School Sit-In - Civil Disobedience

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m a sudent in high school, and our Student Union has decided to hold a sit-in during school time to protest new school policies.

Our school has a very low occurence of crime, suspensions, etc., and thus we are allowed to go outside during our lunch periods (this is NYC) and hang out in the halls inbetween classes. In other schools, students would most likely just leave and never come back, but the school has trusted us in the past to come back of our own free will. I have always felt that with this trust comes a mutual respect between the students and faculty, and makes the transition from childhood to adulthod easier.

Since a new Asst. principal has arrived, the faculty has clamped down on us. A “newfound” littering problem (this has been around for years and years, but only now they have started to pay atention) has led to several measures. We have tried to set a program in which students clean up the trash at designated areas, but so far it has not worked very well (It has been about 3 months). We recently asked the faculty for another chance. Answer? A strict NO, no questions asked.

New Policies:

  1. Students are confined to floors 1 and 2 during lunch periods (we have 10 floors), all students caught on other floors will be kicked off by security guards (well, not literally).

Not only will this crowd the halls, but it breaks up many cliques within our school that are usually found on a certain floor or part of a floor. Not to say that the kids in our school don’t mix; the fact is there are areas where certain grades or ethnic groups like to hang out, and I think it’s fine. Sometimes kids like to just lay down on the floor somewhere it’s very quiet, but if so many kids (our school has about 3000 students) are on the same floor, this will also be impossible.

  1. Students who leave for lunch must stay outside for the full period, entering the school only when the period is over.

This means even if it’s freezing outside, we can’t go back inside. This causes other problems: in the past, I have gone out to buy a stamp to mail a college app or some supply for a class I forgot. Now, I must stay outside no matter the weather if I choose to go outside.

  1. Despite a new teacher contract requiring teachers to add 20 mins to their school day (meaning we get out of school at 4pm if we have a last period class), the time allotted for clubs and publicaions to meet after school has been cut from 90 minutes to 60 (meaning all students will be evacuated at 5pm).

The sudents feel that these policies are changing the entire structure and environment of our school. Instead of a school that trusts us and fosters respect and certain freedoms, these new policies out of the blue and all together make for a resentful student body, and make it much more difficult for our school to be a home away from home (many students commute 1-1.5 hours each ay to school). Cuting down the time we have to be in clubs will not solve anything, it is just something the school is doing to save more money by not having to pay security guards another half hour.

Can anyone offer advice on how best to hold the sit-in, how best to handle the situation, any advice whatsoever that may be relevant would help. There is only about a week until the sit-in occurs, so any tactics, suggestions on signs, what to tell the students, etc. will help.

The sit-in will occur during instructional time, but we feel that this is the only way to get enough students and to get the faculty’s attention. They are turning a cheek to our pleas and are disrupting the way we live (I literally spend more time in school than at home, and do not want to see the system I have loved for years break down for future students).

2

Well, I’ m afraid that you don’t have much chance of success… school policy is reguarly challenged by students who are ignored (Or punished for their disgruntlement)…

The best thing to do (if it hasn’t already been done) is to go through the parent-teacher association and have the elected student body government press the issue whenever possible, and hold demonstrations or rallies at non-instruction hours (maybe flood the first and second floors during lunch to show how crowded it would be). Getting the local media involved - letters to the editorial sections of newspapers etc - has always grabbed the attention of school authorities.

Our school in Los Angeles went through a similar thing, where they constructed a 12’ high fence around the entire school to keep the drug dealers and such out (so the story went). The PTA had the most effect (unfortunately, they were for the fence, mostly), and the ASB succeeded in making sure the fence was opened reguarly for students to go in and out.

Thats just my experience and advice… it may be vastly different at your school. But it is always good to see students taking interest in their activities and standing up for their lifestyle. I hope you reach a fair compromise, but be careful of angering The Man. :slight_smile:

3

Since you’re looking for advice rather than facts, I’ll move this thread to IMHO.

4

Well, as a recently graduated high school student (last year), let me say…

Boo-freakin’-hoo.

So you’re “confined” to two floors during lunch? We had to stay in the basement. Start going upstairs (even if you had a pass to see a teacher or whatever), get yelled at until you explain yourself.

So if you leave for lunch, you have to stay gone for the whole period? Aww…oh, wait. We couldn’t leave at all. Walk out the doors, get sent to the principal’s office.

