Student concerns around bathroom materials and about security being strict at football games were raised at the first Local School Council meeting of the year, held on Sept. 11.
This meeting also commemorated the welcome of two new student representatives to the council, Maeve Krikorian, a senior and member of Omega, and Valeria Hernandez, a junior, who were met with warm welcomes from the rest of the council.
One issue brought up by the student representatives was the lack of paper towels and soap in bathrooms. “People don’t want to get sick, and I don’t want to get into the details but no soap in the bathrooms is a big problem,” said student representative Roman Brice, a senior.
In response, Assistant Principal Dr. Hanly said that she had gone around all the bathrooms that day and personally checked that soap was in all of the bathrooms.
Hanly went on to say that the custodians in charge of refilling bathroom supplies are employed by the district and four of them are on sick leave, leaving the school short staffed, which could lead to the material shortages.
Hanly also addressed the new policy where paper towels will not be supplied in bathrooms that already have electric hand dryers. If the hand dryers are not working that problem should be reported to administration to be fixed.
According to WBEZ, earlier this year CPS cut 500 custodian positions to save money. These shortages and cuts are emblematic of the greater budget deficit in CPS.
The other major student concern brought up by the student representatives was the issue of being told to sit at the recent football game.
Many students have complained to the student representatives about how they want to stand and show support for Lane, but the security had told them they needed to stay seated.
Dr. Hanly explained that Lane Stadium and the security guards in red coats are under the jurisdiction of the district, and not Lane, and that it is a matter of safety. “We have rivalries, but we have major safety concerns. We have two football games going on [referring to the Friday night lights games happening Sept 12]. We do not need a massive teenage brawl going on in the neighborhood because if that happens we can’t do football games like that anymore and we want you guys to have that great experience.”
Student representative Maeve Krikonian expressed concerns about this in an interview conducted after the meeting.
“I mean, people are going to be pissed no matter what,” Krikorian said. “And I understand where Dr. Hanly’s coming from. I know it’s about safety, but when people hear that, people are going to be like, well, f—- that. You know what I mean?”
In response, during the same post-LSC meeting interview, Brice added that letting the students stand up will make them happier. “If students are happier at a football game, they’re less likely to want to get into a fight afterwards,” Brice said.
Other topics discussed during the meeting included the following:
- Dr. Hanly discussed sending out communication to inform parents of safety protocols and to provide resources from the district to prepare for federal agents in Chicago, and reiterated that the staff and admin have been trained to protect the students and the school is not allowed to let federal agents into the building nor release student documents.
- Celebrating Lane Tech’s #3 status in Illinois by U.S. News & World Report, Dr. Hanly said, “We will continue to do what we need to do to get #1.”
- The LSC approved a new lifeguarding position, with a paid spot open for students.
- All 22 fundraisers from clubs and teams that were asked for were approved.
- Former Assistant Principal Damir Ara was commended for his service to the school and the community.
- Michelle Weiner, executive director of the LT Alumni Association, went over updates regarding the association including adding emergency clothing kits to the food bank, and announcing that a permanent football game in honor of 1912 alum, and the first ever professional black football coach Fritz Pollard is in the making. Weiner also said that the association’s 40th anniversary was in may and they had awarded 40 scholarships last year.
The next LSC meeting will be held on Oct. 9; students and the public are invited to join as always.
