking a little faster or whatever it takes, we get in trouble with teachers because running in the halls is not allowed which we, the students, understand but its not fair to us. The way our classes are spread out makes it impossible to get to class on time, and we are getting penalized for it. It’s not our fault, we are not the one’s who made up our schedule. This has been an ongoing problem for a long time but we feel that the way the administrators went about trying to solve it was not a good one. They say that by being in the hallways when we are supposed to be in class that we are wasting valuable class time but what they don’t realize is by sending us to the auditorium when we are late is that we are missing even more class time by staying in there for 15-20 more minutes like what happened before. So their plan to have us in class longer and earlier is actually indeed keeping us out of class missing important information in which some teachers will not repeat for just a couple of students. The peaceful protest that was assembled on February 29th was about the new policy but it also had something to do with the fustration of our student body. There are so many things in our school that are not right but for a long time we have put up with them, especially the kids that have been there since the 7th grade. Our students also feel that some our administrators and teachers do not care about us. This was re-inforced by a comment made by an administrator. “As of right now we don’t care, we don’t care if we have to suspend 1, 5, 10 or 55 of you guys right now, we don’t care” If they really cared about us they would try to work with us but they have not made any attempts to so we feel as thought we, the students, are not a priority but our scores on tests like the MCAS are more important.
as a student from the JOHN D. OBRYANT HIGHSCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE i feel that it isnt right for reporters to write articles and they only have ONE side of the story. they depict us students as being uneducated and wrong for having this protest. In reality we, as obryant students, didnt have this protest all because of the new "late rule" we did it because there's so many other concerns and issues and we felt that this was the ONLY way to get the administrators attention. it got their attention but they believe we didnt approach this situation in a well-mannered fashion. other issues other than the late rule, is the lunches & un-caring teachers. The lunch lady's that we have working at our school are rude, disrespectful and unprofessional. The lunches that we are served arent healthy. although we have milk and fruit they now recently selling... SODAS!!! i fully understand that we may not be able to afford certain things but at least serve food that is healthy. Also, some teachers that have taught me in the past do not seem to care much about us students. When we try to ask questins, they either DONT answer you or tell you to look it up yourself. Our motto as obryant is "Achieve not any college, but the best colleges". I strongly agree with that but we also need caring teachers that will help us along the away. This ALL relates to the incident that occured Friday, Feb.29th because for those of us that has been there since 7th grade has dealt with it for sooo long and it's time for our voice to get heard. I know we are students and we are there to learn and follow rules BUT when rules are not fair and doesnt satifie the student body as a whole, that's when it's time to stand up for ourselves.
Let me start by saying, "Mr.Stembridge is a good principal." But like always, people become concern and too carried-away by frightening shootings in universities. I am a senior at the school and I had participated in the protest. Many students and I were furious by the claims you had published today in your article. Would “bias” be a right word for this? How much of it is actually true? This is why I am writing this letter.
Refer to article: “200 protest tardiness penalty” by Megan Hoolhouse, March 01, 2008
Their late policy is as follow: Immediately after the late-bell rang, even though students are just feets away from their class room were stopped and sent to the auditoium for a 15 minute writing on“how to get to class on time”. The admins called this “sweeping”, which conducted at the end of 2nd and 5th period. “Are we like trash? that sweeping to get rid of?”, one of the student commented on the policy. Many teachers were annoyed as well, and are netural to this protest collectively held by students from all grades.
“protested a crackdown on tardiness yesterday by blocking doors and hallways and preventing hundreds of other students from getting to class on time” (Megan)
Was is really the protester that blocked the hallway? The one hallway and the only main stairwell that 1300 students stream through each period? Hundreds of students were on their way to the auditorium for the protest and simply had filled up the hallways.
“The headmaster put the school in safe mode," said Jonathan Palumbo, a spokesman for the Boston school system. "Any issue going on in the hallway needs to be addressed quickly."
Is it really that students that are in danger? Who got hurt? The protest was peaceful with no violence, though a student was hit by the door when a admin opened it with such force. At the second to the last periods, there was another planned protest. The Admins were just overwhelmed by the respond to their acute actions of the tardy policy that they called it a “containment lockdown”. For the extra information, this containment drill was set up against intruders such as gunmen. They had used it to stop students from the protest.
“Officials said two fights had broken out at the school earlier this year.”
I believe this sentence is missing a few words,“before and after school”. We are teenagers, and arugments are always present. If people hold back their anger all the time, it could been even worest.
“bringing them to the auditorium and requiring them to write "a reflection" on why they were late.”(Megan)
“It’s not time for discussion!” the literal words spoken by a Admin. Students whom were caught by the policy were given a folder that “classifies” them. As of the reflection note, it was on “ways to get to class on time” not the“why” that students wanted to speak out.
“More than 200 blocked hallway and classroom doors, causing the entire student body to be late for class.”(Megan)
This sentence is just rediculous. From “200 students protested” into “200 students blocked the hallways”? It shows just how bias is this article.
“Palumbo backed Stembridge's actions. "Apparently they're upset with a reinforced policy," Palumbo said. "They did this, as opposed to taking a more healthy approach to voicing their displeasure."
Students had told the admins and teachers their feelings towards the late policy. However, with no response and contiune rule, students were gathered to bring up the issue. Moreover, the “Admins” are rarely present. When we ask to see the admins, the office respond, “Oh they are in a meeting now”, or “sorry, they are not in today”.
The aftermath of the protest were surely astonishing. The senior and junior advisors said they will no longer assistance their students. Thus, all school activities are canceled as of Friday (eg. Prom, Graduation, Clubs, ect.). This had become an esculated problem, and will continue be for the up coming week.
