Issue 4, 11/20/15

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PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

The Campanile

Vol. XCVIII, No. IV

Palo Alto High School • 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • www.palycampanile.org

Friday, November 20, 2015

District considers opening alternative school

Increasing enrollment of students at PAUSD schools prompts proposal for project-based school at Cubberley

JACKY MOORE/THE CAMPANILE

DAMI BOLARINWA/THE CAMPANILE

COURTESY OF TANNER NEWELL

Top left: A Paly Chemistry Honors class struggles to accommodate 34 students. Bottom left: Cubberley Community Center facilities are not fully prepared to host a secondary school. Right: Junior Jason Pollak leads an activity in one of Paly’s Social Justice Pathway classes, a set of courses that Cubberley Secondary School would attempt to mirror.

STAFF WRITER

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he Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) School Board is entertaining the idea of adding an innovative new secondary school at the Cubberley Community Center, which would include grades 6 through 12. The plan was proposed by the Enrollment Management Advisory Committee (EMAC). The EMAC was formed in January with the aim to “look broadly at the challenges in enrollment across the district,” according to PAUSD’s website. Its

members include PAUSD parents, staff and community members. The EMAC’s proposal involves both the opening of a new experimental, project-based school as well as a plan for the implementation of different learning techniques in the existing secondary schools, such as a housing system. District Superintendent Max McGee believes that the Cubberley school, if approved, would stimulate similar advancements in project based education at Palo Alto High School and Henry M. Gunn High School. “I think [the Cubberley School] will inspire both schools to explore

some more project-based, inquirydriven learning experiences,” McGee said. The EMAC convened in spring with the goal of solving the overenrollment problem at PAUSD schools. Paly and Gunn enroll 1,979 and 1,886 students, respectively, both more than double the national average of 847. According to EMAC’s findings, learning efficiency begins to drop off at high schools in which there are over 1,700 students. With enrollment projected to increase, PAUSD is looking for ways to distribute out students and maximize learning.

CDC investigates suicide epidemic PAUSD to partner with institute to conduct Epi-Aid investigation PETER MAROULIS

NEWS AND OPINION EDITOR

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of students who died by suicide last year,” McGee said. With expertise in a variety of EpiAids, from Ebola virus prevention to post-hurricane recovery, the CDC was seen as a valuable asset. However, the process of convincing the organization to partner on a district investigation was far from easy. “The school district can’t call the CDC and say ‘come in,’” McGee said. “The request has to come from the public health department and the state of California. We first had to work with our Santa Clara County Department of Public Health.” A3

Gender identity and access policy to be presented to District Board in December

facilities

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CDC

District regulation to protect gender non-binary students

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uperintendent Max McGee recently invited the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to partner with Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) to investigate recent teen suicides in Palo Alto. PAUSD prompted the CDC to conduct an epidemiologic study for the district in response to several student suicides that occurred during the 2014-15 school year. The investigation, known as Epidemiologic Assistance (Epi-Aid), is designed to ascertain and understand the causes

of the recent suicides and to further analyze what measures can be taken to prevent future suicides. “We see [the recent suicides] as a public health threat,” McGee said. “One death by suicide can frequently beget another, and obviously we’re focused on the teen deaths by suicides.” Looking to combat the growing issue of PAUSD students taking their own lives, McGee and the district turned to the CDC, a well-established national health agency, for help in early 2015. “It’s been quite an extensive process getting the CDC involved [in the investigation], but what prompted the investigation was the cluster

The proposed Cubberley school would enroll 450 middle schoolers, and 600 high schoolers. Paly and Gunn enrollment could then drop to 1,800 and 1,700 students, respectively. Furthermore, the three existing PAUSD middle schools would each reduce enrollment by 150 students. With the additional school, all PAUSD schools would approach the optimal number of students. The EMAC changed its fundamental goals after the screening of the film “Most Likely to Succeed,” which highlighted the evolving approaches to education and the importance of small classroom size.

