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News of the Weird: Week of 07/06/23

Awesome!

Ethan Brown, 16, a junior at Jericho High School on Long Island, New York, is a hero among his classmates, the New York Post reported. Brown argued before the school board in March that his highly ranked school had 186 days in session — six more than the state’s required 180 — and that summer vacation ought to begin on Friday, May 26. “I was nervous, especially at first,” Brown said. “I almost sat back down before speaking but I’m glad I didn’t.” He noted that on a stormy day in February, the school did not close, and not a single snow day was used during the year. Superintendent Hank Grisham said Brown “did an absolutely incredible job. There is no requirement to give … snow days back to staff or the kids.” But the board was moved, and a day off was granted — dubbed the Ethan Brown Snow Day. “I’m getting a lot of thank-yous,” Brown said. In his upcoming senior year, he’s in line to take over the editor-in-chief position at the school newspaper. [NY Post, 5/25/2023]

Thong and Cheek

Protesters at the Massachusetts Statehouse bared more than their souls as they demonstrated against climate change on June 15, according to an NBC-10 Boston report. Shouts began to rain down from the public gallery just after 1 p.m. from eight members of Extinction Rebellion, an international environmental movement, followed by a warning: “We are going to be mooning you. … You can look away if you wish.” At that point, the octet turned their backs on the senators and dropped trou, revealing pink thongs and bare buttocks emblazoned with the words “stop passing gas.” The protesters continued with chants of “You’re a senator, not an ass, why are you still passing gas,” and “Butts out for climate” for about an hour before they were arrested and escorted out of the chamber. [NBC 10 Boston, 6/15/2023]

Reunited and It Feels So Good

• A first edition of George Orwell’s 1984 has been returned to the library … 65 years late. UPI reported that the Multnomah County Library in Portland recently received the return from an 86-year-old patron. The patron attached a note to the book, explaining that they meant to return it in 1958 after checking it out as a Portland State University student — they just “never got around to it.” But talk about excellent timing: The library just went fine-free. [UPI, 6/14/2023]

• Sheriff’s detectives in Kanawha County, West Virginia, made an odd discovery while executing a search warrant on an impounded vehicle in February: a 1965 class ring from Needham B. Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, bearing the initials “M.P.” Their investigation determined the owner was one Michael Pedneau, who told the Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette-Mail that he only vaguely recalls losing the bling some 50 years ago, perhaps on a trip to Princeton, West Virginia. “There’s probably 40 or 50 of us [classmates] who get together monthly for lunch,” Pedneau said. “We’re all old, so we enjoy swapping stories, and this is one I’ll share with them. I’ll show them the ring and we’ll have some fun around it.” [Charleston Gazette-Mail, 6/13/2023]

Up in Smoke

A dispensary in Baltimore faces fines for blowing smoke … literally. WMAR-2 in Baltimore reported that the Cookies dispensary opened May 27, only to be shut down less than a week later after a surprise inspection revealed a laundry list of violations, including “large plumes of medical cannabis smoke being blown from a large gun apparatus into the mouths of persons outside the dispensary,” according to the suspension notice. Cookies is part of a franchise, and Cookies San Francisco was the first to utilize a “Flame Thrower” smoke blower, created by Jeff Dick of Colorado. The blower has since become part of the Cookies brand. [WMAR-2, 6/15/2023]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

News of the Weird is now a podcast on all major platforms! To find out more, visit newsoftheweirdpodcast.com.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.

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House Speaker Equates Nashville’s Peaceful Protests Against Gun Violence With Jan. 6 Insurrection

Reps. Justin Jones, right, Justin Pearson, bottom, and Gloria Johnson, left, bring a megaphone onto the Tennessee House floor on March 30, 2023. (Photo: John Partipilo)

The top Republican in Tennessee’s House called Thursday’s protests over gun violence at the Tennessee Capitol an “insurrection,” drawing comparisons to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, made the comments during an appearance on the Hal Show on FM 98.7. 

