Arlingtonian, vol. 1 2020-21

ARLINGTONIAN

AUGUST 26, 2020

VOLUME 84, ISSUE 1

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EDITOR’S NOTE

F

inally, we’re back.

Although we’re currently trading out green, crowded hallways for mute buttons and online assignments, we are back to at least somewhat of a normal schedule.

While this may have been the simplest of summers for some while staying at home and not having to worry about procrastinating summer reading or taking the ACT, for others it was filled with seemingly day-long Zoom meetings, masked encounters and stress about not having a standardized test score. Either way, it’s almost impossible to count the number of times we heard the phrase “normalcy in an unprecented time.”

If anything, though, our staff begs you to not continue the norm. This summer, we have seen the resurgance of a Civil Rights Movement, constant reminders about the upcoming election and hundreds of Instagram stories urging people to educate themselves about things that they have never considered before. Although we unforunately still are stuck in a time where there seems to be very few answers, it is a time to use the change that others have made to raise your own voice or those of others who have previously been silenced. We are all a part of the same generation, but there are countless different experiences that we can learn from each other. Whether it’s simply a yard sign that your parents don’t condone, creating an Instagram account dedicated to other students or even dedicating your letter from the editor to this subject, find what you are passionate about and take action.

This movement we partially owe to the struggles of a pandemic. As we all await a vaccine or just a return to normal schooling, we have to do our part. I hope to be able to see you all soon wearing backpacks, autumn clothes and ARLINGTONIAN EDITOR IN CHIEF a mask.

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ARLINGTONIAN VOLUME 84 | 2020-2021

AUGUST 26, 2020, ISSUE 1 EDITOR IN CHIEF

Josie Stewart CO-DIGITAL EDITORS

Noah Mizer Callia Peterson MANAGING EDITOR

Ben Rigney-Carroll COPY EDITOR

Ben Underwood STAFF WRITERS

SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Meghan Beery Mia Doron Luke Eriksen Gracie Helfrich Sophia Hudson Lucy Miller Reese Plagenz Cameron Smith James Underwood Carly Witt

Michael Ballenger ARTS EDITORS

Morgan Plagenz Pierce Thompson PHOTOGRAPHERS

Penelope Clark Bridget Mitchell Bella VanMeter GRAPHIC ARTISTS

Lucy O’Brien Sophia Shen

BUSINESS MANAGER

Ava Adamantidis

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EDITORIAL POLICY Arlingtonian is a studentproduced newsmagazine published

by Journalism III-A students at UAHS. The publication has been established as a public forum for student expression and for the discussion of issues of concern to its audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution.

Arlingtonian welcomes letters to the editor, guest columns and news releases from faculty, administrators, community residents, students and the general public. The Arlingtonian editorial

board reserves the right to withhold a letter or column and return it for more information if it determines the piece contains items of unprotected speech as defined by this policy.

The Arlingtonian staff raises and pays all printing and production costs through advertising sales, donations and fundraisers.

The Editor in chief shall interpret and enforce this editorial policy.

To read our full editorial policy, visit our website at arlingtonian.com.

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An Unavoidable Divide After introducing their Responsible Restart Plan, the district faces a mix of backlash and support from hundreds of community members. BY CALLIA PETERSON, ‘22. GRAPHICS BY MORGAN PLAGENZ, ‘21.

I

nstead of rushing to greet friends in the hallways of UAHS and grabbing desks in their new teachers’ classrooms, on Aug. 19 students began their first day of school tuning into webinars and joining Zoom meetings in their pajamas.

As of Aug. 15, over five million Americans have been infected with the novel coronavirus and 167,546 Americans have died.

In Franklin County alone, there have been 19,437 cases and 537 deaths.

Across the nation, school districts are scrambling to meet the needs of parents, students and educators while the deadly coronavirus rages through the country.

