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September 11 InformationBecause Stuyvesant is only about four blocks from the World Trade Center, the Stuyvesant building was temporarily unavailable after the events of September 11, and classes took place at Brooklyn Technical High School. Students returned to the Stuy building on Tuesday October 9. November 13: Parents Association Meeting
Mon. 5 November: . Following the PA's mailing of the PA Envinromental Health & Safety Committee Report, the PA Executive Board received a response from the Board of Education to our letter of October 11 Read the letter from David Klasfeld, Board of Education. Tues. 6 November: . The PA President's response to Mr. Klasfeld's letter. Read a copy here. Fri. 26 October: . Letter from Marilena Christodoulou to parents. See here for a copy. Fri. 26 October: . PA Health & Safety Committee Report See here for a copy. Thurs. 25 October: Letter from Howard Bader. See here for a copy. Weds. 24 Oct. 1:00 pm: The Principal, Stanley Teitel, has sent a letter to parents via "backpack mail." See here for a copy. Tues. 23 Oct. 10:00 am: On Tuesday, October 30, the Parents' Association will sponsor a talk by Dr. Frederic Reichman, a clinical psychologist and expert on trauma and crisis intervention. He is a member of the Disaster Response Network, which has provided trauma counseling for families and debriefing for professionals and city workers affected by the World Trade Center Disaster. He will talk about how trauma and terrorism affect adolescents and how parents can help both themselves and their children. There will be refreshments starting at 7:00 and the talk will begin at 7:30 in the cafeteria, fifth floor. Sat. 13 Oct. 4:30 pm: Parent class visits for Oct. 22-24 have been cancelled, but will resume again in the spring. Parent/Teacher Conferences will still take place, as originally scheduled, on Thursday, October 25 6:00-8:30 p.m. and Friday, October 26 1:00-3:00 p.m. Fri. 12 Oct. 11:00 am: Friday October 19th is an Instructional Day. In order to recover lost instructional time, that day, originally scheduled to be a Staff Development Day, with no student attendance, has been changed to a normal instructional day. All students are expected to attend. Thurs. 11 Oct. 11:00 pm: The PA has received reports from its own consulting environmental engineer, and from those retained by the Board of Education. See here. Mon. 8 Oct. 8:30 pm: Important Message to Parents (revised) from Marilena Christodoulou, PA President, and Sheldon Stachel, PA First Vice President Dear Parents, These past weeks have stunned and saddened us all. We must feel heartened, however, by the amazing display of strength and unity both in our country and within our school community. Working together, faculty and administration, students and parents have achieved the students’ successful transition to their temporary home at Brooklyn Tech. Looking beyond these tragic events, the goal now is the safe return of our students to their familiar surroundings and daily activities as soon as possible. On Friday October 5th, the Parents’ Association was informed of the Board of Education’s decision to reopen our school on October 9th. This decision was made without prior consultation with the Stuyvesant PA. The Parents’ Association has retained independent experts to review the results of the cleanup operations of our school building taking place under the supervision of the Board of Education, as well as the results of the air testing and monitoring in the areas surrounding the school. The PA’s expert received the post-cleanup test sampling results and other extensive documentation from the Board of Education on Friday October 5 in the afternoon, an insufficient time for him to thoroughly review them and advise the PA that afternoon. The PA Executive Board held a Special Meeting that evening. On Monday, October 8, the PA Board was informed of its expert’s opinion that the indoor test results are acceptable. However, there are several important items that need to be addressed to ensure the continued safety inside the school building. A complete statement of the PA’s position will be published shortly, including the PA expert’s recommendations and requests to the Board of Education. Documents and test results will be made available to parents.Key issues that must be addressed are (a) the continued monitoring of the water quality and air quality (both inside and outside the school) after the students relocate, (b) the effects of continued demolition and recovery operations for impact within and outside the school, (c) the carting and waste disposal onto barges near the school, and (d) safe access and transportation issues. The Board of Education had agreed to the PA’s request that its Director of School Environmental Health and Safety write a detailed explanatory letter addressing these issues. To date, the Board of Education has not provided us with such a letter. It has provided us, however, with a letter from the NYC Department of Health which is posted on our