“Two of the members, Reps. (Justin) Jones and (Gloria) Johnson, have been very vocal about January 6th in Washington, D.C., about what that was,” Sexton said. “What they did today was at least equivalent, maybe worse, depending on how you look at it, of doing an insurrection in the capitol.”

House Democratic leaders on Friday said Sexton is trying to “change the narrative” and demanded Republicans issue an apology for referring to parents and children who went to the Capitol as “insurrectionists.”

More than 1,000 people, including many teenagers, showed up to the Tennessee Capitol calling for lawmakers to address gun violence after six people were killed — including three children — in a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville. 

Protesters started their rally in front of the State Capitol at War Memorial Plaza at 8 a.m. They then proceeded to the statehouse shortly afterward, entering in an orderly manner and passing through a security point operated by Tennessee state troopers. 

The demonstrations in Nashville on Thursday were not violent, and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said no arrests were made, no use of force incidents were reported, and no property was damaged.

After debate about a bill on school vouchers, Representatives Jones, D-Nashville, Johnson, R-Knoxville, and Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, took to the speaking podium in the House, using a megaphone to lead chants with a crowd that gathered in the public viewing area. 

A 45-minute recess was called, during which Democratic leaders told the three to stop and huddled with Republican leaders on what actions to take next.  Republicans speculated the trio was trying to get expelled from the House floor.  

After the disruption, the House gaveled back in and continued as if nothing had happened, although some disagreements surfaced. 

Sexton told reporters the three legislators would face consequences, including stripping them of committee assignments or possible expulsion from the state House.

Rep. John Ray Clemmons, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, pointed out many schools let students out to join in the rally for stricter gun laws after the Covenant shooting incident.

Democratic leaders called the actions of three Democratic lawmakers who used a bullhorn to lead chants with the crowd “good trouble,” using the words of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, and Rep. John Ray Clemmons pointed out many schools let students out to join the rally.

Referring to the protests as the “equivalent or maybe worse” than the Jan. 6th Washington, D.C. insurrection “is a blatant lie, and it’s offensive,” Clemmons said in a news conference. “You show me the broken windows. You show me anyone who went into the speaker’s office and put their (feet) up on his desk and trashed his office. You show me where a noose was hanging anywhere on the legislative plaza. You show me any violence that was done by anybody here speaking their mind and sharing their perspective and standing up for their children.”

State Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, took personal offense to Sexton’s statements, saying the speaker should also apologize to Mitchell’s wife and children, who visited the statehouse to join the demonstration. 

He argued that the only person who could have been injured was a teen put in a “chokehold” by a state trooper.

Protesters were eventually banned from the Senate and House viewing areas after they disrupted proceedings with chants of “shame on you” and “children are dead, and you don’t care.”

Mitchell contends the House balconies shouldn’t have been cleared, regardless.

During the protest, state troopers attempted to keep clear paths between the House chamber, Senate chamber, elevators, bathrooms and exits. 

Video of Thursday’s protest showed state troopers pushing through protesters to allow Rep. Paul Sherrell, R-Sparta, to exit a bathroom. The troopers appeared to move three young individuals locking arms to block the exit. Sherrell can be seen holding onto troopers as they surround him, escorting him back to the House chamber. 

Clemmons refused to disclose the discussions he had with Sexton and other Republican leaders on the House outdoor balcony. But he said he still has “serious concerns” that no actions have been taken against Sherrell for making statements about lynching three weeks ago. Sherrell made a forced apology on the House floor two days after he suggested “hanging by a tree” be added to legislation renewing firing squads as a method of capital punishment.

By about 1 p.m. Thursday, most protesters had left the Capitol, with only a dozen or so left as the House wrapped up its session by 1:45 p.m.

Anita Wadhwani contributed to this report.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and Twitter.

