BROOKLYN, N.Y., July 1 — ”I feel like I am back in my country under the dictatorship of Noriega.” So spoke one Panamian-born Clara Barton High School staff member after hearing that some teachers would be “excessed” from the school (and moved to another building) after a year of sharp struggle. One of them has been an outspoken fighter in the school and a champion of student rights. It’s no surprise that the administration has been scheming how to discipline or get rid of outstanding teachers who have challenged the racist regime of Principal Forman.
This struggle began in 2007, when several Clara Barton teachers volunteered to accompany students to help rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. After PLP teachers organized a few very successful trips with parent support, the teachers involved received “warning letters” in their files. The school community was outraged when the principal and assistant principal of security attacked us for the trip.
We realized then that only a racist could oppose our efforts to respond to the genocide that was taking place in New Orleans. As one parent involved said of the volunteer effort, “It was the best thing that my son ever did in his life.”
New Orleans: Students Got Real Education
By supporting workers who were being brutalized by capitalism and racism in New Orleans, Clara Barton students got a powerful lesson in class struggle. This was real education. It’s also the kind of learning that the New York City Department of Education (DoE) doesn’t want them to get.
Since then, the principal and his lackeys have insisted that any activities involving teachers and students outside of the school represent a violation of a chancellor’s regulation — unless approved in advance by the principal. As we’ve pointed out, this ridiculous policy could never be put forward in a more affluent or elite school; it was a racist insult to the entire Clara Barton community. As predicted in CHALLENGE (6/22), the despicable, racist principal lived down to his reputation. The day after the term ended, two PLP teachers — both among the most effective and committed in the school — received a “U” rating, for “unsatisfactory.”
The response in the building was immediate. About 40 teachers attended an emergency union meeting called the next day. After a discussion ranging from the imminent excessing and Forman’s relentless harassment, the teachers endorsed a resolution demanding that the principal remove the U ratings. They also considered withdrawing their contributions from a union-sponsored fund to show that they were dissatisfied with our union leadership’s weak response to this attack. Finally, it was proposed that the staff rate the principal. There is no question that he would get a U!
We have not backed down since this fight began, and we ended the term with a bang. At graduation, one of the targeted PLP teachers was honored by the students as the principal hung his head. In front of hundreds of parents and students, the student speaker thanked the teacher for teaching her about Karl Marx, Frederick Engels, W.E.B. DuBois, and Paul Robeson.
On behalf of the senior class, she went on to say that she would rate this teacher an A+. There were cheers and loud chants in favor of the PLP teachers. Many students and some staff at the ceremony wore buttons on their gowns, with a slogan aimed at both Forman and the DoE: “Schools Not Jails.”
The same spirit prevailed at a staff meeting later that day, where numerous teachers condemned the excessing and U ratings. One PLP member addressed the principal and demanded to know why she was given a U rating for helping her students learn about the world. She received enthusiastic applause from many teachers when she ended by telling the administration, “Shame on you!”
As we left the meeting, some teachers were shaken after being told on the spot that they would be excessed. There was disagreement about whether we should attend the end-of-term staff party. After a year of harassment and a barrage of investigations (reportedly more than 30 in all), some teachers felt we should not be at any party with the administration. But we agreed that when under siege, it’s vital to show up everywhere and be a thorn in the administration’s side. This turned out to be the right course, since many of the staff — despite some political disagreements — support us and wanted to party with us, not with the principal.
At the party, a PLP teacher stressed the need to make our attack against racism front and center in every struggle. It was followed by a talk by the person who’d coordinated the party, a former student of a PLP’er. After calling for staff members to fight for their students and to change the world, she sang “Man in the Mirror.”
Hearing lyrics that encouraged people to “take a look at themselves” and “change their ways,” and for all of us to fight back, many staff members realized that the song was directed at Principal Forman. It was electrifying to hear this strong, clear voice belt out the song as many of us gathered in a circle and held hands. It was a great show of solidarity!
The Power of PLP’s Ideas
Our battles have shown that the ideas of Progressive Labor Party are powerful; they’ve had a profound effect on many people in the school. Speakers at both graduation and the staff party spoke about the need to fight for our students and a better world. For Forman, of course, these remarks fell on deaf ears; he stayed on his cell phone, his back turned to the speakers. But many others heard the message loud and clear.
The seeds we have planted in this school are starting to grow. Many good people have stepped forward during this four-year struggle. We see that people will follow communist leadership and that they are open to communist ideas. We need only the discipline to put our views forward boldly and consistently.
We are also seeing more clearly that the administration’s vicious attacks reflect a broader reality: Capitalism cannot provide an education for our youth. Only when workers, students, and parents gain state power will we be able to provide a genuine education for everyone. But we can get a good start in learning more about these ideas at PLP’s Summer Project in New York, July 11-16.
