I get personally irked by graduation speeches that get turned into a bully pulpit to discuss political postures outside the bounds of the academic, graduate, etc., experience.
But it seems to me that a speech that is critical of the school itself and how it’s run is perfectly appropriate — but even though many of the listeners seemed to agree, the administration of this school doesn’t.
A top student who’s going to Smith College on a full scholarship this fall, Schley was brutally honest about the High School of Legal Studies during Thursday’s graduation ceremonies in Bushwick.
Among her gripes: The school has had four principals in four years, overcrowded classes, a shortage of textbooks and other basic materials, unqualified teachers, unstable staffing and uncaring administrators who refused to meet with students to discuss the school’s problems.
“They always want to keep the problems hush-hush, but what goes on in this school is real,” said Tiffany, who was also the editor of the school newspaper, yearbook chairwoman and a member of the student council.
One teacher who attended the graduation said the audience was shocked by the speech. “The administration was very nervous, but the students were definitely in support of her,” the teacher said.
When Schley came to school yesterday to pick up her diploma with the rest of her classmates, she and her mother were told they had been disrespectful and were escorted out of the building.
Hey, now there’s a lesson to teach people — especially in a magnet school for Legal Studies. Guess they never quite made it to Constitutional Studies …
“We feel that her schoolmates are deserving of an apology,” said Education Department spokesman Stephen Morello. “It was a celebratory day for all of them.”
Has anyone asked the schoolmates? Or is it someone else who thinks they “deserve” an apology.
Unless there were particular conditions placed upon the speech’s content, seems to me like this sort of thing ought to fall under whistle-blowing laws …
(via Les)