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Abortion Protestors Met With Handmaid’s Tale Counter-Protesters

Credit: Toby Sells

A small group or anti-abortion protestors were met Wednesday morning with a small group of counter protesters dressed as characters from “The Handmaid’s Tale” at Planned Parenthood of Memphis.

A counter protester, who identified herself only as “June,” said her group stood silently alongside — but opposed to — the abortion protesters. June said the affair lasted for about an hour between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Wednesday and remained calm throughout.

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Organizations Brace for New Stay-At-Home Order

CREDIT: Kevin Barre Photography

Kevin Barre Photography

Brooks Museum of Art in Overton Park

Organizations in Memphis are already bracing for another stay-at-home lockdown after a new health directive was leaked late last week.

Over the weekend, leaders of the Brooks Museum of Art and the Metal Museum announced both would close until next year. Also, a protest against shutting down restaurants was announced for Monday at 1 p.m. 

“Please note that in anticipation of another Safer at Home directive from the Shelby County Health Department, the museum has also elected to close its doors to the public from December 20th through January 7th, and will reopen on Friday, January 8th,” reads a Saturday email from the Metal Museum.

Here’s a Sunday email from the Brooks:

”In anticipation of Shelby County Health Directive 16, we have made the decision to temporarily close the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, effective at 5 p.m. Saturday, December 19th, 2020 until Wednesday, January 6th, 2021 at 10 a.m. unless instructed otherwise by city and county directives,” reads the email. ”This includes all public programming.”

Meanwhile, the Memphis Restaurant Association advised its members to wait and see what may be announced Monday.

“The mayors and lawyers have been discussing our fate all day but we have yet to hear anything definitive,” reads a Sunday email from the group. “Our advice as of now is: plan to operate as we have been until we hear otherwise.”

That email also included contact information for city and county officials to “make your opinion known.”

A protest is set for Monday afternoon against further shutdowns of restaurants. The protest is set for 1 p.m. at the Shelby County government building at Downtown’s Civic Center Plaza. It is organized by Jerred Price, president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association.  Wikipedia

”The Shelby County Health Department Directive [16] is calling to shut down Memphis restaurants once again without any protection for payroll or protection for the businesses,” reads an email announcing the protest. “Restaurants are one of the largest lifelines of our city and so many people’s livelihoods. SCHD’s own data shows that spread of COVID-19 from restaurants is less than 5 percent of all cases.

“Restaurants who are following CDC guidelines set forth by the CDC shouldn’t suffer another closure, and may not make it through to see the new year if this closure is put in place.

“Let’s show up, speak up, and demand competent, thoughtful, and caring action from our leadership. Bring signs to hold up for support. #SaveOurRestaurants. No megaphones permitted.”

A draft of the health department’s new health directive was published by The Daily Memphian Friday. It included, among other things, the closure of restaurants and many other indoor businesses. The health department responded with this statement:

“At the current time, we are facing the fall surge of COVID-19 cases in Shelby County. We anticipate that the cases will continue to grow. Therefore, we are exploring all options to reduce transmission in our community.

“The document that was released to the media was a draft document for discussion amongst public health officials, health care providers and elected officials. While December 21st was identified as the effective date, it was a draft, proposed date and may change.

“Locally, we have continued to work together to explore all options that can reduce transmission while balancing economic impact. As the document is finalized, it will be released to the media via the formal, traditional channels.”

It is not yet known when or if the health department will issue a new health directive that could include the further lockdown measures.

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Rally at ‘Memphis Massacre’ Site Calls for End to Systemic Racism

CREDIT: Maya Smith

Maya Smith

Rev. Regina Clarke, also with the Poor People’s Campaign speaks.

A couple dozen people gathered Downtown Memphis on Monday to rally for justice and an end to systemic racism.