I don’t think you can blame the school for not wanting students roaming around like free-range chicken, outside classes, outside offices, etc. Sure, I’d have liked to see our school go open campus and less restrictive, but I can certainly understand their reasons for keeping the rules the way they are.

RE the sit in, protest, whatever: Let me relate my one and only experience going toe-to-toe with adminstration.

I had four different choir teachers my four years of highschool. The teacher my senior year was the best of the four. There were rumors she was going to be fired (a lot of the students didn’t like her). I went to the principal and expressed my opinion. I was told it “would be taken into consideration.” It wasn’t.

The rumors persisted. I found that “her contract would not be renewed” at the next school board meeting. I wrote a letter, helped out another guy with a petition. We met with the School Board Administrator, or head guy, whatever his title is…anyway, we presented our case, my letter, and his petition. Four or five of us attended the school board meeting. They got to the agenda item where they were approving the non-renewal of staff member’s contract. Here’s how the vote went (remember, yes means “Fire her!”):

“yes.”
“yes.”
“yes.”
“yes.”
“yes.”
“yes.”
“yes!”

But hey, good luck!

5

If you want to protest something, choose something meaningful, like the war on Iraq.

6

Guys please don’t do this anymore. It’s a waste of the thread. I’m not asking for your opinion on the mater, I’m asking for advice.

Just because people in Iran are persecuted and killed for being homosexual doesn’t mean that Americans should be ostracized and should not be able to hold jobs ifd homosexual (I know this is completely a stretch but I’m making a sort of analogy, don’t argue this either please.). My point is that we’re unsatisfied with the fact that our freedoms are being so quickly dissipated, regardless of whether these freedoms exist in other schools. Our school is not another school, and I am dealing with a unique situation, in my opinion.

7

Garfield, just becauser they have a slightly easier school situation than you did, they shouldn’t try to resolve an issue they feel is impacting upon their school life?

8

We held a sit in at my school, this was about 8 years ago, we were protesting because they wouldn’t let the girls wear trousers. We all came in wearing trousers and sat around, in the end we won but the entire school was taking part.

My advice is, get a large number, you will need the support of a majority of students because otherwise you will look dumb.
The sit in should probably take place on the floors you’re not supposed to be on. Otherwise if you can get everybody in the school in on it, go sit on the two designated floors, crowded baby yeah!

However, my opinion is maybe you find a better solution to the problem. The school is banning you from the upper floor because of the litter? If there are not adequate bins suggest to the school they put some in. Target the cause of the problem. If people are not willing to clear up the litter, you gotta stop them littering in the first place.
Maybe ban people eating on the upper floors would be a good idea.
In my opinion the breaking of cliques is good, they are evil things that cause misery and suffering.

Finally while I congratualte your use of civil disobediance, I would ask you to look carefully at your motives, if this is the time and place. They have taken away your liberties for a reason, fix that reason. If they are just being vindictive, then is the time for action.

9

As a veteran of many, many school sit-ins, I regret to tell you that they tend to be counterproductive. School officials are extremely reluctant to do anything that might be construed as rewarding students who disrupt classes. If you want to be taken seriously, Zagadka has some good advice about the proper way to do it. Note that getting parents involved is crucial, as they’re far more likely than students to get the administration’s ear.

I’d suggest stressing the loss of club meeting time in your complaints, and not mentioning the fact that the new policies tend to break up cliques (many parents and teachers will see this as a positive thing). Instead, can you argue that being confined to two floors makes it difficult for students to find a quiet place to study during lunch hour? You’ll sound a lot more credible if you can come up with some sort of academic benefit.

10

What I said was:

In other words, I don’t think school administrations are generally just “out to get” students. I think that generally they have reasons for what they do. I also think that generally they make decisions on their own time, regardless of student input, but if they DO take students into account, it’s usually because they’ve gone through the appropriate channels and spoken thoughtfully and respectfully to people who matter about the problem.

If you want to resolve it, fine, but don’t do it by being stubborn whiny students.

You said you’d already tried setting up a program where students cleaned up their own messes. Why didn’t that work?

