A few notes:
- Great reaction to some kid pulling the fire alarm- school is extended (somehow without affecting the bus schedule), thus thwarting any idea of “early dismissal” for the prankster
- Jennifer Price’s obviously annoyed tone I thought was perfect for the situation
- I got a link to this audio message via email and was able to hear it immediately. Not a bad system.
@Doug– Do you really believe collective punishment is a good thing? I’m never surprised by anything Jennifer Price does. But I am surprised by your initial response.
@Mike – I wouldn’t consider it a punishment. It’s keeping kids from being deprived of 15 minutes of learning time. Getting out of school 15 minutes late isn’t a big deal.
I think mgwa nailed it. Didn’t see it as a punishment, especially as kids weren’t really being held late (probably just ate into the Thursday “X block.” But I suppose it’s some sort of mild deterrent. I stand by my reaction. She’s not letting some kid acting like an idiot deprive the students of the school day.
mgwa– How about students who have jobs, doctor appointments, tutoring lessons, or other after school commitments?
It sounds to me like it was handled perfectly.
As long as all students were able to get busses . . . . and no other people were disturbed because of the busses being late (ie elementary or middle school students waiting). I think it is early in the year, and if she does this now, then fewer kids will be motivated to pull an alarm.
I got my usual “Dad can you pick me up?” call on X-Block day, because it was still 30+ minutes until the buses left. The alarm was pulled before the final period, so that period was merely extended 15 minutes into (I assume) X-block time.
We spent $500K installing security cameras at our high schools, on the premise they would deter this type of behavior. If a perpetrator knows the fire alarms are being videotaped yet still pulls the alarm, what type of deterrence is collective punishment really going to have? Also, if you’ve caught the perpetrator, why punish all the students?
As Doug pointed out, Thursday is an x-block day. Buses don’t leave on Thursdays until 3:40 anyway, so extending the day by 15 minutes (into x-block) has no impact on the bus schedule.
Mike- it has to do with lost class time. Not collective punishment. If that was the case then she would suspend all the students tomorrow. I hope they caught the student who did it with the cameras.
I appreciate Principal Price doing this – maybe the next time a student thinks about making a bad decision – they will realize the consequences that could happen.
Good for Jen. Joanne is correct. This was not a punishment. Instead, it was restoring lost time while eliminating the reward for committing a bad act, or making a bad choice, depending on your point of view.
I think it is great. It sends a strong message to ALL the students that this type of behavior will have consequences. Sure, punish the kid who pulled the alarm, that’s fine. But what happens when the alarm is pulled and you don’t catch the kids who did it. A strong message sets the tone for what will not be tolerated.
It seems to me the people defending Jen Price are tip-toing on a very thin line. But I’m used to her supporters making excuses for her behavior. You can’t legitimately argue that this was not collective punishment, and at the same time make an argument like Joanne’s that “maybe the next time a student thinks about making a bad decision-they will realize the consequences that could happen.”
I’m not trying to pick on Joanne, because I think a lot of you have blinders on when it comes to the misbehaving’s of Jen Price. Personally, I’m always going to stand up for the right of students in Newton to be treated fairly. In my opinion, collective punishment has no place in our school system.
You can argue that Price was simply trying to make up the lost time, but I don’t think that argument holds much water. Students did after all miss two days this week due to weather. Did Principal Price suggest they make up that lost time?
Sorry, this is a Principal who I’ve seen abuse or overreach her authority several times in the past, and get away with it. Today’s incident is just one more example added to that list.
Meanwhile, many of you supported spending a fortune on security cameras, on the premise they would deter this type of thing [false fire alarms]. Well, how’s that working so far?
This is starting to sound more like a rant against Jen Price than a discussion about a creative (or at least practical) response to a false fire alarm disrupting school. We get that you have a bone to pick . Noted.
My understanding is that the alarm was pulled toward the end of D block, causing E block to begin 15 minutes late. By extending the day 15 minutes, teachers were able to present and students to receive a full class during E block. So if the alarm-puller’s goal was to disrupt something unpleasant that they were facing during E block (a test? a project due?), their plan didn’t work. I believe that was the message being sent. And again – the academic block was extended into x-block, which is still part of the school day, so it just meant a shorter x-block.
