Everyone has an opinion and everyone wants to be heard, especially regarding hot topic or controversial issues. Intrinsic in human nature is the desire to be a part of something, whether it be a group, a cause, a movement or a decision. However, historically and currently, people have been denied the right to voice their ideas and beliefs; never has this restriction been more true than in the political arena when a debated upon law has the potential to hugely impact the way of life for a large majority of people. And it is usually when this decision directly affects a person, that the person feels an urgency to speak up.
As students and teenagers you may feel that you are rarely asked for your perspective on policies within the very institution you attend 180 days out of the year. This is your chance to be heard. Take a stance on one of the issues listed in the student handbook and create an argument either for or against it. Be sure to use some of the persuasive strategies and devices learned in class to get your point across. Assume that your audience consists of Board of Education members, parents, teachers and school administrators. Attempt to convince them of your cause.
*Be sure to reference another student's argument in your own speech that either directly relates to your chosen policy or may indirectly add to your point (the name of the student and the argument must be clear or credit will be lost).*
Click here for a link to the handbook for selecting the policy you wish to defend or oppose.
26 comments:
Page 42 Section 2 Subsection 6 states that students are not permitted to use cell phones during a time school emergencies. I believe that this rule is completely wrong because if an emergency how scared will a parent feel if his/her child does not contact them. They would be led to the point that something has happened to their child and something must be done about it. Most of the schools authority would say that they would just call their parents after the emergency is over. There is a chance that something might happen to the student and that they cannot call their parent later. Their might have been some incident that the child can not call the parent anymore. Because the policy of not being able to call during an emergency is in place most parents get scared if their is an emergency. If their is an emergency and god forbid a child dies because the school made it Illegal to call their parents during an emergency. You are not going to hear the end of it from those devestated parents.
Vivek's argument on Page 42 Section 2 Subsection 6 is invalid. Yes, if placed in a dangerous situation, students would be frightened and have the urge to call their parents. On the other hand, if the school is on lock down due to a suspicious person on school property, there would be more chaos of a large amount of students parents pulled up to the school in order to try to "save" their child. Calling their parents during this time would only cause more work for the staff and police officers present at the school during that time.
Parents do have a right to know what is going on during their child's school day but it is even more dangerous for them to be contacted during a dangerous situation.
There have been instances where students have contacted their parents during a lock down drill, and their parents came to pick them up, fearing the worst because the student though that he or she was going to get hurt.
On page 11, section 2 of the student handbook regarding the closed campus, the school administration states, "Students are not permitted to leave school grounds at any time during the day including lunch." I understand that the school doesn't want students to leave the campus during or in between classes, but we should be able to go outside of the school campus to eat lunch.
During our short, 20 minute lunches in our crowded school cafeterias, it is beyond difficult to get your lunch, deal with the cashiers, and eat your lunch during that time. If we are allowed to leave the premises to restaurants that are within a certain distance away from the school, then the students would be able to enjoy their meals without such chaos as there is at the school. During our lunch time when we would be allowed to leave the campus, students would also be able to get some fresh air, relax for a little bit and not worry about school. Since there is a risk that something might happen to the students while leaving the campus, I believe that our school should have a few security guards monitoring the areas surrounding the premises. It is also vital that students only be allowed to walk to our nearby restaurant and if a student chooses to leave campus for lunch, that he or she has written documentation at the office about this.
As all students and hopefully some teachers know, our school cafeteria isn't the healthiest or appetizing. I have bought lunch from our school cafeteria ceveral times and is filled with foods that we have no idea about. For example, the pasta at school isn't cooked throughly and the meat sauce with it is usually some type of mystery meat. Students who don't have time to bring lunch from home have no choice but to waste their money on this kind of food. Also, the school food is very overpriced. It costs three dollars and ten cents for any meal that you get even if you just get the main entree. Nobody should be paying this much for such bad food. If students were allowed to leave campus, we would be able to save money and if we wouldn't be getting sick from the school food.