Sharp settlement results in resignation

AR 5157

District investigation resolved with no admission of wrongdoing SAMUEL YUN

STAFF WRITER

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ormer Palo Alto High School English teacher Kevin Sharp recently resigned after an outside investigation found that he had engaged in “grooming” a Paly alumna for a potential sexual relationship after she graduated in 2014 and turned 18. Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) settled with Sharp for $150,000 in exchange for his resignation, which was made effective Oct. 31. This settlement, which was approved by the Board of Education on Oct. 27, was signed by both PAUSD Superintendent Max McGee and Sharp.

The agreement states that neither party admitted to any “wrongdoing, violation of the law or breach of any agreement.”

There were “credible and concerned reports’’ that suggested that a “consensual relationship may have occurred after graduation.’’ Currently, there are no charges against Sharp, although PAUSD has reported the case to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the Palo Alto Daily News reported. Sharp taught at Paly from 2004 until last year in the English department as a film literature and

creative writing teacher. He went on leave this year due to the allegations of “grooming.” On Sept. 26, 2014, the student’s parents met with Dr. Scott Bowers, the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for PAUSD, and Paly Principal Kim Diorio. The information provided by the parents alleging their daughter’s sexual activity with Sharp prompted Bowers to initiate a personnel investigation. PAUSD hired two different law firms, which came to different conclusions. The finding of “grooming” by the Lozano Smith law firm, based in Walnut Creek, is what led to Sharp’s resignation. An SHARP

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Priv acy

DAVID TAYERI

More than 1,500 PAUSD parents watched the film on April 30. According to a survey conducted by the EMAC shortly after the screening, 83 percent of parents indicated that they would likely enroll their children in a similar innovative program. Now, PAUSD hopes to solve class size inflation and innovate learning in the district in one fell swoop. The potential location of the school seemed clear, as the district signed a 5-year lease for the Cubberley Community Center in 2014. To gauge student opinion, the EMAC recently sent out a survey that asked whether or not students felt crowded at their school and if they would prefer a specific learning style. However, even in an educationdriven, innovation-friendly city like Palo Alto, many people still hold reservations about the EMAC’s plan. An editorial by the Palo Alto Weekly implored the district to exercise caution and beware the “perils of innovation.” Others still point to the potentially crippling financial cost of opening a new school. Refurbishing Cubberley alone could set back the district $60 to 70 million. The operating cost of a new middle school is $2.5 million, and $3.6 million for a new high school. Furthermore, many parents commenting on Palo Alto Online argue that funds should be spent on improving conditions at existing schools, rather than on a new school that would benefit only a few hundred students.

ALICE ZHAO/THE CAMPANILE

AR 5157 alleviates discrimination against gender non-binary students in the district.

JEREMY FU

ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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new gender identity and access policy aims to ensure the rights of transgender and gender-expansive students has been outlined by the District’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQQ) committee ahead of a school board vote. The policy, which will go before the board for approval in December, includes guidelines to help school officials support gender-expansive students during their transition, including the use of names or pronouns, protection of privacy and use of restrooms and locker rooms.

“The policy provides greater context and guidance for ensuring the integration of transgender and gender non-binary students,” Sara Armstrong, parent member of the LGBTQQ committee, said. “We are not trying to do anything dramatically different, we are trying to create deeper understanding.” Assembly Bill 1266, which includes provisions that ensure transgender students have equal access to all school opportunities, went into effect in January 2014 and was later included in PAUSD’s nondiscrimination policy in June 2014. TRANSGENDER

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INSIDE

N e w s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A 1- A 4 O p i n i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A 5 -A 8 L i f e st y l e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B 1, B 7, B 8 StudentiLife..................................B2-B3 Spotlight...............................B4-B5 Entertainment.............................B6 S p o r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C 1- C 8

SPOTLIGHT

NEWS

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Politicians and businesses utilize social media to target teenagers. PAGE B4-B5

Gunnís newspaper, The Oracle, takes a fresh perspective on mental health. PAGE A3

Check us out at www.palycampanile.org

COURTESY OF HUFFINGTON POST

Influence of Social Media

COURTESY OF SHAWNA CHEN

Changing the Narrative

LIFESTYLE

JESSICA WONG/THE CAMPANILE

Tinder Culture

Learn about experiences of students with the renowned dating app. PAGE B1

SPORTS

COURTESY OF NYPOST

Controversial Calls

Look back on five of the most disputed sports calls in history. PAGE C4-C5


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