Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell

EDITORIALS,.
A-code classes 'up in the air'
For the past lew nurchs, we have heard [wen t-Jk abevt
the rc«um of A-codc closes. However. 40 minute cluvs.
a* they used to re iah>A-n- will never again be a pan of
the Lowell Plan UcaUK Ac Son Francisco Unified Mvo.il
District (SFUSD) has i.vady creed ID .ncrcascd cUu
time (or additional funds lo mcel the mandate of Senate
Bill XI3 !SB S13I.
The new form of A-codc classes ihat ha* K*:n proposed
by Principal Alun Fibish bears rcstrictjore thai uc ccrlainiy
lU.favuraMc. The proposal wtjuld mum Ux: AcoUc
U> moit English and soci.il science c!iucs. but in order
to compens.i*c for the lost mods, it mandates roouicc
center/library time. This lime woult! be under direct
rupcrvi.Mon or a teacher who would Ukc atlcrwbncc. In
addil'twi. the Lowell caT.pu< utuild be closed except during
lunch muds.
Don't blame kids
Jimmy was the captain of ttl fun-haw!
egally last month.
Jinniy arvl Li'-a hail oniy wanted to sec a movie. But
their fricrds war.tcd i> get drunk on this rurtict^r Fn-
•ia> i1t£ht.Suvcuml> J *istopcr' 1 prc-.urc,aIlM\' < *^*'* * ec
hecrv npiecc
All six intended a fu-irral ihrcc days L'.:r. i: - v.
however, could rut ev.ir.prehcrut what wj* ul:ir.;..' ••:
hi vru lying dead in 5 coffin.
Jimmy's triend Ik>b vu arrcMcd ihc nigh- ji the accident.
Bob was IS and the procurer of the bcrf. He was
charged with involuntary mambu^hter and released from
jail for :wo hour* IO attend ihc funcul Bob had it easy
that Friday nigh; — he was only arrotcd and had his
Mrtni«ch pumped. Jimmy would give his life to re in lV-b\
\i\ui.c, hi! '!ear.
The 21-ycat-old age limit or b^ve •*•« m>de '."> pro-
. . At is the utity oj adults
in charge to obey the laws
and set the example for
nvnors.
tcct society, nut dcrrivcthe storekeeper of income. It he
doc* :o*e a linic money from not selling alcix/il, let tha
lot* be the storekeeper's homage to society. Respecting
others enough to obc> a law to protect them b a citizen'sor
a liquor iiccmce's-rcipotviibilii} . The shopkeeper need
r.ot caubliih htnucif as a protector of the people, tn,
should obey the bw already set down. It Is not moral for
citizens !o undenninc tlic law for personal gain.
Ccnrirly, if the shopkeeper broke the law by selling
Bob OK alcohol, he too should bear some of the rcsponsibtl.ry
for Jinmy's death. As uV holder of a liquor
license, ti«c seller has auumed a rrsponsibility to uphold
this aspect of the Uw.
The^c age require merits art firmly established and bear
little *haiy of ucing repealed. Indeed, the cumm trend
in drjnk-d. OJ^ Uws. ii uwranls suffer penalties and iaiscd
drinking ages.
Ther? »U! never be cnoygft power to enforce it.
mink mm aje law everywhere; rather, it is the duty of
aduJts in chaise to obey the law and sc: the example for
minors. It should be on the storekeeper'* conscience tl*at
J..-..-.., w?« killed by the alcohol '*: has just sold.
rhc proposal places stress on the already overcrowded
library 1 . Even with the 2.200 foot expansion of the library.
caiii%» would be cjticmcly limned.
Students who use ihc c.sira mods ;o schedule an adJil.onal
class would find tncmscUo wiih either a shortage
of ."nods or wiih no lunch lime.
Clojid campus is another absurd requirement jf this
prppmal. It originated to assure the enforcement of the
required rrsourcc ccr.icr/library lime.
One of the aliemaiivcs ilia- the Parent-Testier-Studcr.'
AvMvialion (PTSA) sug^csfcu lo rrl iin as much ol *.hc
Lowe!! Plan as rxnsiblc is lu attempt tl*c new A-oxJc
schedule. Another is in keep ibe B'C >*:heduJc as it is now.
The Stale PTA was a diiving force bchino the ,it!cn.(H to
block ihc pas- eofSU8l3. Uwc'l PTSA President Ella
Mi\.imotn \ '-ci th.it legislative octn". K* tnifiaicd
rc»«rdlcss of w i.ich schedule is chtntfn 10 f;s; Lowell ihe
option lo return 10 Ihc oiignul A-codc schedule.
Miyantotn staled tlui wh.«ols which "already s_tisf>
live high stii.^rds nf achievement l»»i SB 81-* *" itying
iocMablish.be 'cKinp*' — not have luhoM to the i.nci
*'. . .the Lowell campus
would be closed except during
lunch mods. "
time requirements .if SB SI 3.
Carl Kocnig. c'lairpcrwin ol the Asw>ciaiion Liaison
Committee (AI.C>. the on-Mtc bjrgaiaing agent for
teachers, explained that the new A-c»"-dc is si,.< "up-in-
Ihr-air." Fibish speculated ihat a rcrp»xjl
before the administration could niMiiuie the plan ai
Lowell.