I also agree with Vivek about the fact that we should be able to use our phones druing school emergencies. If something terrible were to happen, our parents would be freaking out; So to prevent having a bunch of frightened parents surrounding the school and hassling the administration for answers about what's going on, the students would be able to reason with their parents more and explain what is actually going on.
^^kristie.varghese@gmail.com
On page 11 section 2, there is a rule called closed campus. Closed campus means that during the day including lunch students are not allowed to leave the grounds. I don't see why it is an issue for students to leave the grounds. If for example you have a study hall, and don't have to be in school what's wrong with leaving? When you talk to students you can see it is a big deal that kids aren't allowed to leave. For example my sister who is a senior with her license, and has a study hall shouldn't have to stay in the school for that period. I understand that school officials feel that students leaving may cause them to not come back resulting in a cut: but students can cut class inside the school, so what's the big deal. Shouldn't the school rather kids cut class outside the school rather then inside, if their going to cut anyway.
I also agree with Kristie's viewpoint on the lunch factor of closed campus. Lunch at WOHS sucks, and is only 20 minutes long. For kids who have to buy lunch they have to wait in line for about 15 minues fora bad lunch, and then only have 5 minutes to eat it. What kind of lunch is that? If you were able to go off campus especially if you can drive you could definetly get a good enough lunch, and have more time to eat it.
As one superintendent retires, another one arrives, along with a new set of perspectives and policies. For the past few decades, West Orange High has been prospering with the status quo, especially in viewing final exams as the major tests at year end. In many instances, these tests separate the better students from the less accomplished ones. As Obama’s platform for the presidency was all about change, Dr. Cavanna’s appointment brought about change in the West Orange school district. As a result, midterms were introduced this year. Instead of issuing one comprehensive exam at year end, the midterm now measures competence in the first semester, while the final exam measures competence in the second semester. While students last year proclaimed that midterms were a fabulous idea, these students now criticize the implementation of midterms this year. Were these individuals not the same students praising midterms just a year ago?
According to the current Student Handbook, “uniform midterm examinations will be administered in late January.” However, since honors classes have enough difficulty finding sufficient textbooks for students in a given class, honors classes study different topics within a subject at different times of the year so that textbooks can be rotated between classes. This happens most frequently in science classes. How then, can uniform midterms be administered when class materials are divergent to begin with?
Also, the Handbook states: “all students will take midterm exams, including students in Advanced Placement courses.” In most AP classes, teachers already are struggling just to get through the material before AP exams in May. When teachers can’t complete the curriculum, the information for AP tests is not being taught, the students are not properly prepared for these tests, and the AP scores are not what they should be. Students taking the AP exams must review the full year’s worth of material anyway at year end in order to score a 4 or a 5, so why should they stop learning material midyear just to cram in a meaningless midterm? The point of AP classes is to prepare for the AP tests at the close of the year, not for some tedious half year yardstick in January. In fact, students’ time would be better spent studying for SAT testing in late January, which could improve their chances of getting into colleges. With the institution of midterms, students no longer can properly prepare for SATs simultaneously in January, and now will lose that date as an SAT option.
Since “all students must take midterms,” even seniors are not exempt! Instead of lightening up on busy seniors, the administration only has compounded seniors’ concerns. Midterms are a downer for all concerned. While kids may be excited about the upcoming half days, they soon realize that they have to spend the day studying at home instead of working at school. Students who do not care about tests in general are not going to care about midterms. The better students; however, will be stuck preparing for exams while other students get a mini-vacation.
The day after midterms are completed, the real nightmare begins. It is back to business as usual, but worse. Because so much extra teaching time has been lost, many teachers then hammer the kids with excessive homework. We should not be pushed to our limit on account of needless testing; we cannot handle a continuous barrage of work; we cannot go without periodic breaks or we will break down! Furthermore, vacations should be used to recuperate from the heavy workload, not as an opportunity to pile on more schoolwork to make up for lost time. In the work world, people go on extended “holiday” or vacation, especially in foreign countries, in order to refresh and recharge their brains and bodies. We are only people, and people need rest.
