Cell policy changes Violations for electronic devices now roll over from previous years By Jackson Atwater Staff Writer
Rachael Garner
“Hips Don’t Lie:” Commissioner General Ben Lee and ASB members perform at the SAC Assembly on Sept. 9. For more coverage of the assembly and the Icebreaker Dance that night, see page 4.
New law eliminates most student fees By Meghan Roche Staff Writer A recent class-action lawsuit filed against the State of California by the ACLU has resulted in a new state bill banning California public schools from requiring students to pay certain fees. The lawsuit, which was filed in 2010 on behalf of parents from at least thirty different California school districts, alleged that schools would unfairly charge stu-
dents and their parents for materials and programs that should be available for everyone. “This changes the way school districts do business in a dramatic way,” said South Pasadena Superintendent of Schools Joel Shapiro. According to the California state constitution, “No school official may require students to pay fees for instructional materials or to participate in extracurricular activities.”
Revamped Fair Oaks lined with struggling businesses By Madison Amido Staff Writer The major phase of the Fair Oaks Avenue Improvement Project is complete, with only minor changes still to be made. The four-month endeavor irritated many in the community who were frustrated at the prolonged traffic congestion and inconvenient driving conditions. The project also resulted in many businesses suffering during construction. Those businesses are struggling to return to normalcy after an estimated 30-40% decrease in revenue during construction. Now, as the project approaches
its end, merchants are uncertain about the future. Wally Choi, owner of Union Bakery on the corner of Fair Oaks and Monterey, feels the project has not been as beneficial as the city intended. As for the possibility of business returning as the construction comes to an end, Choi says, “Hopefully, but it looks like the economy is weakening so we’re getting a double whammy.” Choi said, “I’m almost certain that the dollar amount that was spent on the construction project is outweighed by the lost revenues by the busiSee “Fair Oaks” on Page 2
At South Pasadena High School, classes like woodshop and art are no longer allowed to require students to pay a fee for materials used in class. “It would have been typical in the past for a student to be charged for a uniform, but now that has to be optional,” said Shapiro. Fees allowed by the education code include school camp programs and field trips, which now cannot be mandatory. HowSee “State law” on Page 2
District considers selling offices By Alex Tranquada Copy Editor It has been a long time since California’s education system was anything close to well-funded. The South Pasadena Unified School District, however, has been considering a new way to deal with financial hardship: renting out, or possibly selling, the district’s offices on Mission Street. The district is currently considering proposals from the South Pasadena-San Marino YMCA, Lambert Development Inc. & Creative Housing Associates, and
Businesses on Fair Oaks Ave. have reported a loss of 30-40% in revenue during the recent reconstruction of the roadway.
Legacy Partners Residential & GMP Architects. The proposal that will ultimately be accepted by the school board must bring in long-term revenue for the district, as well as respect the historical significance of the office building and the property it rests on. Efficient use of the building is also a must. The district first put out a request for proposals (RFP) on April 15. A conference for interested firms was held in June, with nine firms attending. A committee chosen by superintendent Joel Shapiro plans to meet in the next two weeks to
discuss the proposals. If none of them meet the necessary criteria, the district will send out another RFP; otherwise, the firms whose proposals the district is willing to consider will be called in for interviews. Shapiro estimates that the process will be completed by the end of October. “We did not anticipate that just one proposal would be recommended for consideration by the board. It could be one, could be more.... we deliberately left that open. It would depend on how the committee evaluated the proposals,” said Shapiro.
Kadletz teaching Grade 10 By Clair Fuller Staff Writer
Theo Mandin-Lee
An announcement noting a change in cell phone policy has been circulating in the daily bulletin. The memo says that the administration will now roll over cell phone offenses from previous years, and an offense will now count as if all previous strikes occurred in one year, instead of allowing students to start over with a clean slate at the beginning of each school year. Ordinarily, changes to school policy require the approval of the school board. However, the new cell phone policy was not presented to the board because, according to Assistant Principal of Student Services Mr. Terrance Dunn, “This is not a change in policy, this is simply a new interpretation of a policy that was already in existence.” Therefore, said Dunn, it was not necessary to seek the school board’s approval. Students will not be given leniency in regard to cell phone
offenses. “The rule hasn’t changed. To me, if the rule doesn’t change, and you’re aware of the rule, it doesn’t carry over, and you will be disciplined,” said Dunn. Principal Janet Anderson expressed a similar view. “Maybe we have not had a clear interpretation of that [the policy],” said Anderson. “It never dawned on me that you would ever get a chance to start over... I think this is just clarifying how we interpret it. It’s a clarification, but not a change. This is what I always thought, from the days of pagers.” Anderson stressed that this is not a major change to policy. “For most things that involve students, if we were going to make major changes, we would run it by the students,” said Anderson. Dunn said that students are “welcome to come in to the office at any time and verify the number of offenses they have so far.” “The policy is still exactly the same. The only change is that students do not start over,” said Dunn.
English teacher Mrs. Kimberly Kadletz is not teaching AP English Language for the first time since she started the program at SPHS in 2004. Kadletz, who has taught at the school for nine years, has replaced her AP Lang classes with sophomore honors English, in addition to her usual freshman English classes. Mrs. Lisa Greenhouse has taken over
AP Lang classes alongside fellow teacher Ms Diane Shires. Current AP Language students are being taught by Greenhouse’s long-term substitute, Ms. Schaller, during her maternity leave. Schaller taught civics during summer school, and the duration of her stay at SPHS is currently undetermined. Teachers are frequently asked what classes they would like to teach in the upcoming year, and See “Kadletz” on Page 2
Jennifer Kim
Kadletz started the AP Language program in 2004.