Opinions

Administration: Why won’t you include students on important emails?

Matthew Stashower ’25, Inklings Ambassador|June 14, 2023

Students lack information about safety events such as lockdowns and other emergencies.

I read about the alleged Staples’ antisemitic incident that was posted on social media, but I couldn’t see the response from Superintendent Thomas Scarice. As a Jewish person, I wanted to make sure that the district was committed to finding out what actually happened. But I was shielded from details the school was taking because the superintendent’s response was sent to parents and staff only.

While we were likely left off this email in an attempt to protect us as minors, it is ridiculous in practice to keep high school students from such important announcements.

This was not the first time administration has kept students in the dark about important information. We were shielded from critical information about emergency drills as well. When an actual emergency is occuring, the school decides to inform our parents instead of us.

During last fall’s school swatting lockdown, information on what was going on was again emailed to only parents and staff, leaving students in the dark about the situation. This was dangerous, as students were left with only rumors and hearsay..

Some may say parents can just tell their children about the email, but not all parents do, leading to many students not getting crucial information until much later.

The fact that we aren’t included on emails reflects a hypocrisy about the value of student voice: the school claims it wants students to be involved, but we aren’t able to get involved if we do not receive important information. If we are supposed to be doing things to change our communities– such as the Voice 4 Change–we need to be included on the important emails from the administration. We as students need to know what’s going on in their school community, and we not only need, but have the right to be included in the conversation.