Another problem with midterms is the fact that they take place in the middle of the winter. The most recorded number of snow days in the northeast occurs in January and February. Because snow is unpredictable, there is no scheduling around blizzards, icy roadways, or traffic accidents. No one can prevent snowfall, but when there are delayed openings, midterms are not administered; they are just pushed back to the next available day.
As if the four days taken out for testing didn’t result in sufficient delay of educational progress, this first experiment with midterms has taken out a full school week from teaching opportunities. The main purpose for coming to school is to learn new information; continual testing does nothing to benefit peoples’ educations or help students to excel. The school’s primary responsibility is offering an education to its students.
The school also is responsible for protecting its students; therefore, I must disagree with both Vivek and Kristie regarding cell phone use during emergencies. When a parent sends his/her child to school, the parent agrees that the school is responsible for the child’s welfare. If a TRUE emergency arises, the administration will make the necessary phone calls to parents regarding a situation. The most important part of a lock down drill is to remain silent; if every student was to use his/her cell phone, doesn’t that action defeat the purpose of the drill? Perhaps the perpetrator bugged a student’s cell phone; when that student activates the phone, then everyone is in jeopardy. The administration establishes rules for students to follow for their own good. As least students are allowed to have cell phone privileges in bringing these units to school with the condition of being turned off and stored in lockers. In the event of an emergency, it is best to stay calm and allow the authorities to handle the matter.
e.e.butler@comcast.net
First of I'd like to start off by agreeing with Vivek about the cell phone use in an emergency situation. Our parents should always be aware about what condition we are in, especially in times of danger. The rules were designed to keep us safe, yet they prevent us from informing our guardians of out well beings in times of danger. If the worry towards this is that whoever is potentially trying to hurt us finds us, then that shouldn't be taken seriously; Students text message each other everyday in class and most teachers do not even notice.
The issue that I am against is the issue of the disciplinary actions taken towards fighting. When two people get in a fight they are both suspended from school for 10 days. This rule is absolutely unfair depending on the situation. If both people were fighting then they deserve to get punished, but if one person starts the fight and the other does not even fight back then only the violent person should be reprimanded. The school rule dictates that both people are going to be suspended. I believe that only the person who started figh should be punished. Starting fights is wrong, but simply defending yourself from someone else is the right thing to do.
The student hand book of 2010 and 2011 is over 50 pages long, but all in all, it is poorly written, vague and not to the point. For example, the hand book says, under "Dress Code Policy" on page 38, Pants and shorts must be fastened at the waist. Okay, so where exactly is your waist? Students can argue that their waist is one inch below their bellybutton or five inches below their bellybutton. It is not precise enough, why cannot it just say, "No sagging and showing of boxers?" It spends a whole page on items that students cannot wear like, wave caps, and what you cannot show like clothing that suggests images of violence, or showing of a person’s bra. Here is where the hand book is very detailed, but this section has the fewest "dress code Policy violations. The most dress code policy violations are people who are sagging their pants, and yet they only have one line, the very last line that says pants must be fastened at the waist; again poorly written, and very vague.
Even though about 60% of students sag in school, I am neither for nor against sagging in school. I am against the unfairness of the male and female dress code. Every day I see guys in the school get yelled at for wearing their pants to low on their waist, but never have I ever seen a girl get yelled at for showing her bra straps. The board of education should make the hand book fair for everybody.
So what if someone wants to show off his nice boxers? Sooner or later students would realize that that is a form of disrespect. We are in high school now if we have not learned respect yet, then we are just doomed for the future. How could kids ever get a job if they walk into an interview with pants below their waist?
The board of education should make a stricter dress policy or none at all because; this halfhearted dress code is not really working. We want a better dress code or none at all. We want a fairer dress code, whether its school uniforms or just a stricter policy. Just remember, where is your waist exactly?
joepedo@ymail.com
On the title page of the student handbook it states:
It is the policy of the West Orange Board of Education to provide equal educational
opportunities regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sex or handicap (West Orange board of education 1)
While the benefit of the doubt assumes that the board has produces the previous statement to welcome everyone with open arms, it holds a great threat. Specifically when the board stated that they would accept students of any creed, this problem occurred. Everyone has his or her own creed, but not creeds are ethical.