The demonstration, organized by the Poor People’s Campaign, took place in Army Park, where a historical marker stands commemorating the Memphis Massacre of 1866. The massacre lasted three days, over which a white mob led by law enforcement killed approximately 46 black people, raped several black women, and burned churches, schools, and other black establishments.

Maya Smith

After reading the words from the historical marker, Rev. Edith Love with the Poor People’s campaign said violence by white people toward black people has not stopped, but that “it has merely evolved.”

“As we stand in the very spot where white police officers and other white men committed acts of unspeakable violence in 1866, consider carefully the deaths of unarmed citizens by the hands of police,” Love said. “And I ask you how much has really changed?”

Monday Rev. Regina Clarke, also with the Poor People’s Campaign, after leading a prayer, called on the country to stop “all forms of systemic racism.”

“Today I want to pray for everyone who has been impacted by systemic racism, denial of health care, and police brutality,” Clarke said. “We also want to make sure we call out and make prominent the names of those here in Memphis who have been impacted by police brutality. We see the violence of injustice, we see the violence of racism against black people, Latinos, First Nations, and people of color. We know this violence is a threat to all humanity in this yet to be perfect union.”

Specifically, Clarke called for an end to “perpetuating poverty,” along with equal access to healthcare, decent housing, voting rights, equitable education, and “the chance to survive and thrive.”

“We hear the cries of the poor people and low wealth in a land of abundance,” Clarke said. “We hear the fear of death among the uninsured and under-insured. We hear the groans of ecological devastation and environmental violence. We feel the violence of militarism all around.”

Maya Smith

Rabbi Jeremy Simons of Temple Israel spoke about mourning


Rabbi Jeremy Simons of Temple Israel spoke about mourning in the Jewish faith, saying he is there for “solidarity in presence and partnership.”

“When you enter a house of mourning or when you encounter someone who is mourning, you walk into their house, you sit down, and shut up,” Simons said. “You offer your presence and nothing else.”

Simons continued, saying that this is not only a period of mourning, but also of “self reflection in the face of systemic injustice.”

Frank Johnson of Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church also spoke Monday, after singing a verse of “Amazing Grace.”

“Black lives matter because we built this city and this country, but still this country wants to disrespect our lives,” Johnson said. “It wants to tell us to be quiet when we are talking about our issues and problems, but it always wants our bodies when it needs it.”

The demonstrators then paused and reflected in silence for eight minutes and 45 seconds, the amount of time a police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd.

Maya Smith

Maya Smith

Maya Smith

Maya Smith

Demonstrators take a moment of silence

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Strickland Speaks to Protesters, Commits to Addressing Racist Police Practices

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland made a surprise visit, speaking out against racism and police treatment of blacks Wednesday at the start of the eighth night of protest here.

In the I Am A Man Plaza near Clayborn Temple, a site pivotal during the 1968 sanitation workers strike, Strickland said he is “committed” to fixing the racist tendencies within the Memphis Police Department (MPD).

“As we jump start reconciliation and solutions to our problems, I think it’s important that first, we define that problem,” Strickland said. “Racism has been built into our system from the very get-go of this country. And although I think we’re the greatest country in the world, we were based on racism. It is literally in our United States Constitution. For 400 years, we’ve sinned. Now we need to fix it.”

Strickland was surrounded by local African-American clergy and community leaders, who the mayor said have started a conversation with him, to “open my eyes and teach.” Strickland said he did “a lot of listening today.”

“I don’t have all the answers and frankly, as a white man, I don’t know that I have all the questions,” the mayor said. “I was an adult and had friends my age before I even knew that black parents had to teach their children, or have the ‘police talk’ because if a black person, particularly a young black male, is pulled over by police, there is a much greater likelihood that something tragic happens than if somebody like me is pulled over. That’s wrong. It’s built into our system. It’s in our hearts. It’s in our subconscious. And we have to fix that. And I want you to know, as mayor, I am absolutely committed to that problem of how the police deal with black people.”

