March 16, 2008
By Russell Contreras
Boston Globe Staff (Massachusetts, USA)
For the past five years, the immigrant advocacy group One Lowell has earned praise for helping students, especially Latinos and Asians, stay in school, or helping their families with housing.
more stories like this
But now the nonprofit, which says it has helped hundreds of students, is facing suspension from Lowell High School and may no longer be allowed inside the building under a proposal before the School Committee.
A number of committee members support the measure, saying they do not think One Lowell has adequately reported to school officials on students' progress. But Victoria Fahlberg, the nonprofit's executive director, called the charge "bogus" and said the problem stems from a clash with a School Committee member who worked at the high school.
The proposal now goes before the full School Committee on Wednesday.
The controversy began last month when Lowell High School headmaster William Samaras told a subcommittee of the School Committee that he could not assess how successful One Lowell has been because the group did not give him written reports. Committee members Regina Faticanti and David Conway then moved to suspend the group from Lowell High until it provides written reports.
"My concern is that, in order to help students, we need to know what's happening," said Conway, who had dealt with One Lowell as the high school's housemaster until he retired last year. "The way I see it, if it's not written, it didn't happen."
Fahlberg said she was shocked by the subcommittee's decision, and said neither Samaras nor any School Committee member had asked the group for written reports. "Why didn't they just call and ask me?" she said. "Why handle this out in the open at a public forum?"
One Lowell's supporters agree. School Committee member Jackie Doherty, who voted against the measure, said she was "appalled" by her fellow committee members' "overreaction."
"The work One Lowell has done has been very effective," said Doherty. "There just appears to be a miscommunication problem."
Doherty said middle school principals, who also work with One Lowell, have been pleased with their antitruancy efforts.
Under school policy, students lose credit for courses after five unexcused absences per semester. Students with 10 consecutive absences can be dropped from the rolls.
According to Fahlberg, One Lowell helps about 150 students a year at Lowell High and updates Lowell High school counselors and officials about students' progress.
She said the last time anyone from the high school requested written reports was in 2006, and she told school officials then that her group did not have the staff to provide detailed reports. She said she offered to provide written reports but that the agency would have to work with fewer students in order to meet the requirements, but school officials declined the offer.
Fahlberg blamed the group's trouble on Conway, who she said clashed with One Lowell when he was the high school housemaster and did not see eye to eye with the group.
"This is not about seeking documentation," said Fahlberg. "This is about Mr. Conway doing everything he can to discredit our agency."
Conway called the assertion "absolutely silly."
"We need to put egos aside," he said. "All I'm looking for is accountability. If they are going to fight, then now we are going to have some problems." He added that he is willing to drop the idea of suspending One Lowell if it agrees to provide officials with detailed reports about its work.
The group was formed in 2001 to help newcomers adjust to living in the city. In addition to solving truancy cases, its staff of six also provides help with housing and health-related issues.
Lowell resident Khoeun Sok said that, without One Lowell, she would have little support at the high school for her 15-year-old daughter, Mariya, who has been struggling with a learning disability.
"The only time I hear from the school is when they send police to my house and they yell at me," the 43-year-old mother said in Khmer. Speaking through an interpreter, she said One Lowell was key to helping get her daughter back into school and facing her disability.
Nhen Lorn said she, too, feared that her 15-year-old son, Perek, was in danger of dropping out of the high school after a string of absences and reports of poor academic performance. But Pitou Phat, a parent liaison with One Lowell, helped the teenager return to class and tackle some of his classes.
Phat explained school policy to the family and made home visits to make sure Perek stayed out of trouble and focused on school.
"I don't know what I would have done without One Lowell," said Lorn, a 51-year-old refugee from Cambodia. "They helped us understand" what had to be done.
Both Sok and Lorn said immigrant parents would lose an important ally if the group could no longer work in the high school.
The proposal to suspend One Lowell goes before the School Committee Wednesday. Fahlberg said she is expecting some 200 supporters to show up at the meeting.
Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com.
more stories like this
But now the nonprofit, which says it has helped hundreds of students, is facing suspension from Lowell High School and may no longer be allowed inside the building under a proposal before the School Committee.
A number of committee members support the measure, saying they do not think One Lowell has adequately reported to school officials on students' progress. But Victoria Fahlberg, the nonprofit's executive director, called the charge "bogus" and said the problem stems from a clash with a School Committee member who worked at the high school.
The proposal now goes before the full School Committee on Wednesday.