I’m not necessarily saying that you don’t deserve what you had, but I don’t think they’re rights…

11

As was suggested above, mention that it’s hard to find a quiet place to study. Also, are you allowed to eat in the classrooms? Or an auditorium/gymnasium? If it’s just in the hallways explain that it’s impossible to move around, find a place to sit or just get to the bathrooms. Also mention that you can’t get to your lockers to get books and such for your next classes.

You say you’re school has about 3000 students? When I went to a ‘regular’ high school we also had about that many students. We only had 3 floors and were confined to 2 during lunch. A lot of this can be for reasons such as teacher supervision (Teachers have to eat lunch too y’know. They can’t wander the whole school all lunch hour to make sure you aren’t doing stuff and miss their lunch completely.) clean up and maybe other reasons. Maybe instead of demanding all 10 floors be open to you at lunch ask for another one or two? It will alleviate the crowding and spread you out some more.

Even when it’s freezing? I suggest double checking that. If they don’t have an alternate rule for cold days then they are in the wrong (in my eyes at least) because if there is no appropriately warm place nearby that you can hang out till lunch ends they should not be allowed to lock you out in the cold. The first student who gets frostbite will change that rule at least for cold days. Warm days, I don’t see the problem. Get your stuff needed for the next class. Go hang out outside then come in for class. A little fresh air won’t kill anyone.

Maybe on the day of the sit in let the local media know? Keep everything clean, and make sure that you have lots of students. A handful of them won’t do much. It will just look like a few malcontents attempting to get out of class for the day. Don’t go out of your way to be obscene, be polite. Don’t obstruct the teachers or the students who aren’t taking part. Let them know you are there but blocking people (especially teachers) can get you in trouble. This will already probably get you in trouble, as a forewarning. Don’t be surprised if most of you get suspensions.

I remember not that long ago up here (perhaps 2 years ago) a number of high school students, at various schools, staged a walk-out. It was in protest of the ‘work-to-rule’* program teachers had put in place as their protest for higher wages/better contracts. Lots of students used this as a chance to get out of classes for the day. My brother and his friends included. I know this because they turned up at my school to hang out with me after my classes. It was all over the news, with many reporters talking to students. Some were serious about it, but a lot just wanted out of class. Just try to attract (and hope that you have attracted) students who are serious about this, and not just attempting to avoid class for the day.

*work-to-rule being, for those who are unfamiliar with the term, working only the exact amount stated in their contracts and for those exact times. Meaning that every after school/lunch hour activity was cancelled. Everything from social justice and chess club to football and student council was stopped completely because there were no teachers to supervise. To hold these clubs/teams/whatever on the school grounds a teacher must be present to supervise, and all the teachers left as soon as classes were done. My school was more or less unaffected by this as we have no after school activities. We are by and large and adult student population with students taking at max usually 3 classes a day and working in the afternoons/evenings.

12

Check the other high school’s policies, not because you have no right to complain if they are more restrictive but because if most high schools are more restrictive than yours- don’t allow students to leave during lunch at all and confine students to only the cafeteria or library during lunch (which was my NYC high schools policy 20 years ago) , you might not get much sympathy, or worse , it may turn out that your school’s policy is inconsistent with a more restrictive general policy, and calling attention to it could result in the more restrictive policy being enforced.Similarly, complaining about not be able to return earlier on cold days or even someone getting frostbite might result in the school allowing you in earlier on cold days- or it might result in not being allowed to leave at all.

Try to get an idea of how the parents feel- they may prefer the more restrictive policy, and if they do, you have no chance of success, no matter how many of you walk out or how much media attention you get. Schools don’t always do what the parents want, but you can bet if the parents agree with the school , the school won’t change the policy because the students are protesting.

See if you can get access to records (if there are any) of how many students who leave for lunch don’t return. If it’s a very small percentage, it might help you. But don’t just assume that its a very small number, or that your school is different from all the others. In a very small school you might be able to tell by looking if a lot of people are missing after lunch, but in a school of 3000 you wouldn’t necessarily notice a few hundred people missing. It will hurt you if you tell the media that almost everyone comes back after lunch and it turns out a lot don’t .

It’s one thing to risk suspension if you have a chance at winning. It’s another thing entirely if it’s futile.

13

I have been faculty advisor to the Student Council for a number of years and have taken part in “negotiations” on behalf of both students and administration. Here is my two cents worth:

First, despite what some people say, the seriousness of the issues is really irrelevant so long as they are not trivial. A tax on tea was sufficient to get a revolution going in one nation, if I recall. Make sure that you pick your battles carefully, though. We’ve seen protests over the right to wear hats or drink soda in the classroom that have gone nowehere because they are not worth missing instructional time for and because they make the protestors look like whiners.

