|
 Principal
Apple of His Eye
by Joe Williams, New York Daily news, January 7, 2004
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It didn't take
an army of cops to turn around troubled Hillcrest High School in
Queens. It took a tough principal.
One day after announcing plans to flood the city's 12 most
dangerous schools with more police, Chancellor Joel Klein made a
surprise visit to the Jamaica school that just two years ago was
one of the most violent in the city.
The drop-in was designed to show that Klein thinks principals,
not cops, are ultimately responsible for the safety in their
schools.
"Once the kids know what is expected of them, you don't really
need the extra [police] manpower," said Principal Stephen Duch.
Major violent incidents at Hillcrest dropped from 15 in 2001-02
to four in 2002-03 to none so far this school year, even though
the school now has fewer safety agents than it did last year.
Klein said he wants to use Hillcrest as an example for improving
safety over the long haul.
Change at Hillcrest didn't happen overnight. Duch, who took over
in 1996, said it took him six years to alter the school's
culture. Enforcing rules, convincing parents of the importance
of discipline and improving teaching to keep kids interested
were key to the turnaround, Duch said.
"Learning has been more interesting. Students don't feel like
cutting anymore," said junior Carlos Cortez.
Among the get-tough rules at Hillcrest are:
-
All students
must carry their jackets all day instead of stowing them in gym
locker rooms that erupted in chaos at every ring of the school
bell.
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Anyone
committing a low-level offense gets sent straight to
after-school suspension.
-
Troublemakers
also can find themselves in a "principal's suspension," which
runs every day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
-
Every student
goes through metal detectors, and bags are scanned on the way
in. The school opens earlier so kids don't have to wait in line,
where trouble often starts.
Duch and others
said the most important crackdown was keeping kids out of the
hallways. Between 25 and 30 loiterers are rounded up every day.
And the change also gives teachers five to 10 minutes of extra
instruction every class period - which can add up to almost an
hour a week - because kids are in their seats when the bell
rings.
"No one is allowed to hang out in the hallway anymore," senior
Victoria Davis told Klein. "I feel safe in my school now."
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