website. [See here.] The PA Executive Board is concerned with the carting and disposal of debris from the WTC site onto barges located near the school. At its Special Meeting of October 5, the PA Executive Board passed a resolution that the barge operations, and the related truck traffic and noise pollution present a potential danger to the students and staff of our school and to the surrounding community. Therefore, the Executive Board believes that the barges should be moved to another location as soon as possible. The Board plans to enlist the support of the community and of neighboring schools to achieve this goal. Please keep checking our website, www.stuypa.org, for the latest information. A Special PA General Meeting will be held shortly. Notice will be posted on the PA website and distributed to your children. We look forward to seeing you at this important meeting. Sincerely, Marilena Christodoulou, PA President Sheldon Stachel, First Vice President Fri. 5 Oct. 10:00 am: Detailed minutes from the PA General Meeting on 25 September have now been posted here. Thurs. 4 Oct. 9:30 am: Update from Marilena Christodoulou, PA
President, as of October 3, 2001: The Board of Education (BOE) is in the process of conducting an environmental cleanup of the building. As of this time, we do not have definite information that the cleanup will be completed and that all the issues raised with the BOE (see PA statement of September 28) will be addressed in time to enable us to return to Stuyvesant on October 9th. We are waiting for the completion of the cleanup, the post-cleanup test results, as well as information on testing of the outside environment conducted by the EPA and other agencies. The independent expert retained by the PA will then review this information. The PA's major concern is the return to Stuyvesant as quickly as possible, however only when it is documented that there are no health or safety issues which may compromise the well-being of the students and staff. The School Administration has scheduled a student assembly on Friday October 5th to inform the students as to the return date. Please ask your children on Friday. An update will also be posted on the PA website. Fri. 28 Sept. 10:00 am: BOARD OF EDUCATION INFORMS PA OF RETURN TO STUYVESANT ON OCTOBER 9 On September 26th, representatives of the PA Executive Board, Marilena Christodoulou and Sheldon Stachel, met with Deputy Chancellor Klasfeld, Board of Education Director of Environmental Health and Safety Bernard Orlan, as well as other Board of Education environmental and facilities experts, (collectively “Board of Ed”), and Special UFT Representative Leo Casey. The Board of Ed officials informed the PA about the steps they were taking to effect a complete environmental cleanup and testing of the Stuyvesant building and of the bridge, and of their decision to reopen Stuyvesant on October 9. In response to the PA’s request that the cleanup be conducted in accordance with the highest possible standard, the Board of Ed represented to the PA that, although air samples to-date have been negative for asbestos, the cleanup will be conducted in accordance with the asbestos protocol which is the highest standard. The Board of Ed will provide the PA with all the test results. At the completion of the cleanup, the Board of Ed will provide the PA with copies of a Cleanup Certification and Letter of Reoccupancy provided by the environmental contractors used by the Board of Ed, ATC Environmental and Taylor Environmental. Further, Mr. Orlan agreed to write a letter describing the cleanup and the impact of issues #1 to #5 listed below. Such documents and test results will be made available to parents for their review. The PA has retained an independent expert on occupational health and safety to advise it on the cleanup and on the safety of the building and of its surrounding environment, especially the air quality both inside and outside the school. The PA representatives, realizing that the environmental situation is changing on a daily basis, made the following requests of the Board of Ed:
The Board of Ed agreed to all the above requests. Regarding the air quality outside the building, the Board of Ed will coordinate with the N.Y. Dept. of Environmental Protection. The PA’s major concern is the return to Stuyvesant as quickly as possible, however only when it is documented that there are no health or safety issues which may compromise the well-being of the students and staff. Fri. 28 Sept. 9:45 am: HOMECOMING Come Cheer Our Football Team!! 11:00 AM Junior Varsity Peglegs vs. Kennedy 2:00 PM Varsity Peglegs vs. Boys and Girls Free buses will be provided for Stuyvesant students. Directions to Kennedy H.S. Field (Bronx): Tues. 25 Sept. 12:00 noon: In a TV appearance on Channel 13 last night, Schools Chancellor Harold Levy said that the Stuyvesant building has just been vacated by all recovery workers.There are lots of supplies and food still in the building, but these will be removed and reallocated today. Then cleaners will be brought in. In response