Most people recognize the Apostle's Creed to good and all that. However that is not always the case. I am sure most teenage boys have played the game "Assassin's Creed." That game involves a group of assassins that were trained by skillful elders to kill people who oppose them. Their creed calls for them to do so. Now the assassins obviously would not be able to kill people without the education to do so! Maybe that information should have been placed in a certain group of responsible people instead of random people. I education should be given to the people with ability to handle knowledge. Is West Orange training the assassins of tomorrow?
As Lizy Butler was saying, one act intended to created a positive effect such as midterms can have catastrophic effects for the community. The virgin superintendent of West Orange and the other school districts is less than qualified to lead the system. The student handbook is less than qualified to lead the system. The opening statement is what tells the world what an organization or party stands for, acts upon, and teaches. If the opening statement of the the book approved by the West Orange Board of Education is flawed, then that organization should also be less than qualified to lead the system.
Email: nicocoup@msn.com
Page 11, section 2 of the student handbook speaks about the school having a closed campus. The school administration states, "Students are not permitted to leave school grounds at any time during the day including lunch." First off I completely agree with Tiffany when she says the school lunch sucks. I've had food that is not completely cooked, black spots on my bagels, and a wet pretzel. Who eats pretzels that are wet, especially not knowing how they became wet in the first place. Also, lunch periods are quite short considering the amount of time it takes to get lunch. If lunch is 25 minutes, and one gets on line, it would take about 10-15 minutes to get lunch in the first place. Leaving you about 10 minutes to eat your lunch. That seems a little reasonable, but still causes students to rush their lunch. But God forbide you get to lunch late, who knows if you will have enough time to buy lunch as it is? Like Tiffany said, why should students have to wait in a long line for lunch that is not even good? Students should be allowed off campus during times they do not neccessarily have to be in school or during lunch. The administration is fearful that students will cut class, but student do that anyway but stay in school. So basically there is no difference between the two if it is a cut regardless. I also agree with Caesar when he disagrees with the schools actions against fighting. It states that both students will be suspended for 10 days. But in many cases that would not be fair due to the situation. If someone jumped or attacked by another student or students for that matter, are they expected to get hurt and wait for someone to come. Yes they could run, but that will not always work. They should be able to defend themselves to some extent. Why should someone be punished because they were protecting themselves. To me, it makes no sense. The administration should do their very best to decipher the situation and make out what happened in order to come to the proper actions to take regardig the situation.
As many people in class, I completely disagree with Page 11, Section 2 of The Student Handbook. This part of the handbook states, “Students are not permitted to leave school grounds at any time during the school day, including lunch.” This rule is utterly unnecessary and puts the students at West Orange High school at a disadvantage.
Leaving school to get a better meal is not a crime. In fact, many other schools in the United States of America permit their students to order food from restaurants and other food “joints”. As Dapo has said, the food in our school is undercooked and looks disgusting. If the school does not take time to work on how to cook meals, then a huge law suit may follow. For these nauseating school lunches, most students have to pay $3.25 just to it back up in a toilet seat. The food that is served at West Orange High school does NOT help athletic students who need nutritious food daily. Our school lunches even make their practices much harder, considering the fact that half of the school’s population does NOT eat at all.
The superintendant of West Orange School District may argue that students will abuse the opportunity of buying lunch outside the cafeteria. He/she may say that the students will use the privilege to do acts that are illegal, according to the student handbook. However, when looking at statistics, almost half the student population skips their lunch period anyway. And it is certain that the principal, Mr. Allegimento, has been informed of this. Why, then, does the principal still decide NOT to allow students to leave school grounds during lunch? What the principal and other people of authority do not know is that teenage students like doing what is considered “illegal” because it is quote-on-quote “cool”. If the principal makes it officially permitted for students to leave school grounds, then it will NOT be a problem.
