12.27.2007
Presence
12.22.2007
Fire Extinguisher Goes Here
A Fire Extinguisher was here, in D-hall last year. Where is it now? Regardless a replacement should be instituted, because fire hazards are not very fun.
If you stole it, please tell me that you did something awesome with it. If not then, what the heck, man?! You have wasted a perfectly good chance to do something perfectly reckless.
12.20.2007
They don't have the power to do that.
On a blog-related note, updates will slow down for the next two weeks or so during Christmas/winter/holiday/"we're afraid to admit that this has anything to do with any religious denomination of any kind" break, obviously. I'll try to update it periodically, and keep looking for Pioneer-related items in the papers. Until January 7th, campers. . .
Hats of Holiday Quality
Anyway I have an opinion on cameras too, and that is that there are places where they would be practical and others where they wouldn't. In the hall we don't need them. What we need in the hall are monitors that don't weigh thousands of pounds, and do more than harass kids. Where cameras would be useful is outside. In the parking lot mostly to see who keyed your car or for the times when the parking lot is used for Michigan games. Other than that all I see that cameras would do is take away money for things we need. A number of my class rooms have faulty heating, more have faulty lighting, and all of them could end up lacking one thing or another that would need to be replaced by the money that we wouldn't have if we bought these cameras.
That's all I'm going to say on that.
12.19.2007
My Letter to the School Board
Dear Board of Education,
I am writing to you today to express my dissatisfaction with the potential implementation of security cameras at Pioneer High School. I am a student at Pioneer, and I have a number of reasons for disapproving of the measure. First of all, I believe that Mr. White has done a satisfactory job so far, and his new rules will undoubtedly deter theft to a greater degree than attempts in years past. Second, I believe that the presence of cameras will teach students that surveillance is a normal aspect of everyday life, like cafeteria food or bells at the end of class. I also believe that the cameras will be completely ineffective, and will be a waste of money. It has been my experience that the majority of thefts that occur at this school take place when students leave their backpacks unattended in a classroom (which will not be monitored) or they leave a gym locker unlocked (locker rooms will not be monitored). Finally, I believe, at the very least, that the board should wait for data from Huron High School's surveillance system and make a decision based on how effective the cameras at Huron are.
Sincerely,
****************
12.18.2007
He Loved Big Brother.
As soon as I walked in, I was handed two pieces of paper. One was being distributed by Sam and Dave DeVardi, and Student Council Executive President Bennett Stein and Will Leaf. This paper was titled "DON'T SACRIFICE PRIVACY FOR A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY." The second piece of paper was distributed by Pioneer Philosophy teacher James Robert (JR), and consisted of a statement that spoke out against the cameras.
The meeting consisted, mostly, of Mr. White and Officer Foster trying to speak, parents frequently interrupting them with questions or shouts of "Amen!", and Mrs. Macke occasionally getting so fed up that she had to stand up and tell everyone to calm the hell down. Todd Roberts, the Superintendent of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, was also in attendance, and answered a few questions during a Q&A session at the end of the meeting.
First, there was a powerpoint presentation from the administration. They reported that 500 students, or 17% of the student body, had signed a petition against the cameras. The petition was presented, now with more than 650 signatures (verified by student identification numbers), which is about 22%. I have no doubt that this petition will continue to gain signatures; if you have not signed yet, try to find it so that you can sign.
Mr. White outlined his plan for the cameras (though, by the end of the night, I couldn't find anyone who really knew what he thought the purpose was), and mentioned that "security cameras are only a small part" of the plan. He said that there were steps to his new plan:
-enforcing rules consistently among all staff members
-monitoring the physical environment of Pioneer
-educating the students and staff on how to maintain and avoid harm to property and self
-educating the students and staff on appropriate social behavior
-use technological resources to make the building secure, and to include computer-driven data and surveillance (kind of funny how he seemed to actively try to avoid using the word "camera.")
He also said that the security was important to "maintaining a well-kept physical plant." That's right, we're now a plant. Whether it's of the geranium variety or the Chernobyl variety, though, I'm almost afraid to ask. . .
Officer Foster also spoke at the meeting. He told us that Huron parents were campaigning for ten years before they got cameras this spring. Have we so quickly forgotten the lessons of Mr. Dr. Louis Young? We need to beat Huron at everything, up to and including blood drives! So, clearly, we must hold them off for at least eleven years.
Officer Foster gave some impressive statistics regarding theft. He told us that there had been 530+ thefts in the 2003-'04 school year (his first at the school), 600+ in '04-'05, 500 in '05-'06, and 580 in '06-'07. "From a police department standpoint," he said, "we have a problem.
However, there were a number of flaws in Foster's logic. He said that the most common items stolen were iPods, PSPs, cell phones and cash. Now, it seems like iPods and PSPs have already been banned from the school. Isn't that enough? The reason they were banned was that too many of them were being stolen. Doesn't this prove their point? I'd like to see statistics from this year, when these items are banned, before I decide whether this is a good idea or not (actually, I've already decided it's a bad idea. They need to wait for statistics from this year before attempting to base their reasoning in logic). Additionally, he told the attendees of the meeting that collecting specific statistics of when the items were stolen is virtually impossible, as most students only have a time frame for when they believe their property was stolen. Still, all you need to do is ask a student. I have never once heard of a student having an iPod snatched out of their hand in the hallways as if it's a crowded New York City subway. Most of the cases I hear about are the result of students leaving their backpacks alone in a classroom, or having stuff stolen out of a locker. Neither classrooms or locker rooms will be monitored. It was pointed out that a tape could show a student walking into a locker room without a backpack and walking back out with one. Here's the problem with that:
Most Common Items Stolen:
iPod-fits in a pocket
Cell Phone-fits in a pocket, assuming the model was manufactured after 1994
Sony PSP-fits in a large pocket
cash-fits in a pocket
So, as long as students are not trying to smuggle, say, a sink out of the locker room, they can easily get away with it. I don't have the figures on how many sinks were stolen last year, but I'll get on that right away.