to a phoned-in question from a Stuyvesant student, the chancellor said he expects students and teachers to be able to move back into the Stuy building “before the second week of October,” and “quite likely even sooner.” This was confirmed by Deputy Chancellor David Klasfeld in a phone conversation this morning with PA President Marilena Christodoulou. Further planning will occur at a meeting tomorrow, to which various interested parties, including PA leaders, have been invited. Tues. 25 Sept. 11:00 am: Reminder: The Stuy Parents' Association will hold an important GENERAL MEETING Location: Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn, New York 11217. Please come to discuss our children’s emergency relocation to Brooklyn Tech and their return to Stuyvesant. Please pass the word to others who may not see this notice. Mon. 24 Sept. 11:15 am: PSAT reminder: The PSAT will be taken, as originally scheduled, on Saturday October 20. The school is working on the assumption that it will be possible to take this examination at Stuyvesant, not at Brooklyn Tech. Students who wish to pick up a copy of the application form should get it from Room 1W12 at Brooklyn Tech. Your completed application forms plus payment should also be taken to Room 1W12. Remember that application forms should be handed in on or before Friday September 28. Sun. 23 Sept. 12:15 pm: Stan Teitel, Principal of Stuy, has asked us to post the following letter: "September 22, 2001 Next Thursday, September 27th is Yom Kippur. Since the holiday begins at sundown, I will dismiss school on Wednesday, September 26th at 3:28 PM (after period 4) to provide ample time for our students and faculty to travel home and prepare for the holiday. To all of our observing community members: May you have a meaningful fast and may your name be written in the book of life. I want to inform you that my phone number at BTHS is 718-858-5150, but my extension is now 584, I hope to see and welcome many of you on Tuesday evening at the PA meeting at BTHS. Sincerely, Stan Teitel" Fri. 21 Sept. 11:30 pm: The September PA Bulletin, written before September 11, is now available here. Fri. 21 Sept. 11:00 pm: A list of the phone, fax and room numbers at Brooklyn Tech of various Stuy administrators has been placed on www.Stuynet.com. Access it by clicking here. Fri. 21 Sept. 7:00 pm: There were major articles on Stuyvesant in several newspapers yesterday and today. See Stuy in the press for articles from the NY Times, the NY Daily News, and the LA Times (a particularly good article). Fri. 21 Sept. 2:15 pm: The PA has established a Recovery Fund. Click here to read about how to help. Fri. 21 Sept. 1:00 am: The following has appeared at www.Stuynet.com, an unofficial web site accessed by numerous Stuy students. Thurs. 20 Sept. 11:30 pm: The PA has issued another important statement based on developments that took place over the last couple of days. Weds. 19 Sept. 11:45 pm: Chancellor Levy has sent the following email to Stuyvesant parents who emailed him earlier this week expressing concerns about certain aspects of plans he had announced: "Thank you for your email. I want you to know that since the immediate aftermath of the tragedy I have been doing everything I possibly can to reopen Stuyvesant. At each of the Mayor’s emergency management meetings I have raised it as one of my highest priorities. I have discussed the issue personally with the Mayor and the Governor, and both have committed their full support for reopening the school at the earliest possible time. As you may know, the building is now being used as one of the three area command centers, and for emergency workers to sleep, eat and receive medical treatment. The City’s Office of Emergency Management, which is in overall charge of the World Trade Center site, has promised that we will get control back of the building by October 1, as soon as the emergency workers are redeployed to other buildings. In addition, Con Edison has now restored power to the building through the use of a generator. Cleaning companies have already been hired and are standing by and ready to bring in as many as 100 people, 24 hours a day. Moreover, the cooperation displayed by all parties, including the other City agencies, has been exceptional. The response of the school administrations and the faculties of Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech to the emergency has been particularly heartening. Accordingly, I am hopeful of reopening Stuyvesant within one month. The impact of the attack will undoubtedly be felt for some time. I well realize that the children at Stuyvesant have been through a terrible ordeal and that many of them have witnessed events that no adult should ever have to view. It is for this reason that I have been insistent that staff be ready to meet potential psychological issues. Rose DePinto, the Superintendent for High Schools, has informed me that there will be crisis counselors available at Brooklyn Tech to assist in dealing with student needs. Separately, I have asked the superintendent to