Fibbt; argued with the Siilc Boaiil of [-ducation aU»ut
the importjnceof "crcain- Icarni>i^" — learning >l iri>ugh
the utiluaiion of resource center", tutoring, and extntturricutar
activiiics •- a\ an evscn : al pan ol the over*II
LA*C1I learning p' time
would be monitored in a formal .study hall situation,
students woulJ not ha\c ncccLvir> time lo jiarticipai; in
civcurricutar activities, which ihc UiwcU Ran envisioned.
Tlic new A-c«*le is not a happ> omipromisc. the step
.iuppttscdly taken forward rruy euu^e two steps" backward.
The answer cuy well lie in new legislation which would
ler frtxn trie p'xx] intentions of Sit Cl 1.
Jewish students feel discrimination
Conservjiivc Jewish students celebrate font h1id:i>%
totallitti; \e\cn days ;n the first leaner nt'cwh v. :HM»1 year,
whjji puts them at gnrai disadvantage in ihcir clasps.
The ht lUby», Koslihashana. Vom Kiprnir. Sukkoth. arxl
Simhat Tcraii. ail occur within the firsi i*n months ol
the school year, m i:.ij>orum p.tn of academic cla*w*.
Many Jewish students cannot
attend some school events
such as dances because Sabbath
lasts firm sundown on
Friday to sundown on
Saturday.
Consc. valise Jews cclchnite all finjr hoi it to) i, but SOIDC
lon-orttuKlnx Jews do not celebrate the last two becusc
they arc .I'rai.i to mus tot^ much v:bt«ot.
Junior l,-ntlwa Kti^r/outn mrcd. "Every year, my
gra-lcs fur .he firs: semester arc si^iiiltcamly lowvr ilian
tho-»* lort'ic %cc4)nd...hotiorsc!a\scsi: uowcll (!>»!.»>fast
tliai I usuilly OJII not fully caught up until halfw,.^ through
the founh quarter."
Somcihing which makes Jcwi>h Mudc- is feel
discrimimtion is ilie Christmas and Raster \ac.Uions.
Christn*a> anu Faster jrc now coruiden-d t:adi.iuiul
holidass. Init not to orthodox Jewish students.
Jewish stivlcnts ihink ihat Uwy sliould rccciic compensation
for ( l>e days they miss during ilieir holtibys sine
three weeks MC taken off for Christian holidays.
Most teachers try lo compensate for the boltdays by giving
make-up tests Ami telling Jewish stujents tlic
homcsAork ahead of ti'.ie, but stutlcru stil! miss imp
tant information ^ivcn in class.
On the othrr hand, some tfilters do .iot twlp tlic
students bccani^ Jews arc a minority at Lowell and most
other schools und teocliers cannot ciangc their sclwdulcs
just for a few studrr.ts
School events are also a problem. This vcar. the junior
spirit day was scheduled on the i-mic day as Yom Kipour,
which prevented some studenti from participating
in their class's activities.
AiiOthcr prcbl-:m wuh whoo? evenis Ls CK celebration
of the S*b^JI^. "i-vt Jewish Sabbath U»its from rundown
Friday tu aundowr. Saturday.
The Sabbath it denned as a day of res*, during which
everything revolves around religious activities. No
modern coitvcnitrxcs. such as the telephone, ma> t> us-
ed and the cclebntiors may not have -my ncn-rcligiims
appointmcnis.
Tliis ouves a great problem for students who wish to
attend dances or service projects, which generally- occur
during Friday pi^hi HKI Saturday.
Sonictlmi^s mis also affects eligibility rcquirenxrnt* for
orjMniraiions. Krunoom complained, "When the time
came for me to apply for Shield. I was able to list only
half the activities I would lw>c been able to list had they
not been on Saturday."
Mhcrra nbtirn to this? Kh.'u/oomsu^cstcd that ihc
scmn>l fiiighi >chcdu!e Mime extra-curricular events on
Saiurdj) ntglil .iTwi Sjnday lo provide rclifious equality.
MERRY
si?
Jewish studenu aLu. believe that more public an rencs*
might help their problems asociated wiih the holidays.
In recent ycar«. there has been a change in people's
underslaivjing of *hat JewWi students bclicvr h. The
la:e : i«uc i if Wtllalty, the alumni magazine published
bv Willjcicy CcUcgc. articles compare the understandifi£
J«uh stiH-nts' probWns in the 60\s to the SO - s and point
'o improvements over 20 years.
Overall, -hr situation is getting better. More pwplc arc
begmren' to undersund a wider variety of racial and
rcliginus problems.
Khaaoom conclujcd. "lt"5 the un«.illir;ncs« of pco-
[He to compromise that hum tie the mu-i. " icy iusl don'l
understand what its like to have to deal with all this
Uiscnmination...educati, - oems to be the answer."
'•3
I
1
Slunnoii Hi
>cjnl'libc -:
the tv*'
l(j>i. while i |
do^s and r,
llorolal.i
froJ
To Uic I-J-t. a
comrnt n: M J
do. howcswJ
icfcicncc io q
The iir.pt »c
caused onr hrf
in his bedrm:'
for fear »t t
Mjn." and iH
lor nuiis vcJ
We ii iht /