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1969 A Year Of Controversy For Public Schools

1969 A Year Of Controversy For Public Schools image
Parent Issue
Day
29
Month
December
Year
1969
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
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The year 1969 was an extremely busy one for the Ann Arbor Board of Education. It was also a 12-month period of many "firsts." The first black president in the history of the school board- Dr. Harold J. Lockett - was elected by his colleagues on July 2, 1969. A few weeks earlier, when Henry Johnson led the slate of winners in the annual school board election and joined Lockett on the board, it was the first time two black men had been trustees at the same time. The year 1969 also saw several new policies which were "firsts" for the Ann Arbor School District. All of the policies were somewhat contrcversial: - A "free press" policy was approved Feb. 19. The policy allows students or faculty to publish non-official newspapers and publications, provided several articles of agreement are signed. The articles include a stipulation that no material shall contain "delibérate misquotations, malicious ridicule, obscenity or be in violation of law, criminal or civil." Previously, only official school newspapers and administration-approved publications could be distributed on school grounds. - A Dress and Grooming Policy for secondary students was adopted March 5. The policy specifies that no rules on dress or gooming, except in matters directly affecting health and safety, may be set by school officials. - A system-wide discipline policy, which was bitterly opposed by some members of the black community, was adopted July 16. The policy is in effect a "suspension and expulsión" policy, speeifying who may be suspended or expelled for what reasons and for how long. The policy also attempts to safeguard the students against arbitrary punishment. Dr. Albert H. Wheeler of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) said the policy would hurt black and poor white pupils the most, and called its adoption a "racist act." - The first document detailing school-police relations in the public schools was adopted Sept. 10. The "pólice policy" spells out clearly when pólice officers may be called to the schools, and details student safeguards during interviews and interrogations by pólice on school property. - A Religious Holidays Policy adopted Oct. 15 was perhaps the most controversial of all the new rules set in 1969. The policy, which encourages that all official school holiday programs be held outside of school hours, triggered a petition drive against it by the Huron Valley Youth For Christ organization. Many citizens criticized the school board for "de-emphasizing" Christmas, though school officials repeatedly denied that this was so. Two more "firsts" for the Ann Arbor School District also occurred during 1969: the hiring of a public relations officer, Dr. John W. Hubley, and the beginning of talks with city parochial schools regarding the possibility of cooperative programs between them and the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Sex educaticn was a big topic in Ann Arbor during the past year, as it was throughout the country. A local goup called Citizens Organized for Decency in Education (CODE), led a petition drive against the famüy life and sex education programs offered in the kindergarten, first and fifth grades at 11 elementary schools. Following several weeks of protest against the program by many angry parents - including a wild session in April at Tappan Junior High ■ which. took on the character of a revival i ing - about 1,200 persons attended a six-hour review of the. entire sex education program. On July 23, the school board voted not only to continue the program, but to enlarge it to include all youngsters in kindergarten, first and fifth grades at all elementary schools during the 196970 school year. But the board agreed to revise the I program somewhat to make it more acceptable to most parents. In a vote which surprised many observers, a $4.9 million bonding issue for construction of the city's fifth junior high school and a 6.67-mill proNews Special Year-End Report posal for operations were approved at the polls June 9. On that same day, voters elected Henry Johnson, Ronald Bishop and Cecil Warner to three-year terms on the school board. The year 1969 also saw the long-awaited opening of Huron High School. After a delay of two years, the $12 million building on Fuller Rd. opened its doors to more than 1,500 students in September. In mid-October, the new high school was rocked by more than two weeks of racial unrest, ■ following an ineidpnt nn a nitv hnc whifh r-ocnltorl lin the arrest of three black Huron students. The : Black Student Union at Huron presented a total !of 21 demands to the administration, paralleling the earlier 21 demands "to correct racial inequities" presented by Pioneer High black students in June of 1968. Many of the 21 demands were approved by the schools, and committees were formed to work on some of them. The year 1969 was drawing to a close when the Jones School Transfer Report was made public on Dec. 3. The one-year study showed that the black students from Jones School transferred in 1965 I to predominantly white schools made no outstanding educational gains in the first year of desegregation, nor two years later, when some of the pupils were retested. But the report did show that the black youngsters gained significantly in motivation, selfesteem and attitudes toward school. Jones had been closed in 1965 by the school board and the children- 80 per cent of whom were black- were transferred to white schools because the building was considered "de facto" segregated. Most of the children were bused. Both the administration and school board are carefully studying the report, and the administration plans to make recommendations on future . action for the Jones children. And what of 1970 and the future? Racial and human relations problems in both Ann Arbor high schools and the junior highs are ; not unexpected, given the present situation in to! day's America. Sex education opponents are likely to remount their attacks on the public schools' family living and sex education programs during the coming months, since most of the elementary programs will be offered during the 1970 winter semester. Opponents are reportedly now preparing their next attack. The possibility of both a bonding and millage election in June for Ann Arbor School District voters is being discussed. The bonding issue will most likely include funds for a third senior high school, to be built at the Maple Rd. and M-14 intersection. A new contract with the Ann Arbor Education Association must be negotiated during 1970. Talks must begin by March for a 1970-71 contract with the AAEA, or perhaps for a longer contract. The present contract expires Aug. 15, 1970. Finally, Ann Arbor educators are anxiously watching the scène in Lansing, to see what becomes of Gov. William Milliken's education reform proposals. For Ann Arbor, just like most other districts in the state, could be greatly affected if they are approved. _ü