discuss with school staff the safety arrangements inherent in so many children being in the same building. I have asked that she pay particular attention to balancing the scheduling needs of both schools. Additionally, at my request she will convene a joint student, faculty, parent council to advise the two principals during the period that the two schools will be housed in the same building. Finally, I know you understand that there are many things that we must be doing in this time of tragedy and crisis but please know that I am doing everything I can to reopen Stuyvesant as soon as possible. I would also ask that if you wish to reply to this e-mail or need additional information, that you contact your parents association, principal, the High School Borough Superintendent or the Superintendent for High Schools, Rose DePinto. With your cooperation I know we will get through this difficult period." Weds. 19 Sept. 11:30 pm: Stuy has posted the following instructions at www.Stuy.edu: "Students report at 11:00am to the auditorium at Brooklyn Tech High School on Thursday, September 20. Students should present their Stuyvesant ID cards upon entry. Students will ONLY be attending an informational assembly on Thursday. The instructional time schedule that will be in effect beginning Friday Sept 21 will be discussed at the assembly. Please bring questions. Students will be dismissed on Thursday some time after 1:00pm. Seniors will meet with Mr. Blaufarb following the assembly." Weds. 19 Sept. 11:00 pm: People from around the world are now visiting this site. Stuyvesant and its students have received wonderful messages of support from other schools as far away as California and England. Weds. 19 Sept. 12:45 pm: Marilena Christodoulou, PA President, has just received a phone call from Harold Levy, Chancellor of the NYC school system. They talked for 10-15 minutes. He said that as a result of our Monday night statement (see here), he has received hundreds of emails from Stuy parents. He begs us (and we support this) not to clog up his email system, and instead to send our letters via fax (718-935-3463) or mail (110 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201). The Chancellor told Marilena that the Board of Education is working hard to resolve the problems we discuss in our statement. We look forward to an on-the-record statement from the Chancellor. Weds. 19 Sept. 12:15 pm: IMPORTANT NOTICE: There will be a STUY PA GENERAL MEETING Location: Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn, New York 11217. Please come to discuss our children’s emergency relocation to Brooklyn Tech and their return to Stuyvesant. Please see Sept 17 PA Statement for the PA Executive Board’s position on these matters. Please also pass the word to others who may not see this notice. Weds. 19 Sept. 10:30 am: Time for some good news. From today's New York Times: "Leading all schools [in New York] with semifinalists [in the 47th annual National Merit Scholarship Program] was Stuyvesant High School, with 88 students. It was followed by Hunter College High School, with 60 students. Among private schools, the competition was much closer: 20 students each from the Dalton School and the Trinity School, 19 from Horace Mann and 18 each from Brearley and Regis High School." Tues. 18 Sept. 10:30 am: Updated information on transportation to Brooklyn Tech is now available here. Tues. 18 Sept. 1:00 am: There are some useful new posts at www.Stuynet.com, an unofficial and useful site run by a Stuy student. These are "Editorial: The 30-minute plan: why not?", "Another message from the Student Union", and "Brooklyn Tech Maps". Mon. 17 Sept. 11:00 pm: The Executive Board of the Stuyvesant Parents' Association issued an important statement. Read the Statement to Stuyvesant Parents by the Board of the Stuyvesant Parents’ Association. Please inform other parents of this. Mon. 17 Sept. 10:30 pm: Queens Transportation: Some parents are organizing a 14-passenger van to run from Queens to Brooklyn Tech. It will leave from Union Turnpike and the Bell Blvd./Springfield Blvd. vicinity. The cost will be approximately $12 to $15 round trip per day. A four-week commitment is necessary. It will start immediately. If you are interested, contact Arne Abramowitz at AATREEZ@aol.com and leave a phone number. Mon. 17 Sept. 4:00 pm: We're in contact with the people at Princeton Review who run the special SAT classes that were just starting to be conducted at Stuy. They're working on alternative arrangements, which will be posted here as soon as they're known. Mon. 17 Sept. 3:30 pm: This web site is being visited by increasing numbers of people around the country. Several have contacted us offerering encouragement plus various kinds of help. Mon. 17 Sept. 12:45 pm: Note to Stuy students in the "College Now" Research Chem Class that meets Friday afternoons at Hunter: Will Baughman's mother (Mgarwin@aol.com) is in touch with Hunter about this. Please email her if you wish to be keep informed. Mon. 17 Sept. 11:15 am: There continue to be stories in the