Parents brought a few concerns up at this time, and Mr. White jumped in, yelling. "If you want to get into the numbers of what's stolen, I think that's a little unfair!" Sorry? Why is that unfair? You would think that that kind of figure would be quite important in a debate like this. Pioneer graduate Marguerite Finnegan ('07) challenged the administration on the theft point, saying that high school taught her to take care of her stuff-keep her iPod in her pocket, keep her backpack with her, that sort of thing. Well done. Honestly, if you haven't figured out how to take care of your $300 iPod that your rich daddy bought you for no apparent reason, you don't deserve to have one.
Officer Foster then spoke about the difficulties of having 10 community assistants cover around 400,000 square feet. He also spoke about the dangers of terrorism, saying we'd have to deal with the issue at some point. Honestly, it's pretty obvious cameras won't do anything to terrorists. Someone said that the cameras at Columbine provided valuable information, at which point the man next to me said, "what, 'they're dead'?" Officer Foster also mentioned that the cameras would provide 24 hours of security. I don't know about you, but that scares me. The cameras are always watching.
This part is important: Officer Foster told us that students were often reluctant to be witnesses against other students. At a later point in the meeting, a girl told Stein and Leaf that they might be intimidating and people might only say they opposed the cameras because they were not strong enough in their convictions; she compared this to the witness issue. More on this below.
Apparently there are 176 doors in this school of ours. I wonder. . .does that include the four livestock-herding doors in A-Hall? As far as I know, no reason has been given for these doors yet.
For the first time, I heard a staff member admit that community assistants are hall monitors: "In old school terms, they're called hall monitors."-Officer Foster, in response to a question about community assistants' qualifications
A week or so ago, a piece of paper was distributed to teachers telling them that cameras would be installed over winter break. The teachers were then asked: "Do you agree with this? If no, why not?" How many of you remember citizenship grades in middle school? 1s and 2s were good, 3s were average, and so on. I had a teacher who would let us assign ourselves citizenship grades. However, if you chose a 1 or a 2, you had to explain why. Needless to say, everyone got 3s. Why? Because we knew it didn't really matter, and had no effect on anything. Apparently, 17% of teachers responded that they did not agree. However, they were told, falsely, that cameras were being installed anyway; why would any of them take time out of their day to say they disagreed? Mr. White told us at the meeting that putting that false information on the survey was a mistake. Mr. Devarti was especially incensed at this, and informed Mr. White that a neutral agent would be willing to conduct a professional survey. Mr. White said that this would not be allowed to happen, and then, if he were to ask the teachers again, he would get the same response. How would he knows this? He asks them, apparently. In person. Remember the intimidation issue? What teacher is going to tell Mr. White he's wrong, to his face? Certainly, there are a few. But most would accept that the cameras were going to be installed no matter what, and just tell Mr. White what he wanted to hear.
Highlights from the session-ending Q&A session:
-Superintendent Todd Roberts assuring parents that schools can not install cameras on their own, though Mr. Roberts is apparently in agreement with Mr. White on this issue.
-The money that is being used to pay for the cameras could be used for any capital expenditure, according to Mr. Roberts.
-Mr. White said that "with cameras or without cameras, Michael White is going to monitor this building the best I can." Never mind the mixed third and first person; Surprisingly, I approve of much of what Mr. White has done so far. He has made Pioneer a safer school. So, why don't we let him try making the school better without cameras? I think he's done a pretty good job to this point.
-There have been just 5 assaults this year. I maintain that, if kids were afraid of getting caught by a camera, they'd just drag a kid into a bathroom and beat him up there.
-A community assistant will be taken out of the hallway to monitor the cameras; there will not be a new one hired.
-Mrs. Macke stated that, if we saw someone on a camera recording (if, say, someone stole something after school), it'd be hard to identify them. "Could we tell who someone is? Maybe, maybe not. Probably not."
-A parent asked if, for this reason, we had security teams working after school. The question was dodged, never to be answered.
-The screen used to monitor the cameras will have 32 images per screen. Thirty-two! It would be quite easy for a community assistant to miss a crime in progress, wouldn't it? And if they did, and failed to send other community assistants to the right place, we might never find out who it was, as Mrs. Macke so kindly told us.
-Marguerite Finnegan spoke up again, asking what it would take to change the minds of the administrators; i.e. number of signatures, etc. The answer did not bode well for Pioneer students opposed to the plan. We didn't seem to get a straight one, but it doesn't seem like the administrators want to be influenced. Looks like we have to work harder.
-Will Leaf finally got to speak near the end, and he wanted to clear up any confusion that may have resulted from the meeting. "You might have gotten the idea that the student body is conflicted on this issue–This is not the case. The student body is massively opposed." In regards to working towards the safety of students, "We are confident that we as a school can accomplish this without violating the privacy of students."
-Several individuals brought up the idea that the video tapes could be FOIAed-that is, obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request, as Pioneer is a public, state-affiliated school. This was not denied; there was not even a non-denial denial offered. Scary. This is the point at which Mr. Devarti brought up the case of the two girls kissing, as mentioned in a separate blog post below.
-One man spoke out in support of the cameras quite vigorously, implying that mere children could not be trusted with such decisions. I am 17 years old; sure, some kids will be mature before 18, some will be mature before. But I'm guessing the ones who take time out of a snow day to attend a PTSO meeting are the ones who are mature before. The man also got into a fairly entertaining verbal battle with Bennett Stein involving a toolbox-related analogy.
-Finally, an eighth-grader attended the meeting and said she was considering going to either Skyline or Community in order to avoid the cameras; many parents echoed this sentiment when speaking of their own children.
One of the big problems I have had with Mr. White this year, and adults in general, is a lack of trust in teenagers. Teenagers want to be trusted, and when we're not trusted, we fight back. In this country, you are innocent until proven guilty. Instead of getting privileges until we prove that we can not handle them, though, we had our privileges taken away at the beginning of the year, and are forced to find a way of showing our maturity before getting them back.