Mike, I am all for fair and equal treatment, and I would be right there with you if every student had been given detention because one of them pulled a false alarm (which is also a criminal offense, by the way). That is not what happened here.
I do not expect that every student will be punished for the misconduct of one classmate, but I do expect that my kids will get the full number of hours of instruction that the state requires be provided for every student. They have already had two storm days off this week which they will have to make up at the end of the school year. They made up the fifteen minutes they lost evacuating the building today without making anyone miss a bus or an extracurricular activity. That also means they will not have to make up the lost time some other day.
I think this was a measured and fair response. A few years ago there were several bomb threats, bomb scares and false alarms that caused kids to miss a number of classes. Teachers and students alike were punished by losing valuable classroom time. So, if anyone punished our students, it was the bonehead who pulled the false alarm.
Tricia– Price’s recording says in part, “I have decided to extend the school day by 15 minutes.” She explains that as a result, school will end at 2:50. My daughter goes to South, so I’m not sure what the usual dismissal time is at North. Price’s recorded message implies dismissal is usually at 2:35. Your post leaves me wondering. Did the Principal actually “extend the school day” as she stated?
Mike –
Your analogy is flawed. Jen didn’t have to suggest students make up for the time they lost this week due to the storm. That time is built into the calendar.
I agree with Joanne, etc. Adding 15 minutes to the day is not punishment. I think that’s where you are differing from everybody else. This isn’t about defending Jen. What about kids who needed that extra time to get help writing a paper or preparing for a test? Taking the time away from them would have been punishment because of one student’s poor choice.
Ted– Clearly the person who pulled the alarm is at fault. They should be subject to administrative action, and criminal punishment. We have no disagreement there. However, I do not believe an individual principal has the authority to “extend the school day.” Maybe I missed the memo. Where does she get that authority?
Gail– What about kids who work after school, had medical appointments, or tutoring? Are they not entitled to schedule those things, with the expectation school will end on time?
Mike – from the NNHS Student Handbook:
Thanks, Tricia. Based on the first sentence of the written policy you’ve posted, I’d suggest Price’s voice message was inaccurate. If as the policy states, “X blocks are part of the school day,” and on Thursdays that school day ends at 3:20, Price did not actually extend the school day unless she kept students until 3:35.
So, I’m left wondering why she said this… “I have decided to extend the school day by 15 minutes.” And… “This means that school will be out at 2:50 today.”
Either she extended the school day, or she didn’t. If she did, I take issue with that for the reasons I’ve stated above. If she didn’t, I’m wondering why she worded her voice message in a way that indicated she did.
@Mike – Just because I agree with Price’s decision doesn’t make me an apologist for her. My child never attended Newton North and I’ve had no interactions with her. I’m sure she does some things I agree with and some I disagree with. Given that classes were extended 15 minutes into a period that’s part of the regular school day, I don’t see what your problem is.
@mgwa– I think we posted at the same time. I have no issue with any principal making adjustments within a school day. The words Price used indicated that she extended the school day. She said, “I have decided to extend the school day by 15 minutes.” That appears to be an inaccurate representation of what she actually did.
Oh for goodness sake, this is getting a little silly. X blocks are part of the school day, and from what I understand students can be required to meet with teachers or make up work during that time. There are also mandatory x blocks for freshman. While students are strongly encouraged to use x blocks to meet with teachers and go to clubs, etc. they are not required to stay unless given that directive by a teacher. So yes, she extended the mandatory part of the school day by 15 minutes for all students. She was probably letting parents know, in case their kids had asked to be picked up at 2:35 because they didn’t have to stay for x block.
My son is a freshman at NNHS- that’s about right tricia- I’m still getting used to this X Block stuff.
“Extending the Day” definition is a matter of semantics.
This was a reasonable response by Jen Price who, in my daughter’s 4 years at NNHS, always impressed me with her reasoned, reasonable, and intelligent responses to situations. The NNHS community is fortunate to have her skilled leadership.
@Doug– I have to disagree. It’s not about semantics. One thing we can agree on. Jennifer Price is a smart woman who both knows the school schedule and understands the meaning of words. So when she says, “I have decided to extend the school day by 15 minutes,” that’s exactly what she meant to say. However that’s not at all what she did. In my opinion she chose her words to project a power she does not have, since an individual principal lacks the authority to “extent the school day.”