press that mention Stuy. The main ones I've learned of are shown here. Sun. 16 Sept. 11:00 pm: An extremely useful description of how things will be handled while Stuy is sharing the Brooklyn Tech space has been supplied by the president of the Stuy Student Union, based on information gathered at a meeting today with Stan Teitel. Click here to read it. Also, detailed directions on how to get to Brooklyn Tech by various means of transportation are now available here. (I recommend that each student prints out and keeps the map provided .) The directions are based in part on information specially compiled for us by Gordy Thompson, the co-chairman of the Brooklyn Tech PTA. We've been in intensive communication with Gordy over the last couple of days, and also with Dr. Lee McCaskill, principal of Brooklyn Tech, and their input and support are much appreciated. Over this weekend, parent volunteers phoned (or tried to) the homes of every Stuyvesant student, informing them of the situation, and urging them to access this web site for constantly updated information. Sun. 16 Sept. 12:30 pm: Gene Blaufarb, A.P., Pupil Personnel Services has placed an announcement at www.Stuy.edu saying that trained professional counseling will be available to Stuy students. This service will be available on Monday starting at 10:00 am. (I imagine it's also available later.) A Stuy representative will be at the main entrance of Brooklyn Technical High School (see below for details re Brooklyn Tech) to direct students to the appropriate room and counselor. You can just turn up, or you can email Mike Zamansky if you wish to ask in advance for this. Stuy students should not turn up at Brooklyn Tech on Monday unless it's specifically for this counseling service! Sat. 15 Sept. 7:30 pm: Editorial comment by BR: I've heard both enthusiasm and grumbles, from both communities, about the fact that Stuy will be briefly sharing the facilities at Brooklyn Tech. I think it's important that we recognize how inconvenient this will be for Brooklyn Tech students and staff. Sure, it will be inconvenient for us, too. But I hope that every Stuy person will work hard to make the Brooklyn Tech community feel better about Stuy, not worse, by the time we return to our own building. Sat. 15 Sept. 5:30 pm: For updated and more comprehensive information on the informal meeting for students tomorrow at Riverdale Temple, go to "Riverdale meeting update" at www.stuynet.com. For some photographs taken this morning at Stuy (inside, and from the roof), go here. For some detailed directions on how to get to Brooklyn Tech from various directions and by various means, go to www.stuy.edu/directions. Sat. 15 Sept. 12:00 pm: From www.Stuy.edu: "A letter (snail mail) has been sent by [Stan Teitel] to all parents. This letter will explain in more detail what the student schedule will look like. Mr. Teitel has informed me that we will not be allowed back into the building until it is ready to be used once again as a school. Counseling is being worked on. Hopefully I'll be able to provide more information before the end of the day." Sat. 15 Sept. 10:30 am: From www.Stuy.edu: "We are trying to make counseling services available ASAP, possibly before students report on Thursday... I doubt that [students will be allowed back into the Stuy building to get belongings] until the building is no longer being used in the rescue/recovery effort..." Sat. 15 Sept. 9:30 am: From www.stuynet.com: "On Sunday at 2pm there will be space available for Stuy kids to meet and see that everyone is ok, and discuss their experiences. Dr. Shimone Hirschorn, a psychologist, has volunteered to be available. It will be at the Riverdale Temple on 246th St. and Riverdale Ave. This is not a religious service. People can email hejmw3@aol.com with questions. The Riverdale temple was just a big space that was willing to lend some of it to us, not to preach or anything. Thanks to Ethan Moses for the heads up." Fri. 14 Sept. 6:00 pm: The news about Brooklyn Tech is now official. Deputy Chancellor David Klasfeld has just informed Marilena Christodoulou, PA President, that Stuy students should report at Brooklyn Tech [added later: Go to the auditorium] on Thursday September 20th at 11:00 am, for a day that will last until 6:15 pm. We expect to receive further details on Monday, e.g. regarding transportation, what the hours will be on subsequent days, etc., and we'll post them here as soon as we have them. A press release from the Board of Ed adds: "For additional information parents can either call the parent hotline at 800- 601-5952 or check the Board of Education website at www.nycenet.edu for updates regarding the status of schools." Fri. 14 Sept. 5:00 pm: It is our understanding that the school that will be used temporarily by all Stuy students and teachers is Brooklyn Technical High School, one of New York's two other Science high schools. We haven't been told this officially yet, but we do know that Stuy teachers have been told to report to Brooklyn Tech a few days before school resumes on Thursday 