Features

Fatu Castillo

Staff Writer

According to the School District Of Philadelphia, the only way a student can be expelled from any Philadelphia school is by violating of the Code Of Student Conduct. In practice, it’s simple, a student violates one of the rules and they receive an expulsion referral from the school, easy. But not every rule in the Code Of Student Conduct can constitute as grounds for expulsion.

Different rules listed have different capacities for punishment, on a 1-to-5 level, with the 1 being In-School Interventions and 5 being Expulsion Referrals.

If a student violates Rule 1D, general unpreparedness, can only, in the worst-case scenario, result in In-School Inventions. However only four slots down on the list, Rule 5B or the inappropriate use of electronic devices, can constitute grounds for a student’s reassignment to a disciplinary school with expulsion.

It can be a blurred when deciding what level of discipline a student will receive when they violate a rule.

And with only XX cases of expulsions since it’s opening, Science Leadership Academy hasn’t had the opportunity to intimately learn the rules. But as a newer, less-traditional school, SLA has garnered a reputation for being less likely to turn to expulsion as a disciplinary method.

So, how does a student manage to get expelled from SLA? Most students asked didn’t have concrete answers or specifics.

Amanda Boli offered, “You’d have to do something really bad, like throwing things at a teacher or threatening another student, something like that.”

“I think you need to do drugs, or harass someone, or maybe hurt a teacher.”

Others agreed that SLA had a more forgiving attitude when it comes to expulsion.

“I think that you’d have to do something very extreme,” guessed Leon Finney, “Like curse at a teacher, perhaps a fight depending on the circumstances.”

Finney continued, “I think SLA gives students a lot of leeway, it’s really hard to get expelled, they’re give you multiple chances.”

Most answers circulated this format, an SLA student would have to do something either violently extreme or physically bring drugs into the building.

Alicia Jones had a firmer stance than most interviewed, stating, “I think if they’re white then it takes a lot, I think if they’re black or any other minority then it takes very little.”

A clear answer was only given when Co-Principal Chris Lehmann “We try really hard not to expel students.”

Lehmann continued, “Generally, if you do physically injure another student, if you were start fights, if you were to make it unsafe for other students to be here in a way that is repeated and you were unwilling to work towards changing that behavior.”

Co-Principal Aaron Gerwer backed Lehmann in a separate interview, stating, “It depends on the situation, I think for me it’s when it’s not safe for someone to be here anymore, for the community.”

So while the answers students gave about expulsions at a district level may not be as descriptive as needed, they do alright with what can get them kicked out of SLA.

Even if the chances of them being expelled are slim.

Deja Harrison

Staff Writer

As the end of the school year approaches, the current seniors at SLA are preparing to say their goodbyes to high school and their hellos to the real world. The current juniors on the other hand are preparing to embark on the journey of becoming seniors and going through the college process. I spoke to several current juniors about their opinions on becoming seniors.

“I’m really excited and nervous to become a senior. I can’t wait to apply to colleges and see where I get into,” said Junior Fatoumata Camara. “High school is coming to an end and I’m anxious to see what life’s like after it. I always hear people talk about how amazing their senior years are so I’m excited to start mine.”

Not everything between these classes is positive, though. There is a popular belief that the current seniors think that the current Juniors are not a very school spirited or appreciative class.  As a member of the Class of 2018 myself, I thought it would only be right if I tried to discover how this controversy came to be.

For some seniors, the opinion is based in observations of the class below them.

“The junior class is like really selfish. They get everything pretty much handed to them and they don’t appreciate it.” said Senior Arsenio Gomez. He believes we have it easier than the Class of 2017.

“Their prom tickets were way cheaper than ours, they got their laptops before we did when they were freshman, the list just goes on and on.”

Senior Kia Dasilva believes that “They aren’t bad individually but together it’s like they can’t come together at all.” She believes that the problem with the Class of 2018 has a lack of unity. However, she does believe there is hope for the class in the future.  

“I think that being a senior is a more independent thing and the junior class seems to do really well with that, so they might do a better job.”

Juniors had their own opinions on their persona as a class.

“I think the seniors see that things are changing for us, and they are jealous,” said Junior Tia Roberts when asked what she thought about the “selfish” claim. “They don’t understand that every year the school changes and each class is going to have more than then the last.”  

Though not all seniors feel negatively towards the Class of 2018. Some of them are actually happy to be going and wish us the best. Senior Luke Watson-Sharer said that, “Some of them will do really good, some kids are ready to handle it some kids will not, I hope the class does good.”

Other seniors were oblivious to the supposed ill will.

“I’m not aware of any rivalry, but I hope next year you guys kill it with all the stuff you have to go through next year.” Senior Fatu Castillo stated.

Co-Principal Aaron Gerwer believes that the Class of 2018 is capable of being a successful and powerful senior class. “The Class of 2018 in the past did get into a lot of trouble mainly their freshman year but they were never really problematic. I think they will do good work next year.”

Based on the number of people who did not know anything about this “rivalry”, it seems like this whole Class of 2018 vs. Class of 2017 beef is made up.