"Turnaround" school students riot when "turnaround" principal forbids the use of bathrooms for a day

[Hannah Bell]

On Thursday, December 9, students rioted in the halls of Murry Bergtraum High School in lower Manhattan...(because of) the announcement of the new “executive” principal, Andrea Lewis, who received a $25,000 bonus to run the school, that none of the students could use the bathrooms for an entire day – a punishment for a fight that had broken out between a couple of students the day before...

But as John Elfrank-Dana, the UFT chapter leader points out below, in a missive to fellow faculty members, the anger that erupted last week was also the result of deeper issues...

Hannah's Note: Bergtraum is a low-score school in "turnaround" (per NCLB). Lewis is the "turnaround" principal who replaced the old one. If the "turnaround" fails, the school will be shut down & the students sent to buttfuck wherever.

Nice signing bonus, eh? Incentives like that help students, per Bush-Obama ed deform theory.

Talk is that this principal is a "closer" -- i.e. a principal intentionally sent in to close down the school (which is why she deserves the nice bonus):

http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2010/12/is-murray-bergtraum-principal-closer.html

#

From: John Elfrank-Dana
Subject: So Much Junk... So Many Suits - A debrief of Last Two Days...

Many of our students chose to vent their outrage on Thursday in the form of running wild through the halls. A very dangerous situation. Hundreds participated. The principal's announcement of curtailment of bathroom access no doubt precipitated this action. Try and spin it how you like; that's the overwhelming consensus.

However, it seems to me that was just the last straw, i.e. that the revolt wouldn't have happed if it were not for a deep seated resentment brewing in the students. That resentment stems from the fact that they know they are getting junk education.

They understand that they aren't getting their needs met by this system. That they need smaller class sizes, more family and guidance support, a genuine curriculum and not some cookie cutter/corporate template imposed upon them like Kaplan...You won't find Class.com in the affluent suburbs; those parents would be outraged.

The principal's curtailment of bathroom privileges was perceived by them as a slap in the face, adding insult to injury... While the principal does damage control with focus groups...there's also the concern....that maybe she's on a fishing expedition...

At the morning meeting the head of DoE security commented that there was significant improvement in the school's security numbers (incident reports) compared to last year.

Whoa! I thought, would my members really think that things have dramatically improved?! Therefore, at the end of the afternoon meeting I had to call out the "elephant in the room" that no one is talking about.

I said that "morale in this school is at an all time low... That many teachers fear that there will be retaliation for reporting disciplinary problems. It's because they feel the administration is out to get them... While I am confident MOST of our deans don't sweep things under the rug, I have to assess if we benefit at all from those who assist in keeping the school's crime numbers down.

No doubt you will hear the response: "They're gonna close the school! So, see no evil, hear no evil, say no evil!"

However, they will close the school whenever they want for whatever reason they want. We could improve the stats (either by intimidation to pass 80 percent or more and/or scrubbing Regents exams scores and bogus credit recovery) or in a real way.

The DoE has closed improving schools for real estate to open charter schools. All we can do is do the right thing by the school community; stand up for what is right and decent for our students and staff and be public about it.

Our staff must be treated like professionals with fairness and respect, parents need to be parents and provided school support.

Last and not least, the students must be given what they deserve; a quality education.

Without this, we will measure success though quietly putting out fires and suppressing reports of incidents in the school while cooking the books on student achievement. Such a fraud produces a house of cards.

And when that house of junk blows over, all the suits in the DoE's army may not be able to erect it again.

In solidarity, John

--
John Elfrank-Dana
UFT Chapter Leader
Murry Bergtraum High School
www.Elfrank.com/UFT

http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2010/12/underlying-causes-of-rioting-at.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. That's nuts

Did parents complain?

[sabrina 1]

2. Isn't that a form of child abuse?

And this is very well put:

a genuine curriculum and not some cookie cutter/corporate template imposed upon them like Kaplan...You won't find Class.com in the affluent suburbs; those parents would be outraged.

A NCLB businessmen's curriculum to prepare the masses to be cheap labor in the future. I was stunned also to find that in many inner city schools children are brought to jails on field trips, supposedly to 'scare them straight'. I guess the Corporate world figures that from among these poor children they will get future prison personnel and/or future fodder for the Prison Industrial Complex.

I bet no child from an upper middle class district will be taken on a field trip to a jail.

[chimpymustgo]

9. Sickening.

[DrDan]

3. let the lawsuits flow - one or two "accidents" could cost that District substantially

Actually - the article says the students cannot use the bathrooms.

Shrubbery and corners are not mentioned. So alternatives exist.

[dmr]

4. Child abuse.

How can you not let anyone use the toilet facilities? Children not only need, but should wash their hands. Children need to urinate & have bowel movements. Girls on their periods have certain needs.

This principal is out of control for doing this. What's to stop her from doing this again? Her brand of punishment can cause infections & accidents, which can result in embarrassment & ridicule for the victims of her cruelty.

Shame on her.

She needs to be reported to child welfare.

[fasttense]

5. If a parent had prevented a child from using the bathroom for 8 hours

they would have been brought up on charges for child abuse or neglect. But a principal can do it and what happens to her????

I'm glad the children did not put up with it. I hope a few enterprising boys took a leak on the principal's car.

Why do we allow this greedy uber rich oligarchy to control us so completely?

[surrealAmerican]

6. Surely the state health code has something to say ...

... about restroom access in public places. If she were running a movie theater, where patrons typically only spend two hours. she would be required to provide bathroom access. The law must have similar standards for a school.

[LWolf]

7. Parents need to file charges. nt

[Celebration]

8. their protest should have been

All the guys in the school urinating, at the same time, in the hall in front of the the principal's office.

[emcguffie]

10. So what happened to the principal?

Does anyone know if any disciplinary or perhaps legal actions were taken against the principal?