NBSD policy suspension policy raises controversy

The North Babylon Football team donned bright blue uniforms on Sept. 18, but they neither blitzed nor tackled. Instead, they charged into a school board meeting, filling two rows, to protest the ineligibility of 12 team members. Their goal: to beg the board to reinstate teammates, and to air complaints about the process of suspending players from the team for disciplinary reasons.

"We are very angry," said Mark Mazur, an eleventh grader and the North Babylon Bulldogs starting center. "We came here to show that we are all a family."

Most of the conversation that evening was focused on football player Chris Phillips who was internally suspended three times last year for relatively minor infractions. According to his dad, Chris didn't remove his hat during school, threw a pretzel, and used his cell phone without permission.

"The punishment does not fit the crime," said Glen Phillips, his dad. Furthermore, Glen told the board that he was not notified of his son's ineligibility until after the season started, a complaint echoed by other parents. (The high school maintains it sent personalized letters to each home.)

"My son practiced all summer long, but I was not notified" until after the season started of his ineligibility, said Glen Phillips. "These kids practiced morning and evening during the summer, 32 practices and almost 86 hours of training and one game."

Since the board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Robert Aloise has met with each football player and parent about the issue. The district is standing by their ruling on these ineligibilities. "Students are expected to follow the rules as clearly outlined in the handbook which is given to all high school students on the second day of school," said Dr. Aloise. "If they do not act in line with the code of conduct, certain privileges are revoked such as the privilege to participate in extra curricular activities." The school's handbook—which is discussed in a special forum the first week of school—lists the ways to lose privileges, explained Aloise. According to the handbook, if a student receives more than two suspensions—in school or out of school—in one year, they lose their eligibility. Also, if a student fails two subjects, they are ineligible for the marking period. The superintendent pointed out that there is an appeals process in August, November and February. But parents and students explain the football season will be over by then.

Both parents and students wondered how withdrawing kids from sports will help them stay out of trouble. "If a student is punished with internal school suspensions, he has paid his due," said Terence Slane, a concerned parent.

From this disagreement, the board has directed the superintendent to create a committee to look into the practice of suspending students from sports, with an eye toward writing a board policy on it," said Dr. Aloise. "We are going to be looking at this whole practice and see what other school districts are doing." Glen Phillips hoped the kids could do some form of community service instead of being banned from sports. He explained that football is a good influence in their lives. Pointing to bright blue presence in the back of the room, he said, "They don't have to be here — 10 p.m. on a school night —but these kids care about each other. We are like a family. We have dinners together on Friday nights."

The Bulldogs have won three games and lost one. Since Chris' suspension from the team, he has been playing handball outside of school. "Last night, he stayed up late to fold socks," Glen Phillips said.

In other board news, members of the North Babylon teachers union were also out in force at the board meeting: More than 200 teachers—whose contract expired July, 2007—filed into the meeting, and then quietly filed out, wearing bright red shirts.

Their colorful and brief presence was to remind the board that "in order to be effective with kids, we must have a fair and equitable agreement," said Selina Durio, director in the New York State United Teachers. Negotiations have been ongoing since March 2007 with disagreements in salary and health insurance.

The union has peacefully called attention to the lack of contract on Thursdays by wearing red shirts to school as well as attending board meetings.

"Of our faculty about 65 people live in this town," said Durio. "They work here. They live here. They pay taxes here. They vote here. They raise their children here. We are not people who work and then take our money to other communities."

"We are still meeting with the board," said Durio. "We are optimistic that we will come to a mutual agreement."