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Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Boston, MA Permit No. 54523
Volume 32, Issue 7 140 Brandeis Road Newton Centre, MA 02459
Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper · Newton, MA · Established 1984 · April 15, 2016
MORE THAN WORDS
After recent events, hate speech proves hard to tackle By Emily Belt and Sophie Lu
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fter a series of hate-speech incidents involving Newton Public Schools students this year, both the Newton community and South specifically have been working to respond to, define and combat hate speech. Many said the recent incidents, though, do not necessarily reflect actual enmity, but rather, a collective ignorance. “There’s a lot more work that we need to be doing than maybe some people originally thought,” history teacher Robert Parlin said. Mayor Setti Warren organized a community open forum on April 7 in response to the incidents, which have included anti-Semitic chants aimed at New-
ton students, swastikas drawn on school property and racist questions submitted to an anonymous survey. The open forum at City Hall, however, was disrupted by Jewish activists from Americans for Peace and Tolerance, a Boston-based advocacy group that has previously accused the Newton high schools of using anti-Semitic material in their history curriculums, a claim that is largely unsubstantiated. When a woman stood to speak about her son’s encounter with racism at school, members of the group heckled her and insulted her cause. They targeted HATE SPEECH, 12
photo illustration by Bailey Kroner
Seeking new contract, custodians fear outsourcing Carina Ramos Managing Editor
As the custodians union begins negotiations to renew its contract with the schools, union members have reported that the School Committee has requested to remove a clause from the contract protecting custodians from outsourcing, raising concerns that after-hours custodial staff will be privatized. The most recent contract from 2011 between the Newton Public School Custodians Association (NPSCA) and the school system
includes a clause that prohibits outsourcing NPS custodial work to any outside entity. The union also retains collective bargaining rights comparable to those of the teachers union, which negotiated a new contract last fall. This contract cycle, however, members of the NPSCA have expressed fears that the School Committee will refuse to negotiate until the clause is removed, which would allow the School Committee to outsource custodial work at its discretion. Prolonged work without a contract prevents custodians from obtaining cost-of-living adjustments,
meaning that they would effectively lose money. Although the custodians’ immediate concern is preventing the outsourcing of the night staff specifically, removing the clause would open the doors for any and all custodial services to be outsourced. While this decision could cut costs, history teacher Jamie Rinaldi said the possibility introduces questions about how the city values its employees. “If we as a community simply say, ‘Custodians are not members of our com-
munity, they are not adults in our students’ lives, but they just push mops around,’ then we may be able to save money, but we have done incredible damage to the underlying values of this community and what we believe in,” he said. School Committee Chair Matt Hills declined to grant an interview, but wrote in an email, “We are committed to reaching an agreement with the Custodians, and we will continue to work as hard as possible to CUSTODIANS, 4
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Changing course
Starting next year, juniors will no longer be allowed to take AP Language and Composition.
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Oak hill Bus Crash Fifteen years later, the community reflects on the Oak Hill bus crash.
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sports Etiquette
The athletics department works to eliminate inappropriate cheers.
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NEWS 2 EDITORIALS 6 OPINIONS 8 CENTERFOLD 12 FEATURES 15 FUn page 19 SPORTS 21