The controversy began last month when Lowell High School headmaster William Samaras told a subcommittee of the School Committee that he could not assess how successful One Lowell has been because the group did not give him written reports. Committee members Regina Faticanti and David Conway then moved to suspend the group from Lowell High until it provides written reports.
"My concern is that, in order to help students, we need to know what's happening," said Conway, who had dealt with One Lowell as the high school's housemaster until he retired last year. "The way I see it, if it's not written, it didn't happen."
Fahlberg said she was shocked by the subcommittee's decision, and said neither Samaras nor any School Committee member had asked the group for written reports. "Why didn't they just call and ask me?" she said. "Why handle this out in the open at a public forum?"
One Lowell's supporters agree. School Committee member Jackie Doherty, who voted against the measure, said she was "appalled" by her fellow committee members' "overreaction."
"The work One Lowell has done has been very effective," said Doherty. "There just appears to be a miscommunication problem."
Doherty said middle school principals, who also work with One Lowell, have been pleased with their antitruancy efforts.
Under school policy, students lose credit for courses after five unexcused absences per semester. Students with 10 consecutive absences can be dropped from the rolls.
According to Fahlberg, One Lowell helps about 150 students a year at Lowell High and updates Lowell High school counselors and officials about students' progress.
She said the last time anyone from the high school requested written reports was in 2006, and she told school officials then that her group did not have the staff to provide detailed reports. She said she offered to provide written reports but that the agency would have to work with fewer students in order to meet the requirements, but school officials declined the offer.
Fahlberg blamed the group's trouble on Conway, who she said clashed with One Lowell when he was the high school housemaster and did not see eye to eye with the group.
"This is not about seeking documentation," said Fahlberg. "This is about Mr. Conway doing everything he can to discredit our agency."
Conway called the assertion "absolutely silly."
"We need to put egos aside," he said. "All I'm looking for is accountability. If they are going to fight, then now we are going to have some problems." He added that he is willing to drop the idea of suspending One Lowell if it agrees to provide officials with detailed reports about its work.
The group was formed in 2001 to help newcomers adjust to living in the city. In addition to solving truancy cases, its staff of six also provides help with housing and health-related issues.
Lowell resident Khoeun Sok said that, without One Lowell, she would have little support at the high school for her 15-year-old daughter, Mariya, who has been struggling with a learning disability.
"The only time I hear from the school is when they send police to my house and they yell at me," the 43-year-old mother said in Khmer. Speaking through an interpreter, she said One Lowell was key to helping get her daughter back into school and facing her disability.
Nhen Lorn said she, too, feared that her 15-year-old son, Perek, was in danger of dropping out of the high school after a string of absences and reports of poor academic performance. But Pitou Phat, a parent liaison with One Lowell, helped the teenager return to class and tackle some of his classes.
Phat explained school policy to the family and made home visits to make sure Perek stayed out of trouble and focused on school.
"I don't know what I would have done without One Lowell," said Lorn, a 51-year-old refugee from Cambodia. "They helped us understand" what had to be done.
Both Sok and Lorn said immigrant parents would lose an important ally if the group could no longer work in the high school.
The proposal to suspend One Lowell goes before the School Committee Wednesday. Fahlberg said she is expecting some 200 supporters to show up at the meeting.
Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com.
7 comments:
Once one became a slave, one will always remain a slave, that's why ghetto neighborhood is best for these slaves for permanent residence.
Lessons never learned: These slaves can even manage their children, how can these slaves manage to help, perhaps contribute their leadership to Cambodia. Advice: stay away from Cambodia; we do not need you!
why would Cambodia not need Cambodians? Are you speaking on behalf of the Xmer?
Let us be reasonable about this, 11:42. We can only take so much destruction from your people. We are tire of rebuilding and facing extinction. So just stay out of Cambodia and stop calling yourself Khmer no more. You are no Khmer but evil who try to wipe out Khmer people.
I agree that this is NOT about the written reports that the school wants. It's been five years that the group has been working to assist the studens and it never has occcured to the school that it wants the written reports of the progress. So, why NOW all of a sudden the trouble emerges? Conway is a person of interest in solving the imerging matter.
Nonsense, just because you have been farming marijuana for five years, it doesn't mean the State should exempt you from the law.
Once Lowell, MA. is always Lowell, MA. racist, extremist, descrimination, and like to pass the buck onto someone else....!
10:21 PM,
You cock sucker...are you talking about yourself...mother F...you. burn in hell!
Post a Comment