OFFICIAL EXECUTIVE EDIT:
"We're still trying to get statistics from Pioneer and Huron. One thing you didn't mention is that Dr. Roberts said that the decrease in incidents at Huron with surveillance cameras was nearly identical to the decrease at Pioneer without surveillance cameras.
Everyone, write to the school board. They want to hear from students.
Party on. "-Bennett Stein, via comment
That concludes the big ol' camera meeting post. I've finished all four pages of notes I took. Hope you read at least some of it and got some valuable information; we need more support for this. Sign the petition, show up to the school board meeting in January. Don't compromise!
Example of a misused surveillance camera
You can find the article here:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003683333_gigharbor27m.html
Or read it here:
Gig Harbor school tape of kiss leads to complaint
Seattle Times staff reporter
The principal of Gig Harbor High School said Thursday that a school official should not have shown the parents of a student the video-surveillance footage of the girl kissing another girl in the cafeteria. And he vowed that such an incident wouldn't happen again.
But Principal Greg Schellenberg said an investigation has found that no rules or policies were broken.
"It wasn't a violation of policy and procedure ... but we all agree it was not a good use of surveillance," Schellenberg said. "It was an abnormal use of our equipment and it won't happen again. This is not a Big Brother institution."
Even so, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington said the group plans to look into the matter.
"I have a hard time believing this incident would've been handled the same way if it was a heterosexual couple," said spokesman Doug Honig.
Earlier this year, Schellenberg said, the parents of the sophomore girl asked the school's dean of students, Keith Nelson, to alert them if school officials noticed their daughter engaged in any "unusual behavior."
Then in early February, a video camera in the cafeteria recorded a kiss between the sophomore and a senior girl, Schellenberg said.
Nelson showed the video to the sophomore's parents, who then transferred her to a school outside the Peninsula School District, Schellenberg said.
An investigation ensued after the 17-year-old senior complained that her privacy had been invaded, the principal said. But there is nothing in district policy addressing these particular circumstances, he said. The video has since been automatically erased from the school's system.
Honig said the incident raises "several concerns about the use of video cameras to track students' lives."
"If the cameras are being used to deal with security and vandalism problems, their use should be limited to that," Honig said.
Lisa Kelly, a University of Washington law professor who heads a Children and Youth Advocacy Clinic, said that the teens don't have a very high expectation for privacy in a public place such as a cafeteria.
Even so, Kelly agreed that it was troubling that school officials would interpret a kiss between two girls "as unusual or aberrant behavior."
"If she'd been making out with a boy, would that be unusual behavior?" Kelly said.
Schellenberg granted that Nelson could have simply told the girl's parents what had happened without showing them the video. But he said that the school would have handled it the same way had she been kissing a boy.
Sanity is not statistical.
Note that the Ann Arbor News is one of the few places you could have found out about the meeting. Many, myself included, expected it to be postponed because of the snow day, and the Ann Arbor Public Schools website was down for much of the day, a result of the thousands of students checking the website to see if school had been canceled. Apparently, a few students planned to make an announcement yesterday informing students of the meeting; however, we didn't have school, so the announcement was not made. Most of the students I spoke with today had no idea there was such a meeting. Am I supposed to believe that that was an accident on the part of the administration, a mere side effect to letting the meeting go on as planned, when most students wouldn't know about it and the ones who did would think it had been canceled? I guess you can make that judgment for yourself. For now, here are a few of the articles.
Yesterday:
BY DAVID JESSE
The Ann Arbor News
As Pioneer High School administrators tried to make a case for adding security cameras to the Ann Arbor school at a parent information session Monday night, they found a few supporters amongst the doubters.
But a majority of the 50 or so parents, teachers and students who turned out for the meeting remained skeptical about whether the advantages of the cameras outweighed the drawbacks.
Senior William Leaf said he's never seen students as opposed to any measure as they are to this one. They believe there are creative ways to solve security problems without resorting to the cameras, he said.
Senior Charlie Lovell said he supports the cameras. "It makes sense because it's always there," he said, noting that Pioneer is open to the public for many hours beyond the regular school day.
The district has received bids to place 53 cameras at the school at a cost of $80,000. The school board is expected to vote on the bids at its Jan. 23 meeting.
More than 650 students - out of a student body of about 3,000 - have signed a petition asking for the cameras not to be installed. Students opposed to the cameras have cited privacy issues, worries about how the images will be used and concerns that the cameras will teach the students that governmental surveillance is OK.
Principal Michael White told the sometimes combative crowd Monday night that he supports the addition of the cameras.
"The cameras are only a small part of our plan to make Pioneer a safe, secure and welcome environment," he said. "Technology is only one of the aspects."
"From the police department perspective, there is a problem" at Pioneer, he said. "Cameras are just a tool ... It's not the cure-all.
"We're not trying to intrude on anyone's privacy," he said. "We're trying to keep your children as safe as possible."
However, students pointed out that the numbers of thefts and fights so far this school year are down. They said that continuing White's work on creating a new culture at the school is preferable to the cameras.
Marilyn Sherman, who has had children at the school and who didn't send her ninth-grade daughter to Pioneer because of safety issues, likes the idea of adding the cameras.
"I believe the school needs to get all the help it can for safety," she said. "There are major safety issues at this school."
----------------Here's an article about the "community assistants" from yesterday's paper.
Patrolling the halls of Pioneer High
Posted by David Jesse | The Ann Arbor News December 17, 2007 07:02AM
Percy Brown, the lead community assistant at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, monitors a hallway at the school between classes last week."It's hard not to see the point of those parents who want to protect their student's privacy. But this is not about that, it's about their safety. I feel a strong responsibility for protecting these students. In no way are we going to use this to violate their privacy." - Cheryl Haller, a community assistant at Pioneer High, talking about proposed security cameras.
BY DAVID JESSE
The Ann Arbor News
The small figure reflected in a concave mirror hanging high up in the clock tower staircase drew Percy Brown's attention as soon as he walked through the stairwell doors on a recent morning.
