Princeton Students Speak Up Against More Zoom Time

Princeton High School students and staff members spoke out against a proposed plan to add more virtual instruction to their daily schedule at a recent Board of Education meeting, according to Planet Princeton.

Almost 1,000 people tuned in for the public meeting in which the possible change in the school schedule was discussed. It was four hours long and was eventually cut off at midnight.

A student representative told the school board that students are frustrated. They want more of a say in their schedules and were not consulted about the possibility of more Zoom time, instead of allowing more time to do homework. A student survey was referred to, citing 85% of the students were overly stressed, and adding more instruction time would not be helpful, but, harmful.

One Princeton High School student, Matty Baglio was quoted as saying, "We're not slacking off this year. We're probably worker harder than on a normal basis. If grades are dropping it's because we are teenagers living in a global pandemic, not because of less instructional time.

A Princeton High School staff member, Malachi Wood was quoted as saying, "The extended schedule would be an equity disaster. It will extend the equity gap at Princeton High School....extending class does not fix the problem. It exacerbates it. Some students are home taking care of siblings. It's not a choice, it's a matter of economic survival for the family. The schedule does not respect this. Vulnerable students need more time for individual support."

To read more student and staff comments, click here.

Interim Superintendent Barry Galasso announced by email after the meeting that he will put the plans for a new schedule on hold until they seek more advice from students, parents, and staff on how the needs of all involved can be better met.

Read the entire Planet Princeton article here.