New Haven Independent

Posted by: Robn | September 20, 2006 7:18 PM

Louis is right. Doesn't a random search of 20% of the student population have a 5:1 chance of failure? The school should try to provide a safe environment for students and teachers, but if the way to do that is to intercept metal weapons, why not just put portal metal detectors at the doors and check everybody. Random searches sounds a lot more like a random exercise of power which could be abused to intimidate students arbitrarily.

Posted by: Gina Coggio | September 20, 2006 9:03 PM

I was one of Louis' teachers last year...proud to see him continuing to think critically about every situation he encounters. But I am also in conflict as I read about this particular situation: as a teacher, a member of a community that should be kept safe and free from any kind of dangerous weapon, I want to feel safe where I work. I want to feel like I can go to my workplace and do my job and have that be that. I don't EVER want to think about even the slightest possibility of my or anyone else's life being threatened in a school. School is for learning and communication. So in that respect, I would favor not just a random screening, but what Ms. Everson said above--screening for everyone.
Perhaps that is what Louis is responding to, the seemingly random nature of the screenings. I wonder if he would react differently if daily screenings were mandatory for all school members: faculty and students alike? I am glad he is able to take a stand on this issue, because I think all teachers hope their students will actively stand up for what they believe. But I do also hope Louis can return to school soon and perhaps participate from within the school in making the screenings fair and worthwhile.

Posted by: DFeder | September 21, 2006 10:53 AM

Kudos to Mr. Brenner on his principled stand. The school has the responsibility both to keep students and teachers safe and to educate them to be good -- and active -- citizens. Disenfranchisement and disregard for the rule of law are two sides of the same coin.

I don't doubt the sincerity of Principal Frishman's offer of help on a constitution project, but I hope he is equally concerned for the civics education of students like the young woman quoted at the end of the article.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | September 21, 2006 6:02 PM

The Question I Would Like To Ask Are Employees,
randomly Search? I Would bet If You Did, You Would
Find More Contrband On Them, Then The Students.

Posted by: Lothar | September 21, 2006 8:52 PM

Louis is rocking the boat, but in a good way.

I've been working with kids for a few years, and I'm in urban schools on a regular basis. There are no metal detectors. They sometimes start the school year using them, and with additional staff to operate them. They probably have the wands available throughout the year. But they're not using them much, if at all.

Occasionally, when there is violence, the metal detectors come back until the media is gone. It's really fake and disingenuous.

The reality of the situation is that school administrators have to balance safety, cost, and community. Part of the problem with creating a police state in your school is that the kids already don't want to be there. Many don't show up anyway. Those that do show still have to put up with the fact that any gang member with a weapon can walk in at almost any moment. If someone stops them, they can leave and simply call a buddy inside the school, or get someone's attention at a window. Then they are let into the building through a side door.

All the doors of the schools are locked from the outside, but fire codes say you can't lock people in, so they always open outward unless it's after hours. So, if you don't post a guard at every single door, this isn't going to work.

Truth is, one of the kids I work with was threatened by a gang member during school hours in the hallway. It someone who she'd never seen in the school before and who was either a dropout, or someone who shows up once every three months or so. After a lot of discussions with administrators and the school resource officer, everyone agreed that she is safer IN school, where there are adult staff members close by wherever you go, and where she can stay close to staff members all the time if she's careful. That was last year and she got through it OK.

But she essentially was in a state of terror throughout the day. They're accustomed to that, though, in the city. It shows up in a lot of kids in some form of neurosis.

It wouldn't secure the schools if they searched everyone. But it wouldn't hurt, either. At least you'd make an assailant come up with something other than walking through the front door.

Where's the real solution? Well, of course we should hand everyone $1 million dollars to live on - a one-time, life-time public assistance payment!

No, seriously, there's an organization that is desperately trying to pass common-sense gun legislation to take illegal firearms off the streets. The group is called Connecticut Against Gun Violence and has sponsored for several years An Act Concerning Lost or Stolen Firearms. The NRA and the Republicans, and of course a number of turncoat Democrats have stymied the legislation. Those include Hartford Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, at least 1 of the New Haven delegates and possibly 2 in Bridgeport, and Speaker of the House Jim Amman, who is a card-carrying member of the NRA. These people are traitors to their constituents when it comes to gun violence.

Check out the group and its legislation and decide for yourself. I think it has become a PAC for the first time this year and might be eligible to receive donations:

http://www.cagv.org/reporting.htm

Good luck, Louis! I hope your get to keep your 4th Amendment rights. But do keep your head down if someone starts shooting!

Posted by: Lothar | September 21, 2006 8:53 PM

p.s. great story, Paul!

Posted by: Sheila | September 21, 2006 9:08 PM

Go Louis! It's great to see our youth taking a stand on unconstitutional and questionable policies. The next generation is not lost.



Now why has a policy been enacted when 1) it has yet to be heard and approved by the BOE, 2) why weren't the parents and students notified of this change in the handbook, and 3) has there been any activity or immediate threat that would cause Superintendent Mayo to act or hastily? Possibly election year tactics?



If kids are bent on bringing weapons into school, there is always a away around it.



Take out your nipple rings. Discard your underwire bras. Buy metal-less shoes. You don't want to set off the metal detectors unnecessarily.



What's next strip searching? Body cavity searching? If we're treating it like an airport, what's to stop THIS from happening?

Posted by: Christy | September 23, 2006 4:24 PM

I applaud Louis' interest in his 4th ammendment rights, but they aren't violated by a search for metal at the entrance of a public school. I hope he'll channel his critical thinking skills into truly understanding the constitution and what rights and obligation it bestows.