There was no good reason for a student to be sitting at the top of the staircase during first hour at Pioneer High School.
Brown, the school's lead community assistant, questioned the student and determined she had come late to school because of the weather and, instead of going to class, had settled into a quiet corner.
After Brown chased her along to class, he called a custodian to haul away two chairs other students had dragged into the stairwell and to paint over some graffiti.
It's a typical morning for Brown, one of 10 community assistants who patrol the halls of Pioneer High School. The assistants make sure students are in class when they should be, escort disruptive students to the principal's office when needed and monitor the overcrowded hallways during passing time in between classes.
In short, they keep their eyes on students.
By the end of next month, they could have help monitoring the 3,000 students who roam the halls, if the school board decides to buy more than 50 electronic surveillance cameras as recommended by high school and district administrators.
The school board had been scheduled to vote on the recommendation last Wednesday night, but that has been delayed until Jan. 23 so that a public meeting can be held on the issue at Pioneer. That meeting will be held at 7 p.m. today.
The plan to install cameras has drawn fire from the American Civil Liberties Union and many students and parents, who complain that the cameras will violate students' privacy and train them to accept governmental surveillance.
However, district administrators and the community assistants say the cameras are a good way to improve safety at the school.
Mixed reviews
Count freshman James Hochrein among those who don't want to see the cameras added.
"I don't think it's a good idea," he said. "It's an invasion of privacy."
Hochrein also said students who want to cause trouble will just move out of range of the cameras.
Community assistant Cheryl Haller disagrees on the privacy point.
"It's hard not to see the point of those parents who want to protect their student's privacy," she said while standing in the hallway in front of Pioneer's gym. "But this is not about that, it's about their safety. I feel a strong responsibility for protecting these students. In no way are we going to use this to violate their privacy."
The plans call for the cameras to be set up in the parking lots and in main hallways, but not in classrooms, locker rooms or restrooms.
"I don't think it's a good idea. It's an invasion of privacy."- Pioneer High freshman James Hochrein, who opposes the installation of security cameras in the school. |
Long-time community assistant and former Pioneer police liaison officer John Devine said the cameras will be helpful.
"If we can see someone going into a locker room not wearing a backpack or carrying something and coming out with one, we can ask them about it," Devine said. "It's not only for the daytime, when students are here, but also for the evening. It's safe here, but this will help us be safer."
Jessica Detering, a freshman, said she feels safe but theft is a problem at the school. She thinks the cameras should only be installed in the parking lots, "not in every corner."
Figures from the Ann Arbor Police Department back up her concern about theft at the school. In a memo to Superintendent Todd Roberts, Jack Foster, who is the school's police liaison officer, said theft is the biggest problem at the school.
In 2006-07, 580 thefts were reported, compared to 500 during 2005-06.
"The most common items of stolen property were: cell phones, ipods, Sony PSP players, money," Foster wrote in the Dec. 11, 2007, memo. Most of the internal school theft reports had no suspect information and no witnesses. The majority of the internal thefts remain unsolved.
"If we were to estimate the dollar amount for the 2006-07 school year and used $100 dollars as the average value per electronic device, the value of the stolen goods would be $58,000, the memo continued.
"Evaluating the data of Pioneer high school is comparative to the crime rate of a small town."
During a recent lunch period, several students said they didn't think the cameras would stop anyone from doing whatever he or she intended to do.
Other students, led by student body president Bennett Stein, say the issue is not just about security vs. invasion of individual students' privacy but also about what message the school will be sending students.
"I want to be safe in my school and I want my fellow students to be safe in my school," Stein said. But, he said, he doesn't want the school to teach students that surveillance by the government is an accepted practice. "We believe it can be done more effectively and without the destruction of the learning environment."
Percy Brown, the lead community assistant at Pioneer High School, monitors a hallway last week.Surveying the scene
About halfway down each hallway on a recent school day, a community assistant either stood or sat. The school's long, straight hallways make it easy to see in each direction. Standing in the intersection of the hallways, a community assistant can see all the way down two hallways at a time.
It's a bit bigger challenge when the crowd of students spills out of classrooms.
That's when the community assistants treat the crowd as a sailor would the ocean. Any change in the wave pattern - either a slowing down or a speeding up - can indicate problems and set off an alarm in a community assistant's head.
On this morning, the hallways were normal: There was chatter about the previous weekend, a few students resigned to slogging their way through another week of school, students clandestinely talking on cell phones and some bumping and shoving as students tried to get through the crowded halls to class.
Brown's role most days is to roam the school. He stops in rest rooms, making sure no one is hiding in stalls.
In the portable classroom wing's men's bathroom, he noticed some new graffiti and called for it to be covered.
He pushed on most of the 200 doors leading to the outdoors, checking to make sure they are locked. He checks entrances to tunnels that run underneath the school, making sure they're secured.
As students pass by during class time, he checks passes and asks students to take their hats and hoods off.
He also cracks jokes with students as they wander down the halls. That's an important part of the job, said his colleague, Cheryl Haller.
"The relationship skills are critical," said Haller. "The cameras are going to help us do our jobs, not replace us."
----------------
The Ann Arbor News is featuring a focus in the opinion section of their online newspaper relating to the cameras. Thanks to Neil Parikh, Duncan Polot, Jesse Fernandez, Sera Bird (even if I don't agree with the argument, it's still good to have enough faith in your argument to express it in a newspaper) and Lauren Tagliaferro for writing in.
Cameras won't improve security
I am a student at Pioneer High School, and I am writing in response to the article "Students, ACLU oppose cameras at Pioneer.'' Superintendent Todd Roberts says that security cameras are necessary to deter theft and harassment at Pioneer High School. Roberts said, "The feedback I've received from the administration, parents and staff has been very positive.'' I don't think that installing 70 security cameras will improve the school's security, and neither does the majority of the student body. I agree with Bennett Stein of the student council when he said, "Security cameras are an easy - but not proven effective - solution.''
