Record-Journal
10-26-2007, 11:16 PM
MERIDEN -- Discontented with the school administration, about 200 students walked out of Platt High School Friday morning.
As Meriden police officers watched, the students made their way to the sidewalks on Coe Avenue and faced their school building and a few toilet-papered trees. Some waved signs; others shouted as cars passing by honked their horns.
They had no fear.
“If you stand up for what you believe in, you need to take the repercussions for it,” said Shamara Shuff, 16.
Friday’s demonstration was over Halloween costumes. Platt’s administrative team is enforcing the district-wide dress code this year, and they said students could not come to school in costume next Wednesday.
Students are upset because at cross-town rival Maloney High School costumes will be allowed on Halloween.
“We want to wear hats,” Bethany Gagnon, 17, said. “We want to wear face paint. It’s just for one day.”
In the end, their protest succeeded as school officials told them costumes will be allowed that do not violate the dress code.
But as passionate as the students were about Halloween, they said their walkout was about more than just the holiday.
“It’s for everything we can’t do anymore,” Shuff said.
Students do not like the Board of Education’s dress code, for one thing, but Platt no longer has a homecoming dance. Students say they are worried that more traditional events and privileges will be taken away.
“I guarantee in one year they are going to make us wear uniforms,” 16-year-old Joseph Knowles said. “They are taking away my First Amendment rights here.”
Ben Haesche, 17, said there was no leader to the group of students that walked out so he took charge, motivating the crowd and telling them to stay out of the street.
Haesche said more students had been planning to participate in the walkout, but teachers stood at the front doors and warned students they would be suspended for three days if they left.
The warnings were enough to get several students to turn around, Haesche said.
But like Haesche, Dave Gavrish, 18, was not dissuaded.
“I really don’t care,” he said. “There’s enough people out here. I really don’t think they are going to do anything.”
Gavrish was right.
After spending 40 minutes outside, Principal Timothy Gaffney approached the students. He told them that the ones who went inside to the auditorium to talk with the principal would not be suspended, and most of the students followed him back inside.
Jeffrey A. Villar, the associate superintendent for instruction, attended the meeting and said school administrators had a productive dialogue with students.
Most students acted maturely during the discussion, Villar said, but about 20 students were more interested in disrupting school. Those students will get the promised suspension, he said. Platt administrators will determine the length of the suspensions.
“The student body made some concerns known,” Villar said, adding that both Halloween and homecoming were discussed.
Students will be allowed to come to school in costume next week if the attire does not violate the dress code, and Gaffney has agreed to work with students to try to revive the homecoming dance tradition.
“We might get everything we wanted,” said Candace Travali, 16.
Gaffney said he was clarifying his position on costumes Friday, but students say he reversed it. Platt’s Web site read Thursday: “To maintain educational decorum, students will NOT be allowed to wear Halloween costumes.”
Friday, the Web site was updated to say: “Students may wear costumes that conform to the Board of Education policy.”
“They went back on their word,” said Andreas Pappas, 17.
Administrators also used Friday’s meeting as a time to teach students that protests may not be the best way to handle a situation, Villar said.
“Our door is always open to talk to kids,” Gaffney said.
Travali said she and her peers may not have needed to walk out in protest, but she said extreme action was necessary.
“That was the only way they were going to listen,” Travali said.
As Meriden police officers watched, the students made their way to the sidewalks on Coe Avenue and faced their school building and a few toilet-papered trees. Some waved signs; others shouted as cars passing by honked their horns.
They had no fear.
“If you stand up for what you believe in, you need to take the repercussions for it,” said Shamara Shuff, 16.
Friday’s demonstration was over Halloween costumes. Platt’s administrative team is enforcing the district-wide dress code this year, and they said students could not come to school in costume next Wednesday.
Students are upset because at cross-town rival Maloney High School costumes will be allowed on Halloween.
“We want to wear hats,” Bethany Gagnon, 17, said. “We want to wear face paint. It’s just for one day.”
In the end, their protest succeeded as school officials told them costumes will be allowed that do not violate the dress code.
But as passionate as the students were about Halloween, they said their walkout was about more than just the holiday.
“It’s for everything we can’t do anymore,” Shuff said.
Students do not like the Board of Education’s dress code, for one thing, but Platt no longer has a homecoming dance. Students say they are worried that more traditional events and privileges will be taken away.
“I guarantee in one year they are going to make us wear uniforms,” 16-year-old Joseph Knowles said. “They are taking away my First Amendment rights here.”
Ben Haesche, 17, said there was no leader to the group of students that walked out so he took charge, motivating the crowd and telling them to stay out of the street.
Haesche said more students had been planning to participate in the walkout, but teachers stood at the front doors and warned students they would be suspended for three days if they left.
The warnings were enough to get several students to turn around, Haesche said.
But like Haesche, Dave Gavrish, 18, was not dissuaded.
“I really don’t care,” he said. “There’s enough people out here. I really don’t think they are going to do anything.”
Gavrish was right.
After spending 40 minutes outside, Principal Timothy Gaffney approached the students. He told them that the ones who went inside to the auditorium to talk with the principal would not be suspended, and most of the students followed him back inside.
Jeffrey A. Villar, the associate superintendent for instruction, attended the meeting and said school administrators had a productive dialogue with students.
Most students acted maturely during the discussion, Villar said, but about 20 students were more interested in disrupting school. Those students will get the promised suspension, he said. Platt administrators will determine the length of the suspensions.
“The student body made some concerns known,” Villar said, adding that both Halloween and homecoming were discussed.
Students will be allowed to come to school in costume next week if the attire does not violate the dress code, and Gaffney has agreed to work with students to try to revive the homecoming dance tradition.
“We might get everything we wanted,” said Candace Travali, 16.
Gaffney said he was clarifying his position on costumes Friday, but students say he reversed it. Platt’s Web site read Thursday: “To maintain educational decorum, students will NOT be allowed to wear Halloween costumes.”
Friday, the Web site was updated to say: “Students may wear costumes that conform to the Board of Education policy.”
“They went back on their word,” said Andreas Pappas, 17.
Administrators also used Friday’s meeting as a time to teach students that protests may not be the best way to handle a situation, Villar said.
“Our door is always open to talk to kids,” Gaffney said.
Travali said she and her peers may not have needed to walk out in protest, but she said extreme action was necessary.
“That was the only way they were going to listen,” Travali said.