20th. We also understand that the Board of Education will work hard to make it possible to return to the Stuy buildings as soon as possible - hopefully within 2-3 weeks, but that is our own speculation at the moment. [Added later: It's now being suggested that Stuy may not be ready for about 6 weeks, i.e. around the end of October. BR, Sept. 17] We assume that Stuy students and Brooklyn Tech students will have to divide up the day between them, meaning that both will have unconventional school hours. As soon as we learn more, we'll post it here. The web site for Brooklyn Tech is www.BTHS.edu, and for their PA is www.BrooklynTechPTA.com. The street address is 29 Fort Green Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217. Fri. 14 Sept. 4:30 pm: To sign up for an emergency email list being put together by Mike Zamansky, a Stuy teacher, go to www.stuy.edu/joinmaillist.cgi. Fri. 14 Sept. 12:15 pm: The following items are lifted from www.stuynet.com, a web site maintained and used by Stuy students: I was able to go to school today through the American Red Cross. They have turned Stuy into a medical center. I had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Lopa (the head custodian). The school has no structural damage but the surrounding area is a hectic disaster zone. There is debris and dust everywhere. We won't be going back to school any time soon but we will stick together... [Jukay Hsu and Himanshu Suri, Student Union President and Student Union Vice President] Although there is no damage to the Stuy building, it is being used as a rest center for volunteers from all over the US. Because they have no place to sleep and rest, the school is littered with cots and food for them to rest in when they need to. Seeing as how this is the situation, the school will not be available to us until a large portion of the cleanup has been completed, due to stuy's proximity to the disaster area. As for retrieval of items, all of that will be done after the school is no longer a rest zone and no provisions will be made to allow any student to enter the building. As for princeton review classes offered at stuy, that will be dealt with shortly, but Teitel's main concerns right now are to get us back into classes and to figure out a way to work out the issue with the college early action due date of October 1st... [Gary He] Fri. 14 Sept. 11:15 am: The school's own web site at www.Stuy.edu is now working again. Currently it contains very limited information, but that will presumably change soon. The normal address for the PA site, www.StuyPA.org, is also now working again. If anybody learns more details about when the Chancellor will make his statement and on what TV channels it can be seen, please let me know (contact details below) and I'll post that information here. Thurs. 13 Sept. 8:00 pm: Marilena Christodoulou, PA President, and other members of the Executive Board, have just had a meeting with senior Board of Education officials. They were informed of the following: * The Stuyvesant building will not be ready to receive students for several weeks. * Starting on Thursday September 20th, ALL Stuyvesant students and teachers will be based at another school until the Stuyvesant building is ready to receive them back. * On the afternoon of Friday September 14th, the Chancellor will announce on TV which school is to be used by Stuyvesant students during this interim period. [Added later: In the end, this never happened. A press release was issued instead. All relevant info from that press release has been posted here.] We truly don't know which school will be used during this interim period. But we suspect that Stuy students and that school's regular students will use that school on a time-shared basis. Please pass this urgent news to all other Stuy families that you know, and tell them how to access this web site for further news. Thurs. 13 Sept. 2:30 pm: It's been decided that the PA will make heavy use of this web site to keep parents informed of developments. Please pass the word. The PA leadership is in active contact with the school leadership and the Board of Education regarding how/when the school will be opened. News (both firm and provisional) will be posted here as soon as it's available. Be sure to check this site regularly. Thurs. 13 Sept. 2:00 pm: The normal address for this web site is www.StuyPA.org. However, that address is not currently working, because it's based on a server at the school, which I believe currently has no electricity or telephone service. The regular school web site, www.Stuy.edu, has the same problem. [Both problems fixed 14 September.] Please inform other parents that an alternative way to reach this site, which should always work, is at www.StuyPA.wego.com. [Still true, but no longer necessary.] (Note: new address for PA website is www.stuypa.org) Thurs. 