New York Schools Become More Authoritarian

Students’ rights are quickly becoming an issue of significant import in New York City. It is in the papers and on television, and NYRA members have overheard youth rights issues being discussed in the office of a very influential New York City Councilman. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has recently been enforcing a ban on cell phones in public schools, to the disgust of many students and parents. And in a move that is perhaps even more disgusting than the ban on cell phones, New York City is performing more and more random searches on students who have done nothing wrong. Students have organized successful protests, which have in turn brought the issue a great deal of attention from the media and from elected officials. NYRA hopes that this frustration and outrage over a relatively narrow issue can be channeled into a general outrage over compulsory education in the United States, and the way young people are generally treated as second-class citizens. A protest took place at New York City Hall on Thursday, May 11. More information on it at the NYRA Blog.