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Strickland said he will hold a series of discussions with community leaders over the next few weeks that he hopes will lead into “concrete actions. It’s not just a philosophical discussion. We will have concrete actions to make it better.”

The number one goal, Strickland said, is to fix the problem that “our police department and every police department across the country has and that’s how they treat black people differently than white people.”

“George Floyd was not the start of this problem, but I want to make him a start of the solution,” Strickland said, met with applause from those standing behind him. “We all saw the video and were horrified by it. But I guess I want to talk to the white people in Memphis like me. Quite frankly, it didn’t resonate with us quite like black people because while we saw horrific action against a human being. They saw someone that could have been their brother, or their son, or uncle.

“Because they’ve seen these stories, facts. They’ve lived it. Their family members have lived it and we need to be able to open our ears and listen to the facts. We can see with our eyes and our hearts, and actually the data that black people are treated differently than whites. And it has tragic consequences sometimes. I want to commit to you that we are going to do everything we can to fix that problem.”

Strickland said the plan is to generate action-oriented goals and have specific steps to implement.

One group said it has been left out of the discussion with the mayor, after sending him a letter on Tuesday asking for a meeting. The Memphis Interfaith Coalition of Action and Hope (MICAH) sent a letter asking Strickland to meet with the group within 48 to 72 hours to listen to the “concerns, needs, and demands for change.”

Wednesday Stacy Spencer, MICAH president said Strickland declined a meeting with the organization “by saying he was already meeting with ‘other activists and clergy.’”

Spencer said it is “troublesome that he is only working together with those who his administration has hand-selected.”

“Mayor Strickland represents all of Memphis, not just the ‘necessary,’ and he represents them all of the time, not just when the occasion arises,” Spencer said. “MICAH has asked for a meeting. Clergy of all faiths and backgrounds gathered together, stood in solidarity and asked for a meeting with their mayor. Do not allow the mayor to dismiss MICAH, its 63 partner organizations and the thousands of people they represent.”

Others responded with both support and disdain for the mayor’s statement, noting he is leaving some groups out.

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Strickland Speaks to Protesters, Commits to Addressing Racist Police Practices

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Strickland Calls for Investigation of Police Response to Protest

CREDIT: Facebook/Tami Sawyer

Facebook/Tami Sawyer

A day after applauding the actions of Memphis Police Departments during a Wednesday night protest, Memphis Jim Strickland announced he is calling for an investigation into police actions after receiving more information.

“After learning more information on an event that occured Wednesday night with one of our officers and a female protester, I have asked Director [Michael] Rallings to fully investigate the matter,” Strickland said.

In Strickland’s original response to the protest, he said he was “proud of the Memphis Police Department and the way our officers conducted themselves last night.” Now the mayor is calling for an investigation, after viewing a video of an MPD officer in riot gear shoving a protester to the ground. 

Thursday, Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer and other leaders held a press conference and called out MPD’s excessive use of force and asked for the release of arrested protesters.

At least five protesters were arrested as a result of the demonstration that shut down Union Avenue in response to the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. The demonstration, which lasted more than three hours, was met with counter-protesters from the Confederate 901 group, along with dozens of police officers.

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Protest Responding to Deaths of George Floyd, Others Shuts Down Union

CREDIT: Facebook/Tami Sawyer

Facebook/Tami Sawyer

Police surround and arrest a protester

A protest in response to the recent deaths of black people in this country that was meant to be silent and peaceful Wednesday night escalated when counter-protesters showed up with Confederate 901 signs.

A video of the event posted to Facebook by local activist Hunter Demster shows close to 100 people gathered on Union Avenue in front of a Memphis Police Department station, protesting the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd.

About 50 police cars surrounded the demonstrators, who chanted “No justice, no peace, no racist police” and “black lives matters.” On the other side of the street, a handful of counter-protesters responded with “police lives matter” chants. 