13 Sept. 2:00 pm: The following information has been received from the school: Mr. Teitel and his Cabinet met with other similarly affected school administrations and the Superintendant, Mr. Sawyer, in the Superintendant's office at Martin Luther King Jr. High School. Various possibilities for interim schooling were considered. The Chancellor is keeping all the schools south of 14th Street closed on Thursday. **************** Shortly after the second plane hit, Stuyvesant began to be an emergency center for Police, Secret Service and others. We had already been in contact with the Superintendant's Office and under their direction, we kept all students in the safety of the building. After the collapse of the first tower, as the police realized the danger of our proximity to the still standing North Tower, we were ordered to evacuate the building immediately. As students were leaving the building thru the North doors, the second tower collapsed. The wind was blowing lightly from the northwest and our wide and tall school shielded the students, staff and hundreds of refugees from the towers from the choking cloud of dust. The South side of the school was inches deep in debris while the north side showed virtually no sign of the devastation on the other side. Students and teachers walked north along the Hudson to safety. We will post further news as soon as available. Weds. 12 Sept. 4:00 pm: The mayor just announced that schools South of 14th St. (i.e. including Stuy) will NOT be open tomorrow, Thursday. Other schools will be open, but starting 2 hours late. If anyone hears news regarding Friday, let me know and I'll post it. Tues. 11 Sept. 5:45 pm: I've just heard from Marilena Christodoulou, President of the PA. She says she went to the school as soon as she heard the news, arriving there at 11:00. She met the principal and some assistant principals, who told her that they had been requested by emergency officials to evacuate the school so it could be used as an emergency base for providing medical help. The children had been told to start by heading north, keeping on the West side of the street, so that they would be exposed to as little as possible of the smoke. (After a certain distance, clearly many headed in other directions.) Marilena was assured by the school that no child or teacher was hurt in any way. Most who live in Manhattan are now home. Many who live in other boroughs are staying with friends, or waiting until they can use the subways. (I understand that nearly all subway lines are now working, at least out of Manhattan.) However, some children are having difficulty phoning home because certain lines are over-busy or out of action. THERE WILL BE NO SCHOOL TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY. No decision has been made about the rest of the week. Please pass the word on this to others. Tues. 11 Sept. 4:15 pm: I've received a number of calls from parents who've seen this web page. Some parents still haven't heard from their children, but I know that that is because they're walking long distances, trying to get public transport, etc. I just spoke with a girl in Grade 9 who just got home to Brooklyn. She said that a Stuy teacher, Danny Jaye, walked a large number of students to and across one of the bridges to Brooklyn, and then made sure to get them safely onto subway lines that were working. Another parent who lives in Queens called 20 minutes ago very concerned because he had not heard from his son, and then called back just now to say his son had safely reached their home in Queens. I also spoke to the mother (see below) who works in the WTC. She said she was in the North WTC building on a floor in the 80s when the plane hit, very close to her. It took her about 90 minutes to get out of the building, and it collapsed only five minutes after she got out. She went to hospital to have glass shards removed from her leg, but is OK now. Tues. 11 Sept. 1:30 pm: I've now returned home from driving downtown to collect my son and four of his friends. They had walked about three miles, from Stuy to 42nd St. and 10th Avenue, which is where I collected them, by arrangement. They had seen the fireballs of the hits on the World Trade Center. Around 10:30 (they were rather vague, might have been half an hour earlier or later) all the students were told to leave and to walk uptown. There was excitement or nervousness, but no panic, nothing scary happening. One of the boys told me that both his parents work at the WTC. He was very relieved, on getting to my home, to be able to reach one of his parents by phone. Both of them got out OK. Tues. 11 Sept. 12:05 pm: I've just heard by phone from my son. The school and the kids are OK. They were told at some point (perhaps before the WTC buildings collapsed) to evacuate. They started walking in groups away from the problems. No panic in the group my son was with. Tues. 11 Sept. 11:50 am: If any of you hears news of how the kids at Stuyvesant are doing subsequent to this morning's attacks on the World Trade Center, please phone or email me by any of the methods below. I will then post the news here. I've seen TV footage that suggests that the Stuy building is OK, though it's close to all the smoke. |
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