A number of students, families, and community members are calling on the Department of Education to abandon its plans to relocate a high school that is currently located on the Upper West Side to East Harlem.
The students, along with teachers and school staff, held a protest outside of Edward A. Reynolds West Side High School on Wednesday in an attempt to thwart the DOE’s plans to swap West Side High with The Young Women’s Leadership School, which is located at the site that West Site High would move into. The relocation would take effect at the beginning of the next school year.
The rallygoers said that by moving the school, student safety could be at risk, while the athletics programs could also be negatively affected. They are also concerned that the move could lead to a loss of health and wellness resources.
Since 1981, the Edward A. Reynolds West Side High School, known as West Side High School, has been in its own building on West 102nd St. and Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side. And that’s just how the students there want to keep it.
West Side High School is a transfer school, for students who have dropped out or fallen behind in credits. Transfer schools are also known for offering paid internships for students via a Learning to Work program. There are currently 58 transfer high schools, including seven charter transfer schools, that serve roughly 12,000 students.
John Sullivan, superintendent of transfer schools, addressed a letter to West Side High families on March 3, announcing the proposal to “re-site” West Side High School with The Young Women’s Leadership School.
Sullivan states in the letter that the re-siting will benefit Spanish-speaking students who live in the East Harlem area because of new Spanish dual-language programming that West Side High School is in the process of adding. While Sullivan also said the proposal “is not expected to otherwise impact West Side High School’s admissions, programming, or extra-curricular activities,” some in the West Side High community beg to differ.
In fact, according to opponents of the move, the 1.3-mile distance would make a world of a difference for students who have grown up and are attached to that area.
Aeisha Pandy and Jaidyn Johnson, both seniors at West Side High, said they are worried about the potential safety risks of moving teenagers who come from different neighborhoods into the same area. Many of the students who attend West Side High live in the nearby New York City Housing Authority’s Frederick Douglass Houses.
“Safety is a very big concern,” Pandy said. “A lot of kids that go to West Side are from the west side in this specific project. If you’re moving us from our safe zone to a complete polar opposite area where we’re not going to be respected or we’re not going to be safe, what do you think’s gonna happen?”
Many of the students have relied on the on-site programs, Pathways to Graduation and Living for the Young Family Through Education programs, as well as the school-based health center that shares space with West Side High School. The proposal states that it is anticipated that the P2G and LYFE programs, and the SBHC will remain at the West High School site.
“However, the NYCDOE will continue to explore options to provide health services to the West Side High School students in future years,” Sullivan states in the March letter.
The proposal needs to be voted on and approved by the Department of Education’s Panel for Educational Policy. The proposals are on the PEP’s April 19 meeting agenda for school utilization proposals.
Chyann Tull, a DOE spokesperson, said there will be an opportunity for the public to share their thoughts about the move.
“These re-sitings are still in the proposal phase,” Tull said. “We are continuing to engage the community and gather feedback before there is a final decision.”
Johnson moved to West Side High three months ago from Harlem-based Democracy Prep. He said his schedule was set to go the first week he arrived at West Side High, and Johnson knew exactly what he had to do to graduate and which credits to work for. Johnson said maintaining stability for transfer students is crucial.
“I feel it’s insulting to just move a school that’s made to help kids who didn’t really fit in with normal school,” Johnson said. “A bunch of kids are here protesting because they want West Side to stay here.”
Joel Solow, a special education teacher at West Side High, said he got involved with the protest after hearing the outrage and frustration from his students and colleagues at West Side High.
“We have long been on the Upper West Side and in the community of the Frederick Douglass Houses,” Solow said. “It’s a result of our deep, close connections to the Frederick Douglass community, our sports programs, and our life center, that we’re able to support the students.”
Solow, who would move to East Harlem with West Side High out of commitment to the community, said he believes the re-siting is happening because “transfer schools and transfer school students are treated as disposable.”
Read more: How to Apply for NYC Charter Schools in 2023
