>A recently adopted policy at Ridgewood High School (RHS) looks to be pitting parents against the Ridgewood School System .Ridgewood High School’s (RHS) new “Extracurricular Code” is requires students, as “school representatives,” to act in a responsible manner year-round. The code states that students who create a negative image will be subject to disciplinary consequences in the form of a strict predetermined category of offenses.
Ridgewood High School (RHS) and the Ridgewood Police Department are permitted, by state law, to work collectively to share information. According to NJSA 2A:4A-60, school principals may request information as deemed appropriate “for maintaining order, safety or discipline in the school or to planning programs relevant to the juveniles educational and social development.” In addition, on the state level, local authorities and public schools sign a “Memorandum of Agreement” annually, allowing for the sharing of information on underage drinking, drug use and illegal behavior of students.
Under the new “Extracurricular Code” regulations, Principal Lorenz said first-time offenders are subject to up to eight hours of awareness programming, and second offenders will miss up to 40 percent of their athletic seasons, as opposed to the previous two-game suspension. It took RHS administrators and coaches about two years to come to a consensus on the new policy, Lorenz said.
Parents have clearly lost out in there right to impose there own values and control and discipline their children as they see fit. While we are not advocating nor encouraging “underage drinking parties ” ,I are quite concerned with vagueness of the phrase, “create a negative image” ,what exactly does that mean ?
The presentation delivered via the Ridgewood News would have us believe that the focus is merely on athletics and players behavior on and off the field. Anyone who has been on any kind of a team before understands that if you want to be on a team you have to play by the team rules ,hey just ask former Yankee Joe Pepitone.
What really concerns me and lot of people is again the vagueness of the phrase ,””create a negative image” and who exactly defines and determines what a “negative image ” is. Does this “Extracurricular Code” mean we will enforce more singing the praises of Barack Hussein Obama hummm hummm hummm ? Or children will now be compelled to attend after school reeducation programs ? Will free speech also be controlled? How about the way or children dress? And what about non school extra curricular activities ,will some of those be perceived as to ,”create a negative image” ,like going to jobs,concerts,clubs,church,synagogue ,Sunday school,boyscout’s ? Where does this all stop and where do parents draw the line?
Its is bad enough that Gov. Jon Corzine recently signed legislation “designed to increase the safety of teen residents and their families.” Known affectionately as the “I am my brothers keeper, law” or the NARC law.The “9-1-1 lifeline legislation,” sponsored by state Senate Assistant Majority Leader John A. Girgenti (D-Passaic and Bergen), would grant immunity to certain underage drinkers who notify police about peers who are in potentially dangerous situations due to their use of alcohol. Gee are we the only ones who notice the possible inherent abuse of this?
Folks this is a very dangerous slippery slope we are embracing and something to think about with the NJEA and the Ridgewood Schools asking for and additional $48 million . Before you start attacking me and this blog instead of defining and explaining the policy remember that it has become all to obvious that the inability to defend a position in a sound and sensible manner implies a disingenuous policy.
PJ Blogger