Directly across from the high school campus and in the direct line of sight to catch the attention of administration officials as well as teachers, the students waved handmade signs stating "PAHS students for district reform", "PASD clean up your act!", "PASD stop lying!", "They lied to students!", and "Akedemikz cmoe frist!" (Academics come first!)
Rachael Rowan, in her final year at PAHS, said, "We have read the articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Mercury about firings and so on, and we feel the administration is spending too much time on these things and there's not enough focus on the academic environment in the district."
Senior Alexander Miller wants the administrators to know the students are fully aware of the turmoil surrounding the recent departure of many employees of the district. He stated the students and parents were told the two coaches would be suspended not fired, and because students are kept with "their feet in the fire" regarding scholastics and behavior at PASD, he wants the administration to hold to the same standards. As a senior this year, Alexander and the other protesters want to complete the year with graduation as the focus point of their last year, not more controversies.
Mike Zolovich, also a senior, stated he wants the lying to stop and the protesters staging the event today want the controversies to end now so other classes at PASD aren't affected with the same situation as they have been.
Jamie Doughterty wants the teachers to acknowledge and allow the approved additional time for tests without any negative reactions, and wants the school district's reputation repaired.
Additional comments included the need for updated books which may be older than realized and are falling apart.
They all agreed the focus of the schools should not be on sports but on the academics in the schools with more individualized attention given to the students.
Several school district employees did stop to view the signs during the protest but did not comment.
(Click to enlarge)
17 comments:
If the PASD school board won't listen to parents, maybe now they will listen to the students. The arrogance has to stop!
Everyone should THANK these students for setting a HIGHER standard of excellence and ACCEPTANCE from PASB.
If the PASB won't listen w/o reacting then every student and taxpayers will PAY...
EVERYONE SHOULD MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD....
STUDENTS FOR CHANGE FOR A NEW PHOENIXVILLE ARE SCHOOL BOARD
How inspiring! These kids aren't just kids, they are American citizens exercising their right to protest and I love it. I wish more adults would focus on what's important to our schools.
The school board acted fair by firing the coaches if they cheated. I also agree more emphasis should be placed more on academics then a few boys who's life is affected by a change in coach. My friends play on the team and they said all of the players who quit the team have come back and were at a game today at papa courts. So who is really unhappy here?
I also noticed the team practicing at Reservoir park.Maybe getting rid of the coaches was a positive change.
Anything happen at the school board meeting tonight?
I'm actually glad to see the school board get some ba**s after being such wimps under the disaster that was the Noyse era. Through that mess they all just sat there and watched without opening their collective mouths. Most should be replaced for that but at least for the moment, they seem to be doing a little better.
I think the school board forgets there are students at risk here. Their focus has been on tax dollars and getting rid of anyone involved with the last administration. Their focus has NOT been on the students of this district!
Get their act together? It would be better to have them all resign! Time to GET RID of them for the good of our children!
If you watched the school board meeting last nite, they disclosed the results of the state forensic audit. Many, many of the former, corrupt administration have been stealing tens of thousands of dollars every year.
Parking money. Football money. Home Ec money. Anything cash was never labelled or overseen. It just disappeared.
The board had to get rid of these people. This has nothing to do with sports. If you don't believe me, get a right to know letter regarding the audit.
Now, they're trying to move on.
Don't blame the school board because they canned people who stole. Can you imagine a pasd employee making a donation to a charity then getting reimbursed from the school?
I think these employees should return what they took or face criminal charges.
It should be noted that these children left that corner a mess with their signs and water bottles. If they want to act grown up they should stop litering, clean up after themselves and yes, even clean their rooms. Then and only then can they be taken seriously.
What a disgrace this administration has been. Please continue to clear out the dead wood and hire/elect some fresh blood! As a parent of several students, I am disgusted. I can only imagine how unbearable it must be for those taxpayers who send their children to private or parochial schools or who don't have school-aged children.
I think that what these kids did was wonderful! It's always easiest to take the road of least resistance or to just stand by with a silent voice. This demonstration seems to have been in response to the bad press recently received by PASD. These kids stood up for what everyone in this community already knows and are disgusted with...KUDOS to them. I just hope that they are applauded and not ridiculed or suffer any negative backlash because they exercised their rights. And oh, by the way, this is small potatoes... anybody out there know about the forensic audit. Very disturbing. The kids should have picked up their trash, but at least they're not STEALING!!!
After talking with a student who protested, I learned that that corner was already littered with cigarettes and water bottles. The only thing they left was the signs. So don't be quick to judge these kids when it could have been the summer school trash that hangs out there everyday.
These kids were there orignally to protest because it is the smoking corner.It had nothing to do with the audit.It wasn't until they were told about it that they changed their reason for being there.Just to get there picture in the paper and everyone makes them out to be some hero.
It is about education and not sports and why the hell doesn't the school board demand an investigation.What are they afraid of.
An email already went to the Attorney Generals Office in Harrisburg.All the theives better beware.
I don't understand what you are trying to say. Those kids protested because they wanted to make a difference. Not to be a hero. They wanted the school board to realize that not only are the things going on affecting the teachers and staff, but also the students. It wasn't about heroism or publicity. I think what those kids did was very brave. They exercised their rights as US citizens to conduct a peaceful protest. I think if more kids/teens would stand up for what they believe in, the school would be a better place. Students should have a voice. It's their education, their school, and their school's reputation. So for those people who are quick to judge and disagree, make sure next time something goes wrong that affects you, you just sit there and let it happen.
Read the signs they are holding up. It had nothing to do with it being "smokers corner." The audit wasn't released until that night. Get your facts straight.
My facts are straight.I spoke to two of the students.one happens to be my neighbor.
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