Queens Chronicle
Teachers at Forest Hills High School have become increasingly disturbed by incidents in the building, including fights, drug usage and even one instance in which a student threw urine into a classroom.
One teacher described the fourth floor of the building as “The Wild West Show.”
In a poll last Thursday, UFT members voted no confidence in Principal Ben Sherman, who has held the spot since early 2017, by a 195-21 vote.
Adam Bergstein, United Federation of Teachers chapter president of Forest Hills High School, said he heard from many different people in the school.
“The concerns were brought to me from every different constituency in the building and I mean, administration ... teachers were fed up and overwhelmed and disgusted, the aides in the building, students,” he said.
Bergstein added, “Ninety percent of the staff feel as though the principal is incapable of managing Forest Hills High School and, or maintaining the building at the level it’s been at for decades.”
A main issue has been theft, which teachers say has increased since Sherman removed aides from the locker rooms.
Sherman could not comment because he was not cleared to do so by the Department of Education
According to UFT Consultative Council minutes from a Dec. 6 meeting acquired by the Chronicle, a physical education teacher said a locker room attendant is needed, to which Sherman said safety and hallway issues predate him and that the hallways significantly improved. A teacher responded by saying groups of students still congregate all over the building.
“Mr. Sherman answered that some of these problems are not fixable; there are 24 staircases and there will always be students roaming, vaping and smoking,” according to the minutes.
“There’s pot almost every day,” a history teacher said. “And usually it’s the students smoking in the bathrooms or the stairwells. He doesn’t have a policy anymore for getting kids to class and not being late like the previous principal did.”
One teacher said Sherman indicated marijuana is legal in many states and would soon be in New York.
8 comments:
As a Forest Hills HS student myself many years ago I’m truly beside myself
"One teacher said Sherman indicated marijuana is legal in many states and would soon be in New York."
What a delusional train of thought. Legal or not, schools (at least when i was a student) were drug and smoke free zones. it shouldn't be tolerated on campus no matter the legality. he needs to be removed immediately.
HOW COULD THIS BE ? IT'S ONE OF THE TOP HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE BOROUGH??
I met the principal on 2 occasions. He's a complete schmuck!
"When schoolchildren start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of school children." - Albert Shanker, former president of the United Federation of Teachers from 1964 to 1985 and president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) from 1974 to 1997.
One teacher said Sherman indicated marijuana is legal in many states and would soon be in New York.
Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" played backwards = "It's fun to smoke marijuana."
They don't need a principal, they need a platoon of Marines.
So sad to read this about my alma mater. Dr. Leo Ryan must be "turning over in his grave". This certainly will have an effect on my "fond thoughts of yesteryear and days at Forest Hills" Do some research and find such great talents as Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were graduated from FHHS. Something is very wrong here !!
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