In this particular case, Jen Price was [as “W” might call her] the “decider,” as well as the disseminator. My response was based exclusively on the words she chose to use. My opinion of her however is based on more than this single instance, and the theme of my criticism is consistent. It’s based on the fact that Principal Price has in the past overstepped her authority on several occasions, sometimes in ways that have caught media attention, other times in ways that have caught mine.
Again, I have no issue with Price’s actions yesterday. My issue was based on what she said, not what she actually did.
@Mike – Whew! First Jen Price was abusing her authority via collective punishment. Then when that didn’t seem to be the case, Jen Price abused her authority by using a phrase “to project power she does not have”.
I have no idea of who Jen Price is, I’ve never met her and don’t know her history. It sure seems though that you’ve got a deep seated grudge with her if you can make such a big issue of her not unreasonable choice of a few simple words.
If, as you say, she has a history of abusing her power than you might want to hold your criticism until she does something worth criticizing. It sounds like yesterday she did what a good principal should do.
Jerry– When Doug initiated this thread yesterday, the only substantive part was the actual voice message that Principal Price sent to parents. My response was based exclusively on the content of that voice message, in which Price very clearly stated that in response to an individual student pulling a false fire alarm, “I have decided to extend the school day by 15 minutes.” Price was responsible for the content of that voice message. My response was based on the words she chose to describe the action she took.
Later in the thread, Tricia was kind enough to post the verbiage from the NNHS student handbook, which indicated quite clearly that Principal Price had mischaracterized her own action. She did not as she stated, “extend the school day by 15 minutes.” What she actually did was extend one block into another, leaving the end of the school day unchanged.
While I will argue a point of opinion all day long, I’m not one to argue against facts. As soon as the fact was brought to light that Price inaccurately characterized her action, my criticism of that action became a moot point, and I stated that in two postings above. Had Price accurately stated the action she took, I would not have criticized her for it. It was her mischaracterization that prompted my response.
So, let me ask you a question, Jerry. Why do you think Principal Price used the words that she did? As Principal she knew the school day didn’t end until 3:20. So why did she say, “I have decided to extend the school day by 15 minutes,” when that was not the case? Was it a simple mistake, or was she asserting a power she doesn’t have? I’ve given my opinion. What’s yours?
I’d say simple mistake. She should have said “extend the day’s classes” rather than “the school day”
Fair enough, Jerry. So let’s assume you’re right, and she made a mistake using the terminology she did. Do you still find fault with me for responding to her poor choice of words?
Semantics. X block doesn’t end until 3:20, but students are normally free to go at 2:25 if they haven’t been required by a teacher to stay to make up work or come to a conference.
Tricia– Here are the relevant portions of the excerpt you posted from the NNHS Student Handbook…
“X blocks are part of the school day.””On Thursdays, it is from 2:40 – 3:20.”
So what are you referring to as “semantics”? It seems extraordinarily clear. At NNHS the school day ends at 3:20 on Thursday. Principal Price did not “extend the school day.” Can we agree on that point?
Semantics: the meaning of a word or phrase. I think you’re reading waaaay too much into the phrase “extend the school day.” She was letting parents know that the last class of the day would be ending 15 minutes later than normal, and why. As a parent, I appreciated the call, and I just don’t see the hidden meaning you seem to see.
Fair point, Tricia. I’ll admit to taking Price, literally. Perhaps that was a mistake. My gut response was, as it always is, to stand up for Newton’s students.
I’m a product of Newton Public Schools. And I grew up in an era when “question authority” was a cultural mantra. That mindset stuck with me, I guess. Which is why it hits a nerve with me anytime a person in power misuses their authority.
That’s the point at which it becomes a subjective call. What constitutes an abuse of power? All I know is that Jen Price, has struck that nerve in me on more than a handful of occasions.
Perhaps I’m overly sensitive in defense of our students rights. If that’s the case I hope you’ll at least recognize my good intentions. I can assure you of one thing, I’m not going to change.
Mike, I’ve never doubted your good intentions in this discussion (or in any other virtual discussion, for that matter, whether we agreed or not.) I even voted for you a few years ago!
Has anyone heard any student reactions?