eo95@ymail.com
The West Orange Board of Education has created a student handbook addressing all of the rules and regulations that are suppose to be followed throughout the school hours. On page 38 of the Student Handbook it addresses the dress code that is suppose to be followed during school. Joe Pedo stated that this regulation should be made clearer, and addressed more aggressively. He has a good point because throughout the school day many kids get away with wearing very short shorts, and even have skirts that should not be worn during the school day. The dress code is generally enforced when it comes to the males in the school because they are constantly sagging their pants, and wearing hats, but what about the girls. Walk through the halls when it gets hot and see so many girls wearing shorts and pants that are way to short. The rule should not be finger length because that is unfair especially for those who have long hands or are shorter and taller. There should be a certain amount of inches that a skirt or short can be worn. The school should enforce the rule more on clothing rather then using cell phones in school, because having inappropriate clothing is more distracting then using a cell phone during free time. In the working world showing up for an interview with a skirt or shirt being to provocative will only allow a person less than two seconds on an interview. High school gives kids the opportunity to learn to be mature and set them selves up for the future. They are preparing themselves for college, and the working world. If students do not learn how to dress appropriate at school, they would not learn and know how to dress for a college or job interview. They are setting themselves up for failure, because the first impression is a huge impact when trying to get a job. Therefore the school should enforce the dress code regularly instead of picking on a certain amount of people.
biancasanabria13@hotmail.com
I would like to address to dress code policy. The rule against no hats in particular. Tell me, is it necessary to give someone a general detention….for a hat with bunny ears. Just tell me, a hat with bunny ears. No gang symbols, no inappropriate language. Just a bunny hat with ears and a skull on it. Everyone in class has seen me with all different kinds of hats. I see kids with hats, du rags (forgive me if I said that wrong) in the student handbook pg 26-29. You can get up to 3-5 days out of school suspension. THREE TO FIVE DAYS. Just for a hat. Now tell me is wearing a hat disrespectful. In some cases yes: funerals, pledge of allegiance and in some professional jobs and buildings, Church etc. but in school? Really. We just here to learn and hats have nothing to do with it. I have heard a variety of reasons why we should not wear hats: disrespectful, hiding weapons in your hat, it may be gang related. But let us think here for a moment. A hat has done nothing to the American flag. A hat is a little too small to hide a weapon. It may become uncomfortable to hide a dagger or knife under your hat and it obvious. And gang related, how do your really know the student is part of a gang? You cannot just assume that its gang related. Yes High Schoolers cannot be trusted, but its offensive to assume a student is part of a gang because of the color of there hat. HAT DISCRIMANTION PEOPLE! IT’S A DISEASE!
Oh, and I see Joe’s point about the poorly made dress code. It says don’t wear violent stuff on your clothes or show your bra straps. But seriously, he’s right! 60% of the kids at school sag. About 20% of girls in school wear clothes with their bra showing some where on their body. Guys get chewed-out more than girls. But the girls that do see get caught are sent home to change or given detention! That’s like yelling at a girl for wearing Uggs to prom but beating up a guy because he wore flip-flops. IT’S Ridiculous and a little bias in gender.
One last thing, if anyone notices; some security guards (I’m not giving names) attack and pester people with school polices only to those who aren’t there friends. I see so many kids who talk to one of them with caps and hats. Yet I just walk by, minding my own business and he comes takes my hat and gives me detention! Now If I was not running the risk of in-school, I would have asked him about it. Detention is not necessary for Hats. Not in-school or out-school suspension.
To begin, I would like to say that I agree with Vivek and Cesar. Not being allowed to use cell phones in school is completely unfair depending on the situation. If a student is not feeling well or needs to contact a parent for some specific reason it should be allowed to use the phone. The parent will be worried sick if they do not know what is going on during an emergency. Just think about it, how would you feel if you were a parent in a situation where you were not able to contact your child while an emergency at school? But yet again the availablity of phones depend on the situation. If the teacher is in front of the class teaching a lesson, all students should have their attention on the teacher. Not only for respect, but also for learning reasons.