Sincerely,
Annoymus
We the Student Body of the John D. O’Bryant cannot help but notice that there have been many newspaper articles regarding the “protest” which took place on Friday and the administrations response to these protests. We also cannot help but notice that these articles are quite bias. Nowhere in any of these articles does it mention that the current tardy policy that the O’Bryant administration are calling “sweeps” are anything but friendly to the student body. The student body recognizes and understands that tardiness is in no way conducive to learning. The protest was not in anyway held to fight for the right to be tardy. The protest was done in the hopes that the O’Bryant administration would maybe finally give us some answers.
Some faculty members have said that “This is a School not a democracy”. This statement contradicts the words of Mr. Joel Stembridge headmaster and head of administration at the John D. O’Bryant who has referred to the school as “the O’Bryant community” a number of times. The word community suggests that this is a school where students and faculty stand side by side, working together to make our school great. This word certainly does not suggest that this is a school where any policy can be instated without as much as an explanation to the student body. This word does not suggest that when an explanation is asked for the threat of suspension and even worse expulsion would be hurled out in order to silent the students. This word does not suggest that students would ever have to protest just to get an answer. This word does however suggest that a level of respect is had for both parties however it is clear that this level of respect for the student body as vanished.
Perhaps Friday’s protest was not the best method to deal with the situation however are these sweeps the best method to deal with the tardy issue. Is it really better to make a student who might have been perhaps two maybe three minuets late for class and make those student fifteen or twenty minuets late? Is it really more effective to have a student miss valuable class time writing a reflection when they could be getting the education they attend school to get in the first place? Is it even realistic to imagine that some students will be late if they are leaving the fourth floor to go to the first floor? This is not to say that some students are not late because they are neglectful and spend too much time at their lockers or chatting with friends. All that we ask for is a better method to deal with the tardiness. Perhaps more faculty members can be patrolling outside of their class rooms. Or if these “sweeps” are to remain in effect at least some level of respect can be shown to students. For example if a student does have a hall pass then by no means is that student still made to go into the auditorium. It is understood that appropriate punishment for those who participated in the protest will take place, however what is not understood is why the senior prom and graduation has been cancelled. Using the senior class as an exemplar to the lower classes is in no way fair to the class of ’08. Our class has worked extremely hard to ensure that these events will be memorable. It cannot be forgotten that last school year the class of ’08 was not in good shape. We started with no advisor and no money for neither prom nor graduation. To begrudge us something that we worked so hard for is simply not fair.
It is time that the John. D. O’Bryant starts acting like the exam school that we all know it is and to do that faculty and students will have to work together. To work together the level of trust that has been lost will have to be regained. The student body is ready to take the necessary steps; we leave it up to the administration.
i hope some of the school administrators read these comments, or that some of you students are able to voice your concerns directly to the administration--sounds like something other than (commendably peaceful) protest is needed here. good luck, kids.
and i can say that i'm glad to hear that some schools still sell soda... i wouldn't have made it through high school without mountain dew, and i'm reasonably healthy today.
i just gotta say something about this thing about obryant's sweep... basically, obryant in general.
alright, obryant acts like just by writing a letter, or "trying" to talk to them is gonna really get their attention. nah, it doesn't seem to act that way because when i was stuck in containment in my spanish class, there were juniors who discussed it. there were one or two junior officers in my class, saying that when they wanted a meeting with stembridge. he says yeah, there's gonna be a meeting BUT it never happened. so how the hell is he gonna expect us to speak to him when it never happens?
actions speak so much louder than words.
another incident that happened to me &+ a couple of people personally on monday on the same week of the "sweep" incident. it's unfair because that person gets a restraining order from obryant just because he was confronting a student from obryant. how are they gonna act like a "confrontation" is going to lead to somewhere when it really wasn't? if they don't know the person who was doing the confronting, how are they gonna judge him thinking he might have "banged on him"? they did not listen to his side because the person who got confronted got his mom in this. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED A MONTH AGO, and he brings it up after the week of vacation. yeah, bringing stuff from the past, that's a wuss. especially bringing ya mom in it.
by having "containment" or the "sweep" or whatever, it's not gonna do anything. we, emphasizing students of boston, see everything that goes around us. we see people getting killed, people getting jumped; basically people doing bad stuff OUTSIDE of school, in our ongoing lives at this very moment. so wtf is obryant tryna do? protect us from the bad stuff happening?! it makes NO DIFFERENCE what so ever. everyone goes through it. little kids who are like 4 yrs old and up, they already had a taste of danger, murders, gang bangers.. etc ! what difference does it make? NOTHING. we see way more things outside of school, and people should focus mainly on that.
no one is guaranteed a tomorrow.
These comments are good to read. It sounds as though the students are using this site to point out some big problems with Megan Woolhouse's article. I think they're right.
What the guys on top said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm a student at the John D. O'Bryant.
There were no students blocked from entering classes, all that could go to class on time, did so without any difficulty.
The school handled the situation recklessly. We have been silenced and violated of our rights. Our activities are either stripped away or in a pending decision to do so.
I'm ashamed for the newspaper to have such a poorly written article without any factual detail, but if that's what it takes to put food on the table, then I don't know what to think of the whole newspaper.
The school staff needs to be replaced or discipline to handle future similar situations in a correct manner, and polite too. Did I mention a student being hit in the face with a door, by an administrator?
Being a student, although we have been discriminated so harshly, it's sad to think that this is happening in our school, or any school at all. I don't think walking the stage and looking at the staff members will ever be the same for me.
sorry to come back, lol.
but the protest was to stay in the hallways, to make it impossible for the staff to put all the students in the auditorium. No one mentioned/planned/ or wanted to block ANY exit or door.
The hallway stays regularly crowded in between classes, and the number 200 seems a bit big for me, but I was in class (to show you it was possible to be on time)