Recently, the school board received bids from companies looking to install the security system. Bids reached $80,000, and I think that money could be put to much better use to help the students and staff. Despite the fact that Pioneer needs various repairs, and we've lost a lot of funding, $80,000 is being taken out of our budget to fund the security cameras, while class sizes have increased and budgets cuts have been made around the school. I hope that the school and Superintendent Todd Roberts reconsider their decision to install security cameras in Pioneer.
Neil B. Parikh, Ann Arbor
Money for cameras can be better used
I am a student at Pioneer High School. After reading the recent article about security cameras at Pioneer, some questions and concerns arose. Before reading the article, I was oblivious to the security camera plan. However, it didn't surprise me that the administration had a plan like this. There have been a lot of changes to Pioneer this year and this just seemed like one more.
Nonetheless, I'd be interested to know exactly why Superintendent Todd Roberts thinks that the issues at Pioneer have reached a level that we need to put in cameras. I find it unfair that the plan was never announced to us students.
The reason that the cameras at Huron High School were installed is because parents campaigned for them. The opposite is true at Pioneer. I am also curious as to how the cameras at Huron have worked out. Is the crime rate at Huron actually lower because of the cameras? Until I hear of a significant change in the crime rate, it isn't right to install cameras at Pioneer.
Last of all, I am doubtful of the necessity of the cameras. Principal Michael White's new rules have completely changed the school climate. I don't think that any additional change will help. The price of the cameras will probably end up hurting the school more than it helps. The money can go to a more beneficial cause. All in all, I think that the security cameras are a bad move by the administration.
Duncan L. Polot, Ann Arbor
Cameras would be invasion of privacy
I am a freshman at Pioneer High School, and I believe that having security cameras throughout the school would be a severe invasion of privacy.
The thought of having someone watching me at all times in the hall makes me feel very weird. I believe we should just have different consequences for fights. But not everyone at Pioneer gets into fights, so not all of our privacy should be invaded.
Jesse B. Fernandez, Ann Arbor
Cameras won't invade privacy
I am a freshman at Pioneer High School, and I have read articles about many students opposing the security cameras at Pioneer. I agree with Superintendent Todd Roberts that the security cameras should be installed. I don't see how security cameras installed only in hallways and other public areas can be an invasion of privacy.
Unless you do something bad, you have no reason to be an object of interest on the cameras. Although the cameras will cost a great deal of money, it will be worth the longterm effect. Hopefully, students, once they realize they will most likely be caught for doing something wrong, will discontinue their unsafe and unwise actions. This year, a student's violin case was broken into and the lock was destroyed, so the student's violin is now permanently unlocked. If there was some significant complaint from students at Huron High School, then I would not support the installation of the security cameras.
Sera A. Bird, Ann Arbor
Cameras are not in the best interest
As a Pioneer High School student, I don't support installing security cameras in the school. I believe that the immense amount of money that will be used for installation could be better used for both the students and teachers. I have seen great teachers let go, and using our budget for cameras is not in the best interest of the school. I believe that most school crimes are committed in the restrooms and locker rooms, where cameras cannot be placed. I also know that fighting will continue off school grounds where students can't be caught on tape. Staff members should be in the halls discouraging negative behavior, rather than Ann Arbor Public Schools spending $80,000 dollars to take away students' right to privacy.
Lauren E. Tagliaferro, Ann Arbor
----------------
Here's the notice from the Ann Arbor News about the meeting; judging from the time, it looks like it was actually too late to appear in the actual paper.
The parent meeting to be held at Pioneer High School tonight at 7 p.m. is still scheduled to go on - despite the snow day for Pioneer students, district spokeswoman Liz Margolis said.
The meeting is planned to discuss the addition of more than 50 security cameras to the school.
The cameras have been opposed by the school's Student Council, many other students, parents and the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The meeting will take place in the school's Little Theater.
--------------------And here's the article from today's paper about the meeting last night.
Video monitors defended
As Pioneer High School administrators tried to make a case for adding security cameras to the Ann Arbor school at a parent information session Monday night, they found a few supporters amongst the doubters.
But a majority of the 50 or so parents, teachers and students who turned out for the meeting remained skeptical about whether the advantages of the cameras outweighed the drawbacks.
Senior William Leaf said he's never seen students as opposed to any measure as they are to this one. They believe there are creative ways to solve security problems without resorting to the cameras, he said.
Senior Charlie Lovell said he supports the cameras. "It makes sense because it's always there,'' he said, noting that Pioneer is open to the public for many hours beyond the regular school day.
The district has received bids to place 53 cameras at the school at a cost of $80,000. The school board is expected to vote on the bids at its Jan. 23 meeting.
More than 650 students - out of a student body of about 3,000 - have signed a petition asking for the cameras not to be installed. Students opposed to the cameras have cited privacy issues, worries about how the images will be used and concerns that the cameras will teach the students that governmental surveillance is OK.
Principal Michael White told the sometimes combative crowd Monday night that he supports the addition of the cameras.
"The cameras are only a small part of our plan to make Pioneer a safe, secure and welcome environment,'' he said. "Technology is only one of the aspects.''
Ann Arbor Police Officer Jack Foster, the liaison officer assigned to Pioneer, said the cameras would be useful in investigations into the nearly 600 thefts that occurred last year.
"From the police department perspective, there is a problem'' at Pioneer, he said. "Cameras are just a tool ... It's not the cure-all.
"We're not trying to intrude on anyone's privacy,'' he said. "We're trying to keep your children as safe as possible.''
However, students pointed out that the numbers of thefts and fights so far this school year are down. They said that continuing White's work on creating a new culture at the school is preferable to the cameras.
Marilyn Sherman, who has had children at the school and who didn't send her ninth-grade daughter to Pioneer because of safety issues, likes the idea of adding the cameras.
"I believe the school needs to get all the help it can for safety,'' she said. "There are major safety issues at this school.''
--------------By the way, I'm pretty sure they meant Charlie Cavell, not Lovell. More coming later tonight.