In the student handbook, I found that on page 30, it states that students will have a 10 day suspension if they are involved in a physical altercation. This punishment should vary depending on the student. When I say this I mean that if a student is clearly the one that first started the fight and threw the fight hit, then that student deserves the punishment. On the other hand, if a student is not fighting back, he/she does not deserve to be suspended for 10 days. But in most cases, I have seen that in West Orange High School they still give the punishment to both students. Also another cinario where this punishment should be rethought about is if someone was trying to simply defend themselves. As a regular human being, I would not allow anyone to continue hitting me. But of course people can lie and say that it was for defense, but in this case you would need evidence of that. So the school district would need to carefully exam these cases first inorder to make a proper conclusion regarding the situation.
ecanancy@hotmail.com
Rules are set to keep order and set guidelines within every business, institution, or large body of people. West Orange High School would be no exception. Its rules and regulations are carefully layed out within the student handbook.
I feel that, as students, we should jump at the opportunity to let our voices be heard in terms of the rules that we would be forced to follow. Joe, one of my peers, speaks out against the dress code by saying "I am against the unfairness of the male and female dress code...never have I ever seen a girl get yelled at for showing her bra straps."
Well, personally, I've never seen a guy get yelled at for showing his bra straps either. I do not agree with this argument, for it fails to present a valid point that proves unfairness. Perhaps bringing up society's different views on what is or isn't acceptable in the ways that males and females dress would be more fitting in the point he was trying to make.
However, I feel that there is a more pressing matter to be spoken out against in the rules at WOHS.
Page 39 of the student handbook goes into the details and rules of bus transportation provided for certain students. I believe that the rules for usage of the late bus transportation system are unnecessary as well as wasteful.
The handbook states that students must acquire a pass from a teacher or administrator in order to be allowed onto the late bus. This is completely ridiculous. Assuming that the purpose of this rule is to prove that the student attends the high school, it would be much more efficient for the students to use their student i.d. cards instead. This would save lots of paper wasted on the passes, as well as make it easier for teachers who are attending to the extra help of multiple students; they will spend less time writing out all the passes and more time actually teaching their students.
Another reason this rule may have been made in the first place is to ensure that students had a valid reason to remain on school grounds after hours. I, however, do not feel it matters. The school should be a place where students can remain, for it is the environment in which they spend most their time, and they should be allowed to linger as they wish. Students should be provided transportation no matter what their reason for being at school.
The late bus rule only proves to students that they are not trusted by the administration. This does nothing to ensure that the students will become trustworthy; it only denies them a ride home in this huge town.
On page 11, section 2 of the student handbook states that "Students are not permitted to leave school grounds at any time during the day including lunch." I agree with Kristy's argument where she states the compared price of local restaurants to the poor quality over price food in the school lunchroom. In these times of recession people all across the country are trying to save money while getting the highest possible quantity and quality. Costco and similar warehouse stores are now more in demand because of their big proportions and cheaper prices. The lunch that is offered is limited in its choices and does not contain large proportions. The price is currently up to three dollars and ten cents, for a palm size patty and freezer stored fries. Would you rare eat poor quality freezer patty and fries or walk .18 of a mile to get cheaper priced freshly produced fries? There many different selections of restaurants from which surrounding the school within about .5 of a mile radius. If the Board were to just give students a radius, and demand a receipt from the restaurant for passage back into the school they could monitor were students eat at while at the same time in force rules. For this plan to work inside of having teacher staff inside the lunchroom have a few by the selected open door in which will be used for leaving school for lunch. Along with better food, allowing students to leave within a limited distance of the school for lunch promotes exercise, and responsibility. Now the students would learn in this so called learning environment how to manage their time, while losing a few pounds. What's not to like about losing weight while learning?