Second, administration listens most loudly to parents. Get them involved because answering to parents is part of what policy makers must do. If there is not a good reason for a rule, it will become apparent quickly, thus the policy quickly becomes negotiable.

Third, school administartions are not only bodies that dictate policy, but they affect school culture as well. Remind them of this as you propose an alternative . Student bodies who claim “this sucks” without suggesting what might suck less in a viable fashion are generally ignored as not being serious. Make it clear that you want to negotiate this policy and that means give and take on both sides. Remind administration that the appearance of being diplomatic carries much weight in the eyes of a student body on the verge of doubting the credibility of the policy makers.

Four, use political action such as sit-ins or walk-outs sparingly and only as a last resort. Ultimately, the school administration has the job to make rules - whether you like them or not. Forcing them to take a firm stand prematurely will only strengthen their resolve and weaken your chances of success. Negotiate at all costs, then pull out your weapons.

14

I’m glad to report progress. Today, there was an assembly for seniors about these new policies, and the administration tried to explain them without success. They have no clue as to how they will enforce the policies, and refuse to give us any details as to how the policies will change anything.

I brought up the fact that nothing is being done to change the crux of the issue. Students will continue to liter, but in a more concentrated area. At least the student-based cleanup attempt was an atempt to get other students to clean up; the administration’s proposal to confine us to two floors does nothing. When several students suggested that we try again with a different infrastructure, or make kids caught littering clean up one floor for a week, the faculty basically stammered and disregarded us. As to why we don’t have more trash cans we heard an “I don’t know” from our principal. Then he told us that the existing two trash cans per floor were not full by the end of the day, something everyone agreed was irrelevant because the floors are so long and it’s the fact that more location would have accessible garbage cans that would help in cleaning up the school.

It is my opinion that the administration has a duty to prepare these kids for their future, and the way to do this is not to make it easier for themselves to clock in and clock-out. They have to think of a way to stop the littering from happening in the first place, and they are refusing to do so. I think that our sit-in flyers (we have made 3000 already will distribute them to the entire school day by day) have done more to make the students aware that they aren’t doing enough and has actually made the students more apt to clean up after themselves.

Secondly, the teachers (not all, but many) have been passing around a petition that states that they agree that the school has these problems, but the policies go way too far. Most teachers have also signed another petition stating that the noise in hallways is not that bad and that students should be allowed in hallways around the school.

The Parents’ association has several members (their children have stated this to us) that agree with the students’ cause, and are willing to stand up for the students.

We have decided to call the media in once we have the teachers’ petition in writing and support from the parents’ association. Seems like as of today, we’re on top. I will keep everyone informed as to how this matter progresses. Keep on with the helpful suggestions.

15

Take this for what it’s worth …

Effective use of civil disobedience is very difficult. A large percentage of the student body needs to be sufficiently committed to effecting the change to accept the consequences below. If not, you just end up with some people sacrificing a lot for little or no gain (or even loss).

  1. Break the rules, en masse. The group of protesting students all go up to the third - tenth floors at lunch, leave and return together during a lunch period, refuse to leave the school at five o’clock. Continue to do so until the administration either gives up on the rule or makes a serious decision on enforcement.

  2. If enforcement begins, accept the punishment and continue the disobedient behavior. If only a few ‘ringleaders’ are put in detention/suspended/put on KP duty/whatever, the rest of the group should continue the protest. Ideally, they’ll continue to recruit new members, escalating the issue. Eventually, the administration will be faced with either resolving the dispute or suspending 90% of the student body.

  3. Most importantly: do not aggravate the actual problem. If you’re protesting by spending lunch upstairs, the area you stay in should be immaculate by the time you’re done. If the littering in that area gets worse when the protesters are spending their lunch hour there, you’re helping the administration make their case.

If the students are serious enough about this that a large majority can follow this process and stick to it through thick and thin, it doesn’t matter how stubborn the administration is or whose side the parents end up on-you’ll win in the end. Just don’t expect it to be easy; everyone needs to understand that it will be a rough process from the start.

Good luck, and I hope it doesn’t actually come to this …