12.17.2007
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
12.16.2007
The Opposite of Wishful Thinking
Excellent.
The only bad part about this is that the meeting relating to the new cameras will, in all likelihood, be canceled (although I have no idea, because I still can't get to the website-too much traffic). Hopefully, it will be rescheduled for a date in the near future. Updates when we get them.
12.15.2007
Learning How to Respect Your Class of 08 Less and Less with Captain Obvious
Gold Lion covered most of the stupidity of this assembly already, but failed to mention our new conflict-management-like program. With this program if you are having issues, such as shown on their video presentation as: Relationship problems, people cheating off of you, and one other thing I can't remember, then you can talk to some of our peers and they'll make it all better. I honestly just can't even comprehend how stupid this is. Are be back in elementary school? I guess so.
No offence, but I would never go to a single one of the people involved with this with any of my problems. It just seems like it would make a problem worse, they would give me terrible advice, I would follow it, and my problem would get even worse. Maybe I'm quick to judge, maybe I should "try it before I knock it," but my initial reaction to this is as you can see negative.
12.14.2007
Idiot Sandwiches
"Now, I know that there are not 632 of you here. Some of your class has decided to skip this, so they can go to Izzy's and be first in line and get their idiot sandwiches."
Yes. Idiot sandwiches. I've spent the rest of the day trying to figure out if he's saying that you have to be an idiot to buy one of these sandwiches or if the sandwiches themselves are idiots. Either way, I think Izzy's should be notified.
Of course, this all reflects the brilliant decision on the part of the administration to put the senior class assembly directly before lunch and the junior class meeting directly after. Now, at this point in the year, there might be a few sophomores who have cars, but only a few. Why would you give the two classes that have the most drivers the opportunity to take a two-hour lunch? Frankly, I'm surprised anyone showed up.
In semi-surveillance-related news, Mr. White repeatedly said he respects our opinions during his speech at the end. Well, we have to prove to him that we have those opinions, and that we're not willing to let the school install cameras as if it's a casual change of policy. . .
Also, Mr. Reece told the seniors that they get out of class on May 23rd. I'm writing this down just to make sure I have the exact date he told us. If they back away from that now, we know they told us something different. . .
12.13.2007
Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they can not become conscious.
Editorial
Go easy in surveilling students
Ann Arbor's school cameras raise Big Brother concerns
The Detroit News
Most of the time, we consider the rights of school children to be limited pretty much to the right to come to class, the right to learn their lessons from a competent teacher and the right to behave themselves.
But the students at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School who are claiming a right to privacy in objecting to the security cameras that cover nearly every inch of public space in the building have a compelling argument.
The Washtenaw County school district installed the cameras in hallways and other common areas as a security measure, joining school districts across the state and country in trying to more closely monitor what goes on inside their buildings.
The student council at Pioneer High School has enlisted the help of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan in fighting the expanded surveillance.
Again, we think it's rare when the ACLU adds to the quality of the educational experience.
But the security cameras make us twitch. ACLU of Michigan Legal Director Michael J. Steinberg correctly expresses concern that saturating public schools with video cameras will condition students "to accept that surveillance is normal."
It isn't normal, and it most often isn't necessary.
School officials say security trumps privacy, but there's no evidence that keeping students under constant watch improves safety.
There may be places in the building where cameras are appropriate -- entranceways, for example. But students shouldn't have to live with the knowledge that their every move is being watched by someone.
We want our children to be safe when they attend school. We also want them to behave appropriately.
But we don't want them to learn to live in a constantly surveilled society where they are nervous about expressing themselves publicly for fear of recrimination. George Orwell wrote a pretty good book about the dangers of that sort of place.
There should be enough adults in school buildings to police the hallways without having to take a Big Brother approach to tracking students.
Freedom is Slavery
EDIT: comment from Student Council Executive President Bennett Stein.
"Yo,
Thanks for all your coverage on the surveillance camera issue.
The "Opinion Poll" that was sent out to teachers today in 3rd hour reads, "Security cameras will be installed in our buildings. The installation timeline is December 26, 2007-January 31, 2008."
THIS IS NOT TRUE. NO DECISION HAS BEEN MADE. The survey is faulty and its results will not mean anything. The decision on the cameras will be made by the school board, not Mr. White, on January 23. As Gold Lion posts, come to the meeting next Monday at 7 pm in the Little Theater. I have been promised there will be time for public commentary. Bring your parents, your friends, bring everyone to be part of this important decision making process.
Students need to stay involved. The Ann Arbor Public Schools Communications Directory, Liz Margolis, ended an interview with Mitch Albom last week, in response to Albom's support of students, saying, "the key point is they're just kids." The schools are saying that?! We need to show the administration and the community that we're not "just kids" and that we are concerned and we need to have a voice in this important decision. Send letters to the school board, Mr. White, the Ann Arbor News, come out to the meeting on Monday, and the school board meetings in the future. The decision makers need to hear from the people most directly affected, students."
Show up. The work done by Pioneer students thus far has been outstanding, with letters appearing almost daily in the paper. But it's not enough until we make a difference, until the idea of cameras is shut down once and for all. . .
There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment.
Anyway, this all drives home the point that we need people at the parent meeting on Monday, December 17th, at 7 PM. It'll be the last official time before the break to make your opinions known, and if they think they're installing the cameras over break, that's important.
Fire?
12.12.2007
And the Letters Keep Coming in. . .
http://www.mlive.com/annarbor/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-0/119747437742610.xml&coll=2
Why aren't more of us aware of 'problems' at Pioneer High?
I'm a senior at Pioneer High School, and I attended the Nov. 28 Ann Arbor School Board meeting to support my peers who spoke against the intentions to install 53 surveillance cameras in and around the Pioneer campus.
Most agree that achievement and maintenance of safety in public schools is of utmost importance; Pioneer High School should absolutely feel secure and protected. The conflict with the proposed implementation of cameras within the school and around Pioneer, then, arises from a combination of factors and causes.