On page 11 of the student handbook it says “Students are not permitted to leave school grounds at any time during the school day,
including lunch. STUDENTS WHO LEAVE CAMPUS ARE SUBJECT TO DISCIPLINARY
ACTION.” I think this is a very stupid rule, as many kids in our class have already said. Like Tiffany said, whether or not kids can leave school during the day, they will still cut. Having the opportunity leave school during the day does not make kids cut classes any more or less. Its just as easy to cut class while out of school as it is in the school. Also Tiffany mentioned that she thinks during study hall we should be allowed to leave. I do not agree with that because the point of study hall is basic just to do work, so if you don’t want to do that then don’t take it. We should be allowed to leave during our lunch period, but not during classes. If you sign in and out with your name and lunch period you should always be allowed to leave, and if you don’t come back the only person you hurting is yourself by cutting. Why should the school care if you cut? It is your problem if you cut class, not the schools. By being able to leave the students can go get some real food, as Kristie said, something good and probably cheaper than at school. Also like Kristie said to avoid the cafeteria and long lunch lines and chaos.
As many people also mentioned, is the dress code. On page 37-38 of the handbook it says that no hats, hoods or anything else gang related can be worn in school, But who are they to say what is considered gang related? Just because I wear a scarf it doesn’t mean im in a gang does it? No, this is just stupid since it is just inaccurate and not letting us express ourselves how we want to. If they think we may be associated with a gang, that’s different but otherwise we should be able to.
raech629@verizon.net
As previously stated, page 11, section 2 of the handbook describes that no student is permitted to leave campus during any school hours. Obviously, students cannot be allowed to simply leave campus during classes. However, to go along with what Dapo and Tiffany said about lunches, I think it is simply cruel not to allow students to leave for lunch. Sodexho tries very hard to give us quality lunches, but the fact of the matter is, they downright fail. I'm sure that if you asked everybody in school what they thought about the vile school lunches, you would get a negative response 99% of the time. Also, with the long lines, security guards not allowing kids to enter the serving area, and the ridiculously short amount of time given to consume your food, how can the administration expect us to finish our lunches in the cafeteria without bringing it to class. Even teachers have complained about the miniscule amount of time for lunch, seeing as most offices give an hour for lunch. Also, with the enormous amount of restaurants and eateries surrounding the school, it is tantalizing to the students not to be able to eat there. We have Bagel Box, Fortissimo's, Burger King, that chinese place and more, all within walking distance of the school, yet they are beyond our reach. It is almost sadistic not to let students leave the campus at lunch periods, and this issue must be looked into immediately.
In the student handbook, pages 37 and 38 briefly discuss West Orange High School's policy on the way students dress. I agree with Joe when he says that the way this section is written is poorly and extremely vague. I also agree with Bianca when she says that the dress code should be enforced more.
The Handbook states: "ripped jeans should not be ripped in areas which which could be considered inappropriate as judged by the administration". How are students supposed to know what "inappropriate" is when the only guideline that is mentioned is that the administration must not deem what you're wearing inappropriate? Also, these guidelines set up in regards to dress are not being enforced enough and are not even taken seriously by many students that attend West Orange High School. According to the handbook, "clothing that depicts or suggests images of violence, sexual content, profanity,...may not be worn in school" yet I always see the dress code being broken and nothing done to stop it. For example, a friend of mine has a playboy shirt that is clearly against the dress policy. He wears it to school all the time yet has never been talked to about it or disciplined because of it. The handbook also states that "pants and shorts must be fastened at the waist" and this is clearly a joke. I cannot tell you how many times I see people "sagg" their jeans or sweatpants and not get in trouble for it. Maybe if these restrictions were not so vague and ridiculous , students would be prone to actually abide by them.
jazzyjass@verizon.net
My biggest problem with the student handbook is the fact that we can not leave school grounds to go to lunch. Many others have also mentioned this rule and I think it is the most controversial rule in the school, in my opinion. There are several places to purchase food near the highschool and all the students should have the option of going there. I think I speak for everyone when I say the food at our school stinks and tastes really bad. There are many alternatives less than a minute away from our school. It does not make any sense for us to not be able to walk over there for a period and sit down to eat. I also think lunch time should be extended to allow students to travel to Fortissimo or Burger King and not have to rush eating. Another alternative which many students do already is being able to drive to get food. Those that are able to drive should be allowed to leave and come back especially if they have a car. Having a car would give those students with cars more choices for lunch. I think that it is fair that students with cars can leave school to get lunch as well as students without cars to walk to nearby restaurants as well. They're there so we might as well use them.