At one point the crowd kneels down repeating “I can’t breathe,” a reference to Floyd who died after a Minneapolis police officer restrained him by placing his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck for several minutes. In a viral video, Floyd can be seen telling the officer he can’t breathe several times before passing out. 

Two arrests have been made by MPD as a result of the protest.

Here is a video posted by Demster capturing a portion of tonight’s events, which are still ongoing.

Protest Responding to Deaths of George Floyd, Others Shuts Down Union

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Groups Call for a Living Wage for All U of M Workers

CREDIT: Maya Smith

Maya Smith

Students demand living wage for all campus workers

Students protested at the University of Memphis Friday, asking for a living wage for all campus workers and an overall more equitable campus.

The Memphis Young Democratic Socialists (901YDS), comprised of U of M students, staff, and alumni, helped organize Friday’s event.

The protest comes a day after U of M president M. David Rudd announced he would not be accepting a near $100,000 salary increase. Rudd currently earns a base salary of $394,075, according to the university.

Rudd

Rudd was expected to sign a new contract to receive $525,000 annually beginning October 1st, but said Thursday that he believes “it is in the best interest of the institution to forgo any salary increases at this time.”

“Overall institutional efficiency has been at the forefront of my agenda from the day I started, a value I firmly believe and will continue to live,” Rudd wrote.

Tre Black, co-chairman of the 901YDS, said although he is “overjoyed” with the president’s decision, “there is still much work to be done.” He noted that Rudd didn’t mention if he would still accept the near $2 million in bonuses and benefits offered by the university’s board of trustees.

At the protest, students honed in on the issue of every campus employee making a living wage of $15 dollars an hour. Rudd assured the campus in July that a plan to raise all employees’ pay to $15 an hour over the next two years was in the works, but the details of that plan were never shared.

Rudd’s promise of paying a living wage to campus workers came after Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris moved to veto $1 million in county funding going toward the university’s new natatorium until a plan to pay all university employees was presented.

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“We have a definitive plan,” Rudd said at the time. “We’ll be at $15/hour in two years. And in a sustainable manner.”

Black said that 901YDS wants all campus workers to earn a living wage, including those hired under a work-study contract, those earning a stipend, part-time and full time employees, graduate workers, and adjunct professors.

The protesters also want Rudd to participate in a public forum with 901YDS and United Campus Workers, another organizer of Friday’s action, to address these and other issues relating to “inequality and unfair treatment of a large section of students and workers.”

As an example, Black cites graduate workers not receiving health care or a living wage, yet working more than 40 hours most weeks.

According to United Campus Workers, about 330 employees on campus are paid less than $15 an hour.

Maya Smith

Students demand living wage for all campus workers

The group has a petition on the Action Network website. In addition to asking Rudd to forgo additional bonuses, the petition asks that Rudd reveal the university’s plan to raise campus workers’ hourly wage to $15 an hour.

The petition also notes that the groups oppose any increases in tuition and fees: “We call upon the president and the board of trustees to freeze tuition and all administrative fees, not to be increased without approval of the students.”

See the full petition here.

The university did not immediately respond to the Flyer‘s request for comment. 

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Crosstown High Students Stage Walkout, Demand Change

CREDIT: Maya Smith

Maya Smith

Crosstown students during a walk out on Friday.

A group of about 50 Crosstown High School students, frustrated that their voices aren’t being heard by school leaders, staged a walk-out Friday morning.

The students, mostly sophomores, joined by a few freshmen, gathered on Crosstown Concourse’s main plaza.The bulk of the group took a seat, while a dozen students made their way to the front. They took turns reading a letter addressed to the school’s principal, Alexis Gwen-Miller, along with other members of the administration and the school’s board.

“We love our school, and this comes from a place of determination to see Crosstown High succeed,” the letter reads. “But we feel as if our voices are not being heard. So, we’re not giving you any choice but to listen.”

