Newtonite
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Newton North High School, 457 Walnut St., Newtonville, Mass. 02460
◆ Friday, Jan. 28, 2011 • Volume 90, Issue 1
Snow closing policy clarified Hilary Brumberg Perrin Stein Students often express confusion, frustration and anger with this school system and superintendent David Fleishman when they want and expect a snow day but do not receive one. For example, after the first snow day of the season, Wednesday, Jan. 12, over 200 schools in Massachusetts were closed the following day, Thursday, Jan. 13. The Newton Public Schools were not among them. That snowy Wednesday evening, sophomore Julia Schiantarelli was one of many students who posted a Facebook status showing her feeling regarding the fact that she had to attend school the following day. Her status read: “This is what’s probably going through the Superintendent’s head right now: ‘Boston-closed, Framingham-closed, Medford-closed, Needham-closed, Walthamclosed, Watertown -closed, Weston -closed. AHAHAHA WE ARE NEWTON, WE DON’T CANCEL SCHOOL!’” Along with posting Facebook statuses about having school Thursday, “a handful” of students sent Fleishman emails expressing their annoyance with his decision, he said. Although students’ skepticism about the superintendent’s decisions can be seen in emails and Facebook statuses, Fleishman said that he chooses whether to call a snow day based on information he receives about the safety of the roads and sidewalks. “Calling a snow day is a very important decision,” he said. “The safety level of roads and sidewalks is not my area of expertise,” Fleishman said, so he relies on information from the Department of Public Works. Before making a decision, Fleishman speaks directly with the Commissioner of Public Works and with managers clearing the snow on school grounds in order to learn about the timing of subsequent snowfall and clearing operations, according to chief operating officer Bob Rooney. “Safety is first and foremost in his line of questioning before consulting with the Mayor,” Rooney said. Fleishman said that he consults with superintendents of neighboring cities and towns, as well. Wednesday, Jan. 12, he asked Brookline and Wellesley superintendents their opinions about cancelling school the following day, he said. “Every community’s different, but it was just a quick check-in to get a sense of what their streets were like.” Thursday, Jan. 13, the roads in Newton and neighboring cities were “very clear,” according to Fleishman, so he decided not call a snow day. Regardless of whether there is going to be a snow day or a delay, Fleishman said he always likes to call around 5:30 a.m. “I think people appreciate knowing as early as possible,” he said. Fleishman was able to announce the Wednesday, Jan. 12 snow day the previous evening by
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because it was “very clear how much snow there was going to be,” he said. Thursday, there was a snow day in some place but not in others because the amount of snow “really varies from community to community,” he said. “Schools that were not open were in districts where the streets were not clear.” One district that was delayed Thursday, Jan. 13 was the Weston Public Schools. Weston superintendent Cheryl Maloney said she called a delay because the Department of Public Works asked for “a bit more time to clear snow banks at intersections.” Maloney, like Fleishman, calls a snow day “based on whether or not the roads will allow for safe travel,” she said. The roads were also not safe Friday, Jan. 21, so Maloney decided to have a snow day. Prior to making this decision, Maloney spoke with the Weston Deputy Director of its Department of Public Works who thought that the roads were not safe for travel. Maloney, like Fleishman, also checked in with a few other superintendents who “shared her concern about safety,” she said. Last year, neither Weston nor Newton had snow days, but Weston had a delay and an early release, according to Maloney. In the ’08-’09 school year, Maloney said Weston had two snow days, which is “unusual” because the town usually only has one per year. According to chief of operations Mike Cronin, Newton also had two snow days during the ’08-’09 school year. Removing snow from streets and sidewalks is costly, so Fleishman wants to open schools whenever possible, in order to take advantage of this City’s investment, he said. Quickly cleaning up the snow, so that schools can remain open comes at a great cost, according to Fleishman and Rooney. It cost Newton about $550,000 Wednesday, Jan. 12 to clean streets and sidewalks enough so that schools could be open the following day, Rooney said. He said that Newton has $1 million in the budget that “can be utilized immediately for costs associated with the snow season.” The City has an additional $2 million in different accounts to pay for cleaning up snow, if necessary, he said. Although Weston had a delay Thursday, Jan. 13 and Newton did not, and the town has a significantly smaller snow-fighting budget, Rooney would not “try to make a correlation between the two cities because there are many other variables that a superintendent takes into consideration when making the decisions to close school or not.” He explained that comparing the amount of money different cities and towns spend is not “apples to apples” because each city or town has a different number of miles of roadways and sidewalks and a unique situation involving the utilization of contractors and town employees.
Weather warrior: Junior Sam Green rides his bike to school every day.
Gabe Dreyer
Surveillance cameras to be positioned in public spaces Alex Feit This school is planning to install surveillance cameras in the building, executing a proposal that was approved by the School Committee last year, according to principal Jennifer Price. The cameras will be used as a deterrent to crime, such as theft or assault, Price said. “We don’t have a finalized plan,” she said. “But we are beyond the preliminary stages and are at the beginning of implementation.” The Newton Public Schools’ security policy, adopted, last June states that cameras will “only be located in public areas such as hallways, athletic areas, large public gathering spaces, parking lots and public walkways,” and will not be located in areas where “there may be a reasonable expectation of privacy by staff and students,” such as locker rooms or bathrooms. Price said that classrooms would not contain cameras. According to Price, spaces that the administration deems the “most problematic” or contain the highest traffic would most likely receive surveillance attention. However, the exact location of the cameras has not by
been determined, she said. “The idea is to come up with a thoughtful plan that is cost-effective,” Price said. “The challenge is going to be what level of coverage we want.” Placing the cameras discreetly in certain areas is also being considered by the administration, according to Price. The current security policy dictates that signs be placed at entryways to the building and other conspicuous locations stating that cameras are in use. Price mentioned that “we need to be clear about the installation and parameters, but my plan is not to be very clear about where they are installed exactly.” Other approaches are being considered to help prevent crime from occurring, Price said. “A cost-saving measure might be to install fake cameras,” she said. Additional actions will be taken to ensure student privacy, Price stressed. Only the superintendent and other authorized personnel can view recorded footage, and it can only be saved for a maximum of 14 days after recording, according to the security policy. “We’re only going to look
at cameras reactively when there’s an issue,” Price said. “We wouldn’t be looking at a kid skipping class.” Price said she believes that several of the problems associated with serious issues or events could have been handled better had surveillance cameras been in use. The response to the Monday, Dec. 13 lock down that was held when a lighter was mistaken for a handgun could have been much quicker, she said. Although a lock down would most likely have taken place, School Committee member Reenie Murphy said that “video tapes could have confirmed that the student had left the building.” Price also said that “we could have operated within the school building” during part of that period. The ultimate goal, Price said, is to “support kids to make better decisions without undermining trust.” “I’ve been clear with the student body that cameras will be installed in the building,” she said. “Students feel like they’re trusted and respected. I don’t want to undermine that.”