First, many students and citizens are not aware of the "problems'' the cameras are intended to address. I don't deny that problems exist, but I'm rarely, if ever, conscious of serious behavioral or criminal concerns within the school. Many of my peers also feel in the dark regarding these problems, and thus opposed to seemingly radical solutions to issues we know nothing about.
As a student, I feel I have the right to know about major concerns and problems occurring in the establishment where I spend most of my time. Clearly, information needs to be available, and multiple options must be thoroughly evaluated. Cameras may in fact be the solution, but until students, parents, administration, the school board and citizens are aware of the problem, the community will not be able to come to a fair and effective solution.
Also, no concrete evidence is available to support that cameras would directly solve said "problems.'' The success of Huron's cameras apparently rests upon "anecdotal'' data, and few alternative (more efficient and cost effective) options have been considered or reviewed. It's possible that cameras could reduce theft or crime, but shouldn't we explore alternatives that allow students, staff, administration and the public to work actively and cooperatively to achieve a common goal?
A combination of these reasons makes many members of the Pioneer community more opposed to the seemingly reticent manner in which the school board decided on the cameras, than the actual cameras themselves. Lack of information, reporting and outside involvement make the proposal seem more like a decree than a cooperative dialogue. My class peers and fellow Ann Arbor citizens should have a chance to creatively brainstorm more cost efficient and less obtrusive methods to resolve the problems.
Principal Michael White has already significantly improved Pioneer's atmosphere; he announced recently that over 400 students earned all As first quarter, nearly a
200-student increase from last year. Since White assumed his position, there has been an overall positive reaction to his proactive programs and guidelines. With such encouraging effects in less than four months, there is every reason to believe that the school will continue to resolve its issues of theft and violence without the addition of cameras.
Additional discussion between multiple groups at Pioneer (students and administration) can ensure that this trend will continue to move forward.
Finally, I'd like to point out that whether or not you agree with the proposal, we should all be extremely proud of the students who spoke eloquently and intelligently at the board meeting on Nov. 28; Ann Arbor should be thrilled to boast such accomplished and confident young adults. I hope that the school board and administration will come to trust and value their student's input, and give us an opportunity to have a bigger role in future decisions regarding key matters of discussion and concern.
About the writer: Leigh Sugar, an Ann Arbor resident, is a senior at Pioneer High School and a student council class representative.12.11.2007
Fear and Loathing in the Little Theater
This means we should have had at least one "school-wide fun activity" and possibly two. How many have we had? Maybe I've missed them, but I've counted zero. Does this mean we don't have to obey the blue slips until we get our fun days?
I've heard of at least one teacher (not revealing any names, as I don't want to cause a teacher to get into trouble or anything) refusing to give out blue slips because they don't make sense.
Why do I bring this up? Today, in second hour, I received my first blue slip. I won't say what it was, but I will say this: I knew I was being falsely accused, punished for a crime I didn't commit. However, I couldn't see the teacher who apparently gave me the slip until fourth hour. So I decided to show up to the Little Theater for lunch, as had been requested of me; partially out of respect for the rules, stupid as they are, and partially out of curiosity.
What I saw was not what I expected. I expected to not be able to talk, or to do homework. Instead, once I got inside, I saw people sitting together, yelling, talking on cell phones. Of course, I was the only one doing homework, but I was also listening. I heard stories from other individuals telling their friends about how they had gotten blue slips every day and never come. These students hadn't been consequenced for this, either. Detention's purpose? It's basically a physical manifestation of your honor level punishment, to make sure you know you're being punished. Detention is there for the sole purpose of telling us we're no longer welcome at Beach Bash. . .
For the record, there were about 40 or 50 people in the theater; it seats about 250. If you get detention, and you're a normally upstanding member of society, and you choose to go, just tell your friends to come with you. It's just like eating in a classroom.
A Moment of Silence.
http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/200
A Dexter High School student killed in a single-car crash near the school this morning has been identified as Tyler Steffey.
Steffey, 16, was sitting in the rear seat of 1996 Honda that slid off the road and struck a tree along Parker Road south of Shield Road in Lima Township, said Washtenaw County Sheriff's Cmdr. Dave Egeler.
The 17-year-old driver and a front-seat passenger, 16, also Dexter High students, sustained minor injuries.
The roadway, just a half-mile from the school, was closed for several hours after the 11 a.m. crash.
The initial investigation showed the car was northbound on Parker and lost control on a slippery patch before sliding sideways off the roadway and into an oak tree on the passenger's side, Egeler said. The vehicle stopped after striking another oak tree head on.
The side of the vehicle caved in and the driver side door was stuck on a split rail fence.
The teens all were wearing seat belts. The crash remains under investigation but Egler said speed and road conditions may be factors.
"The road was slushy and icy and we think it was weather related," he said.
Camera meeting
Also, kudos to the plethora (great word) of Pioneer students writing in to the Ann Arbor News about the cameras. I must have seen at least five or six letters from Pioneer students in the Opinion section, in addition to a few parents. Keep up the good work. Make your voice heard!
12.02.2007
Stein brings more attention to camera issue
Cameras at Pioneer High School would promote fear, anxiety
Every day in high school civics classes, students learn the significance and meaning of the Bill of Rights. From memorizing their order to understanding their implications, the importance of these amendments are constantly stressed.
Yet beginning in the next few months, the Bill of Rights curriculum at Pioneer High School will take a dramatic turn as Ann Arbor Public Schools begins a proposed plan to install about 55 security cameras within and around Pioneer High School. In just a few short months, students will leave the civics lessons behind in their classrooms, and in the halls they will be discouraged to exercise their right to privacy and their freedom of speech and association.
The video cameras and the ideas they promote are extremely detrimental to the school's learning environment as well as to the whole community and its future. While Pioneer students may continue to excel inside of the classroom, these lessons will be overshadowed by what is taught by camera-laden hallways.