Page 11, section 2 of the handbook states that no student is permitted to leave campus during any school hours. I oppose this rule for the same reasons as Sai. The schbool lunch does not look appetizing at all. Every year the prices increase. However,the food stays the same.In the old cafeteria, the cooks have been giving us smaller portions of fries. If I have to pay more for less, I would rather go to one of the corner stores. At burger king, you can buy anything off of the dollar menu and it will taste better then any of the food in the cafeteria. I have seen a piece of cheese in the cafeteria with black stuff on it which is disgusting. I have been to the bagel box for lunch before. The bagel box makes their bagels fresh everyday unlike what we are served at lunch. If I am going to pay three dollars and tem cents everyday, I think I should have the option to buy something that tastes better and is healthier.
Page 43 "The Locker Policy" states that you are responsible for what is held in your locker and may not be permitted to share your locker with another student. As a student I feel that this is absurd. At the beginning of each school year your first period teacher assigns you a locker. This locker could be a five minute walk (the passing time given between each class) from each class you have on your schedule. It is known that being tardy is an issue that the teachers do not take lightly, so I do not understand why we cannot choose our own lockers or share with friends for convenience. It becomes an issue when lockers are given out and then someone else takes that locker as well. No one listens to the rules. Every group of friends clusters their lockers together not even thinking of who could possibly be assigned that locker. Then that student goes to security and gets someone else's lock cut off. I think this is an invasion of privacy, and it should not happen. There are more than enough lockers on the West Orange High School campus, so said student could just pick another locker most likely in a better area for his or her convenience. I also understand that what is kept in one's locker is their responsibility, but if another student crosses your property and finds out your combination to your locker without you knowing it poses as a threat. Your items could be stollen, and then does the school get involved? I agree with Joe Pedo that the student handbook is poorly written and vague. Not many people actually read the handbook as much as they refer to it. I think the handbook is a set of rules by the district that the teachers can in force when they are not sure what else to do.
Syd1194@aol.com
In the student handbook, on page 11 section 2, it states that, "Students are not permitted to leave school grounds at any time during the day including lunch." I personally find this rule to be extremely stupid. As Sai said, most students are disgusted and not pleased with the Sodexho lunches. Why have students eat food that they won't even enjoy? Students can just quickly walk to the Bagel Box or Fortissimo and grab lunch there. If you actually think that students are just going to go grab lunch then leave school, they obviously will receive a cut. Most students would rather not have a cut, so they obviously would come back to school after eating a better meal than what the school offers us. Students should be allowed to leave school properties only for lunch. I think it is absolutely stupid that we are not allowed to. Some students and parents don't have time to pack their own lunches, so why can't we just walk out of school property to get lunch that will actually fill our stomachs unlike the Sodexho food? I also agree with Joe on how he says that the student handbook is poorly written, because it is. While some teachers always refer back to the student handbook, people actually don't.
On page 39, section 6 of the online student handbook it states that students are not permitted to use cellphones during school emergencies, such as evacuation or lock down of the school building. I am 100% against this rule for many reasons.
First of all, if we are truly in a state of emergency, then someone needs to be contacted. I understand that the school will probably contact some sort of emergency number, but that is not enough. I agree with Vivek on the matter of parents being scared to death about their child and wanting to know if they are safe. The parents of all children have the right to know what is going on. How would a parent know if their child is alright unless they got a text or call from them saying so.
Second, having a cell phone during an emergency is a form of communication. Since almost all students like to text during school and most of them are good at it without getting caught, they can easily communicate. Through this communication they will be able to tell each other what is going on and where they are.
Lastly, having a cell phone on you may certainly be the deciding factor between life and death. For example, what if something went wrong and you are stuck somewhere or under rubble like in the World Trade Center incident. Many people would rely on their cell phones to be saved. Would you want to be stuck somewhere without a way of contacting help?
The encouragement of not having a cell phone on you from the school is absurd. Every person should always have their cell phone on them but off, that way in the case of an emergency it is easily accessible.
Grlzluvemplaya1@aim.com
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