The letter details a list of concerns, including a lack of organization, communication, and a disconnect between students and faculty and the administration and faculty. Students claim that their voices aren’t being heard and that they’re opinions aren’t being considered in school decisions.

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“Students have repeatedly voiced our concerns to administration and our voices have repeatedly been ignored,” the letter reads. “There are numerous issues, which we will express fully in this letter, that have led to us, as students, feeling that Crosstown is not fulfilling its promise to give us a project-based, competency-based, relationship-driven, diverse, by-design education.”

Crosstown High School opened its doors last year with its inaugural freshman class. The public charter school now has 280 9th and 10th grade students. It bills itself as a “learner-centered” school that engages students in “meaningful project-based work and authentic relationships that will prepare them to be self-directed, lifelong learners.”

Maya Smith

Crosstown students during a walk out on Friday.


The students’ main concern, that “sparked most of the current frustration,” the letter said, is the cohort model, which students say reflects a racial bias.

“Fundamentally, there is nothing wrong with the cohort model,” the students wrote. “The issue is how it’s being implemented. There is an unfair distribution of students between the two, 10th-grade cohorts, whether intentionally or not, (which) limits diversity in both cohorts.”

Students claim that one cohort is made up of a “majority of black and minority students,” while the other cohort consists of “most of the white students.”

“Many of the students in 10B feel that 10A has far more privilege in terms of academic opportunities and structure,” the students wrote. “Due to the fact that cohort B holds most of the minority and black students, this seems, whether done intentionally or not, to reflect bias. Whether this was intentional or not is beside the point. Another fundamental principle of Crosstown High is that it’s meant to be diverse by design.”

The students said that the “fact that either the school deliberately segregated its students” or “ignored race as a factor in splitting up the cohorts creating an unintentional lack of diversity, shows that the school obviously isn’t fulfilling its original mission of designing a racially and culturally diverse classroom experience.”

Maya Smith

Crosstown students during a walk out on Friday.

Maya Smith

Crosstown students during a walk out on Friday.

Maya Smith

Crosstown students during a walk out on Friday.

Continuing, the letter claims that the students in cohort B, one they say is made up largely by minority students, “faces a unique set of challenges in our education.” One of those challenges is the number of teachers assigned to the group — four, compared to the other cohort’s six.

“Our faculty is being placed with an unfair burden of last-minute preparation, coordination, and expansion, beyond what can be reasonably expected of them,” the letter reads. “As a result the education of my peers and I have suffered.”

Maya Smith

Crosstown students during a walk out on Friday.

Additionally, the students say that those in cohort B have not been offered participation in the school’s advisory program, in which 14 students are paired with a faculty member to receive support with social-emotional development and enhancing leadership and advocacy skills.

“This opportunity was promised to all students, yet it has only been given to the more fortunate students, 10A,” the letter reads.

Other issues cited in the letter include a shift from individualized, competency-based learning toward traditional learning styles, the school’s grading scale, which students say does not adequately reflect their mastery of their classes, and the school’s curriculum itself.

The students said it has become “increasingly obvious that we have a need for change here at Crosstown High. We have explicitly express our concerns, so the question remains: how do we move forward?”

[pullquote-1]

The students proposed solutions to their concerns. They include selecting two, non-voting student representatives to sit on the school’s board, allowing a group of students to work with the school’s leadership moving forward, and a “promise from the leadership at Crosstown High that from now forward student’s voices will no longer be ignored.

Terill

“As a school that preached about valuing the student voice, we want a guarantee that the school will work with students to ensure that we have a significant influence on the current and future experience at Crosstown High.

In response to the students’ Friday action, Chris Terill, executive director of Crosstown High, said he “appreciates the approach that the students are taking.”

“One of our key competences is to express oneself boldly, and our students are doing that,” Terill said. “We are taking their concerns and we seriously value student voices.”

Terill did not detail what actions the school would take to address the students’ concerns.

Read the students’ full letter below.



[pdf-1]