Furthermore, surveillance cameras create an environment that discourages learning and promotes fear and distrust. Recently, the Pioneer administration implemented new programs to promote respect and responsibility in the student body. These programs emphasize punishments for individual students' negative actions. Revoking all students' privacy and sending the message of absolute distrust is antithetical to not only these specific goals but also to the common scholastic goals of education and development.
Video cameras would create fear and anxiety amongst students and teachers who are falsely told they are in immediate danger. In order to create an environment conducive to learning, the school must be structured to empower the students. The students must believe that their actions not only have been acknowledged, but also matter and are important. As students begin to make every decision based on being watched, they no longer grow as individuals but solely as what the cameras want them to be.
Every action any student, teacher or administrator makes in the hallways or parking lots at Pioneer will now be open to the public forum. As the school will store the video for 30 days after it is taken, the public information will be subject to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA). Under this law, anybody will be able to obtain the video footage taken within the school. The video records can easily be used, not for safety, but for personal application. Whether posting high school hand-holding on YouTube and MySpace or monitoring the daily habits of an enemy from a home computer, everything in the school will be subject to the dangers of the Internet.
If these cameras are installed, the hallways at Stadium and Main will teach students to accept governmental surveillance. One of Pioneer's most important functions as a school is to teach students to be active citizens. Especially in a time when privacy rights are frequently threatened, students must be encouraged to work to preserve the liberties they are entitled to, not just to accept what is given to them. No matter what one's political beliefs, the importance of civic duty must be amplified for students, not muted.
One important aspect of each citizen's civic duty is discussion of government and public actions. The Ann Arbor Public Schools district is prepared to spend $75,000 on installation alone, not taking into account the recurring upkeep expenses of the cameras. This money has been earmarked before presenting any plans to the public for their implementation. Neither the school board nor the Pioneer administration has presented any evidence that this invasive and expensive program will reduce crime. Columbine High School and Virginia Tech University both had surveillance cameras in place when violence erupted on school grounds, and neither system prevented the resulting tragedies.
Many other offenses are committed in bathrooms and locker rooms, which cannot and should not be monitored by cameras. The $75,000 should not be used to cripple student growth and individuality, but could be used to promote safety in more effective ways such as increasing the adult presence in the school. While a camera has only one function, a hall monitor can function as a powerful crime deterrent as well as a positive influence and support.
The Pioneer Student Council has passed a resolution pressing school administration to avoid installation of any surveillance cameras within Pioneer. The resolution also states that any decisions concerning surveillance within our school result from extensive dialogues with students, teachers and parents. Pioneer High School is a crucial community resource; any decisions that may negatively affect its ability to mature future citizens should be publicly scrutinized. Because a community forum to discuss the installation of surveillance cameras at Pioneer High has yet to be organized by the school's administration, any plans to install surveillance cameras within Pioneer must be strongly opposed.
About the writer: Bennett Stein, an Ann Arbor resident, is president of the Pioneer High School Executive Student Council.
Pioneer getting attention in Detroit
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711300395
Camera plan pits security vs. privacy
Student council enlists ACLU to fight school district
November 30, 2007
When Ann Arbor Schools officials brought up the idea of putting surveillance cameras in Pioneer High School, the student council acted quickly. It passed a resolution against the plan and brought in the American Civil Liberties Union.
School officials said vandalism and theft have been a problem at the school and the cameras are a step toward curbing that.
But, "We as Pioneer students were concerned about our privacy, and also about the way that it was brought about," said Bennett Stein, 17, student council executive president, said of the plan. "It was never brought to any student body. Obviously they have to make a lot of decisions without that input, but this is a very big issue, a very important issue."
"We know some people aren't happy," said Ann Arbor Public Schools spokeswoman Liz Margolis, adding that Pioneer, with 3,000 students, is the largest high school in the state.
"They're doing a very good job of stating their concerns. But we really feel their security trumps that, at this point," she said.
Security cameras are fast becoming commonplace in schools across the country. No one knows what percentage of schools have added cameras, but almost all large school systems have them, said Ronald Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center.
But some worry that the cameras infringe on civil rights and question whether they help with security. The ACLU has requested records from Plymouth Canton, Farmington and other school districts to find out what effect the cameras have had on student safety.
"The ACLU is deeply concerned that public high schools are conditioning students to accept that surveillance is normal," said Mike Steinberg, legal director of the group's Michigan chapter and parent of a Pioneer student.
"Schools are supposed to use their precious resources to teach students to appreciate the freedoms we have in this country, not to create a big brother atmosphere."
The Ann Arbor school board is to take up the issue at its next meeting Dec. 12.
Advocates say cameras are a logical and effective way to help keep kids safe.
"For years we've protected hamburger better than we do our kids," said Ken Trump of National School Safety and Security Services. "In the post-Columbine era, there has been greater emphasis on it, for those schools that can afford it."
What is affordable varies from district to district. Ann Arbor plans to spend $88,000 for 53 digital cameras, Margolis said. The district put in a similar system at Huron High School in March. Principal Arthur Williams said there hasn't been a lot of time to weigh the cameras' effectiveness, but he said he believes thefts have dropped off dramatically.
Pioneer's cameras would be in public areas and not classrooms, bathrooms or locker rooms, Margolis said. And the videos would only be viewed by the principal and what the district calls community workers, employees who help patrol hallways and other public areas.
But Stein said the videos can be obtained by others through the Freedom of Information Act. "It could be posted on YouTube; anything could be taken out of context," he said. "I think people are concerned they're not going to only be used for safety."
Contact PEGGY WALSH-SARNECKI at 586-469-4681 or pwalsh@freepress.com.
12.01.2007
Back by Popular Demand. . .sort of.
One thing that is still kind of almost timely is the reason we had the half day. We get six half days this year, roughly one every month. We get these half day because of all the time the administration saved by cutting our lunch by eleven minutes. And here I was, thinking our lunch got cut because of some state mandate. I don't know about the rest of you, but I think I might prefer the old lunch to random 3/5 days.
Hopefully more to come on this thing, depending on how often I remember to write.