NYC Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels visited the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus in Fordham this week. Around 150 people packed the gymnasium of the campus.
The campus houses six schools: Fordham High School for the Arts, West Bronx Academy for the Future, Theodore Roosevelt High School, Kappa International High School, Fordham Leadership Academy and Belmont Preparatory High School.
Students from each school attended the event along with parents who came to voice their wants and concerns about NYC public schools.
The event commenced with a recital of the pledge of allegiance, followed by a Whitney Houston-themed ballet performance from senior dance majors from Fordham High School.
Chancellor Samuels explained that student voices are valuable in public school conversations based on his 20 years working for the Department of Education (DOE).
“What I’ve learned is that the number one thing we need to make sure that happens in our schools is that our students are safe,” Samuels said. “And when our students are safe, it’s not just physically safe. They have to feel like their voices are heard, and they have to be a part of the decision-making process. That’s how you know there’s strong safety in school”
He also emphasized the importance of increasing diversity that reflects the diversity of the city.
“We want schools that are integrated so that our young people can learn to commit to vast differences. When they leave here, they’re leaving into a polarized world and that won’t change unless they have the ability to connect with people that are different from them,” Samuels said.
Across 15 tables, parents, students, educators and DOE representatives gathered to reflect on the current state of schools and share their thoughts on how NYC Public Schools can improve.
The tables were provided 35 minutes for their conversation and each table had a notetaker and a timekeeper. When they were done, students from each table shared what their group discussed for Chancellor Samuels and his team.
Students from the six high schools and from the newly launched Bronx STEAM Center shared what their tables discussed about culture, inclusion, integrity, safety, making communication easier between parents and schools, academic rigor, and connecting Bronx students with opportunities that expose them to experiences beyond the borough.
A student from the Bronx STEAM Center explained that she wants to see a creation of more pathways beyond the current three – medical assistant, nursing assistant and cybersecurity – so that future students won’t feel limited and will have more options to explore.
Selina Frimpong, 18, a high school senior who attends the Belmont Preparatory High School spoke on behalf of table four during the share-out portion of the event. She wants there to be better safety regulations and better attitudes from the security when greeting students, especially since it houses six different schools.
Frimpong also shared that she wants to see more cultures implemented into the school culture.
“Because majority of the students aren’t native Americans, they come from all different backgrounds like African, European, Asian, Hispanic and more,” she said. “It’s important that we normalize that it’s okay for students to express who they are and where they’re from culturally, and not assimilate to the Western [culture].”
Frimpong shared that the parents at her table desired certainty of their children’s safety at schools.
“Having that assurance that [their children] have a trusted adult is not always the case, but if parents know that there is an adult or adults that they know their child knows as well as they do and if anything is wrong, then [the adults] can communicate that with the parent.”
A recurring theme from the conversation was safety.
Elizabeth Byrd has a daughter in the 12th grade who attends Fordham High School for the Arts. She’s also the co-president of the Parent Teacher Association at her daughter’s school.
“When you’re hearing from parents that I dropped my child off at 7:30 a.m., but the line is around the corner, it’s kind of worrisome because what is going on? ‘Oh, a machine broke,’” Byrd said.
“So, it’s an issue that the building has been having. I want to say the whole building is having problems getting kids into school at a decent time. Everybody wants to start school at a certain time, but they can’t because of safety reasons.”
Byrd said that she is hopeful that the Chancellor and his cabinet will implement the feedback from the audience.
“I was observing him while students, parents, whoever was speaking to see if they were listening to us. I was recording him while he was speaking. He was listening, because I want to say majority had the same type of issues that everybody is going through. I’m glad all the schools came out and they’re voicing their opinions of whatever is happening,” she said.
Reach Keke Grant-Floyd at kekegfreports@gmail.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
