udents can not leave classes as frequently as they once could, due to a policy change. Earlier this semester, each teacher was given two new laminated passes. One for the bathroom and one for specific places in the school, according to grade level coordinator (GLC) Greg Whittle. Whittle said the goal of this change is to limit the amount of passes given out. “There was an overflux of passes being used and some students may not have been doing w h a t they are suppose to be doing,” Whittle said. N o w with the new policy students are not allowed in the halls without a laminated pass from their classroom. Another change is if a student is late to school and isn’t called in, they don’t get an excused pass, according to GLC Joe Yaeger. Some students don’t believe this change will make a difference, including junior Kamisha Coller. “The new policy is unnecessary. People can still skip class,” Coller said. “There is no way that everyone in the hallways without a pass can be caught.” However, Whittle said he believes this change is a step in the right direction and will help keep kids in class. “I have seen a decrease in the number of kids in the hallways during class,” Whittle said. “The new policy doesn’t seem like a big issue, and it’s effective.”
he administration’s decision to censor the N-word from the choir musical “Ragtime” has fueled an emotional response. According to interim principal Scott Meyers, the decision to omit the N-word from the choir musical was made last fall after consulting with African-American community members. “We came back together probably more toward November, I believe. When we talked in November, it was decided that we probably shouldn’t use the word,” Meyers said. Superintendent Rob Metz said he believes at that point cast members understood they could not use the N-word. “They started out using the word ‘Negro’ as I understand it, and then it got changed to ‘boy,’ but everybody knew they couldn’t use the N-word in the dialogue,” Metz said. Several cast members said they were not informed of the decision until much later on, showing a discrepancy between administrative and student perspectives. Sophomore Santyne Thornton said the cast believed the N-word was to be used up until the day of the first performance. “We practiced using the N-word, but then the day of the first performance, Mr. Meyers changed it,” he said. Meyers said the desire not to offend audience members shaped the decision.
“People have lived it, experienced it, and don’t necessarily feel like they need to experience the word to know what it means,” Meyers said. Students responded strongly to the decision to remove the N-word. A public service announcement (PSA) read before the show voiced the cast’s disagreement with the censorship. However, the administration decided to censor the content of the PSA as well. Metz said he told writer senior Amira Warren-Yearby to remove one part of the announcement he felt unnecessary. “There was one line in there that I thought was inappropriate, I thought it was mean, and I bumped into a student who had a hand in writing it and suggested that they change that line,” Metz said. With censorship focusing on one racial slur, some students felt as though their own cultures and beliefs were devalued. Junior Ethan Fogel said he was offended by the decision to censor the N-word but leave in place other derogatory slurs. “As a Jewish person, the fact that there are slurs left in for Jewish people and the other word (N-word) is censored makes me feel as if my history as a Jewish person is less important and not as respected,” Fogel said. Metz said he thinks the N-word alone was censored because it had the strongest potential to upset viewers. “I think in today’s society it rises above the rest as a word that could cause misunderstanding and conflict,” Metz said. Choir director John Myszkowski declined to comment for this story.