Students Feel Wrath Of School Officials

Over 70 students participated in a sit-in against the Iraq War on All Saint's Day, Thursday, November 1st.

It began third hour when dozens of student gathered quietly in the lunchroom at Morton West High School in suburban Chicago, and refused to leave. Administrators and police became involved immediately and locked down the school for a half hour after class ended. Students report that they were promised that there would be no consequences besides cutting classes if they took their protest outside so as not to disturb the school day.

The students agreed and were led to a corner outside the cafeteria where they sang songs and held signs while classes resumed. "At first they tried to make us like leave the school, " said Jerry Petrack, who was with the protest from the beginning. Petracek referred to the massive walk-out for immigrant rights in 2006 that guided their decisions that morning.

"They were like, 'march the streets' or whatever and we were like 'no, we don't wanna leave the school because last time there was a protest outside the school and kids got arrested,' and we remembered that."

Despite the caution tape and a police line set up between the protesters and the student body, many other students joined the demonstration. Organizers say they chose November first because it is the Christian All Saints holy day and a national day of peace.

They wrote a letter and delivered it to Superintendent, Dr. Ben Nowakowski who was present at the time, stating the reason for their protest.John Acevedo, a junior says he has been thinking about the world since he was a freshman. " I've noticed that there are many students that do not really notice anything that is going on in the world. They focus on themselves or their music and I really wanted to show and lead them on to these ideas that what really is happening in the world."Adam Swarek says that a lot of people thought they just wanted to cut classes. "It was a lot more spiritual than that."

"Basically, you know the school has people in military uniforms that you know stand out there and they give away prizes for doing pull-ups and doing this and that and what they're basically representing and trying to put out there is murder and killing. That's all that basically represents when it comes down to war, you know. Like, what else is there?So we were just trying to do something opposite, like peaceful and they took it as insubordinate."

Deans, counselors and even the Superintendent tried to change the minds of a few, mainly those students with higher GPA scores to abandon the protest. The school called the homes of many of the protesters. Those whose parents arrived before the end of school and took their students home, or left before the protest ended at the final bell, received 3-5 days suspension. All others, an estimated 37 received 10 days suspension and expulsion papers.

Parents report that Nowakowski stated those who are seventeen will also face police charges.Parents who are frantically trying to spare their child's expulsion flooded the school yesterday to file appeals on the matter.

So far, Superintendent Nowakowski has held firm on the punishments. They are expected to find out the results of the appeals on the 10 day suspensions on Tuesday. However, the expulsion orders still stand. Parents and students report and the school's videotape shown to some of the parents confirms that the students were non-violent in their action and there was no damage to property.

The protest came on the heels of a recent incident on October 15th, when a student reported hearing that another student had a gun on campus. The story of the eyewitness was deemed unreliable and the school was not locked down. Later that week (October 19), the Berwyn police, acting on a tip arrested one of the youths originally questioned about gun possession and he allegedly confessed to carrying an unloaded semi-automatic handgun that day.

All these issues, plus the expected announcement of whether uniforms will be established in the school should make the next Board of Education meeting on Wednesday at 7:00pm at the Morton East campus very well-attended.

See the link below for the Superintendent's statement on the matter:www.jsmortonhs.com/news/contentview.asp

For letters or phone calls of support, please see information below:
Dr. Ben Nowakowski, Superintendent
District 201
2423 South Austin,
Cicero, IL 60804
bnowakowski@jsmorton.org
(708) 222-5702

Mr. Lucas, Principal
Morton West High School
2400 S. Home Ave.
Berwyn, IL 60402
jlucas@west.jsmorton.org
708-222-5901

Mr. Jeffry Pesek, PresidentBoard of Education,
District 201
3145 South 55th Avenue
Cicero, IL 60804
708-802-1863

For the rest of the Board Members see:www.jsmortonhs.com/board/default.asp

For parent contact:

Pam Winstead
708-749-3163,
serp@comcast.net

Alma Moran
708-717-4202,
qtalmita@yahoo.com

Adam Szwarek
847-587-8849,
tsq9743@aol.com

Related* http://www.chicagosuburbannews.com/cicero/...page/x357267163* http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/con...0,6942690.story

Morton West High School students suspended over an anti-war protest at the school last week returned to the Berwyn school today to demand they be allowed back in classes.
The kids were accompanied by about 20 parents and anti-war activists at a press conference in front of Morton West. About 25 students were suspended and face expulsions after staging a protest against the Iraq war.

Breaking the rules to “promote peace and recognize that people are dying every day” is a damned good program. These students are a hell of a lot smarter than most adults — and far more decent and civilized.

Sign the petition to help the Morton West students.

http://www.petitiononline.com/mortonw/petition.html