Despite the closure of schools all across Ohio on March 16, some passionate parents are calling for Ohio schools to

reopen. These parents include some in Franklin County, which has reported new cases each day at a much higher rate than in March.

In contrast, other parents in Franklin County have applauded the school districts that plan to teach remotely, which includes the majority of districts in Franklin County.

On July 29, the UA School District proposed their “Responsible Restart Plan” which consists of a fully online platform, UA Online Academy, and a school-based option that will be remote until at least Sept. 18. Two days later, the UA Board of Education approved the plan unanimously. Days after the vote, a lawsuit was filed against the district.

“It’s the most complex and chaotic situation that I personally could have imagined outside of a war, like a war on American soil,” math teacher Daniel Rohrs said. “I can’t imagine that any teacher in today’s day and age would have thought something like this would happen.”

THE PLAN The Responsible Restart Plan was created from student, parent and teacher feedback including 12,000 touch points from surveys and the research and updated guidance from many agencies including the Center of Disease Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics, the Ohio Department of Health and Franklin County Public Health.

Director of Communications for Upper Arlington Schools, Karen Truett, said after receiving an abundance of feedback from parents, students and teachers in late May, the staff members who compose the Teaching and Learning Department created two educational pathways for families to choose from: a school-based option and a fully remote option.

Truett also said that the district’s Operations Department found ways to best implement cleaning and disinfection in the buildings, buses and outdoor facilities. They also figured out how to maximize physical distancing in hallways and classrooms.

The work of these two departments is reflected in the Responsible Restart Plan.

The fully remote option of the Responsible Restart Plan is named UA Online Academy and will use the platform and curriculum of Acellus to teach students.

Initially, the plan provided a school-based option that would vary depending on the level of severity Franklin County was designated under the Ohio Public Health Advisory System. However, this was later changed to abide by the recommendations of local public health officials.

In the original plan, if Franklin County was under a level one

or two alert, students would be in school five days a week with masks, sanitation precautions and three feet of social distancing.

The original plan also stipulates that students would follow a hybrid schedule if Franklin County was under a level three alert (the same level it is as of Aug. 17 and has been for the majority of the summer). In this plan only half of the students would attend school each day and the other half would engage in distance learning, alternating every two or three days depending on the week. Students in the building would be required to wear masks, follow safety precautions and maintain six feet of distance.

Finally, the original plan proposed an Enhanced Distance Learning model for all students in the school-based option if Franklin County was under a level four alert.

The Board of Education was supposed to vote on the first plan on July 29. On that same day, the plan for students who chose the school-based option changed dramatically. While the fully remote option of UA Online Academy did not change, the school-based option did.

In the new plan, students in the school-based option are expected to engage in distance learning until at least Sept. 18, and the decision of whether or not to move to hybrid learning depends on recommendations from public health officials and would likely require a sustained decrease in the Franklin County’s risk level for at least four consecutive weeks.

The new plan does not include a five-days-a-week option.

Local health officials recommended nothing less than six feet of social distancing, which is unachievable if all students are in the buildings at once.

On July 31, the Board of Education unanimously approved the new plan.

“It’s been a tremendous team effort, and the key to everything has had to be flexibility,” Superintendent Paul Imhoff said. “We continue to meet weekly with officials from Franklin County Public Health and Columbus Public Health. We also consult regularly with experts from Nationwide Children’s Hospital. We will continue to follow the latest health guidance and adapt with the situation as needed.”

UA Board of Education President Nancy Drees and her fellow board members received hundreds of emails from community members about their opinions on the Responsible Restart Plan. She said that the current plan is the best way to ensure the safety of students, faculty and families.

“We all want our students back in school full time. As educators and board members, we understand the value of the full in-person school experience and want our students and staff to be able to return to that as soon as it is safe,” Drees said. “We will continue to follow the science and rely on the experts at the state and local health departments for guidance. In the meantime, we are focused on doing everything possible to support our students and provide high quality educational experiences.”

TWO SIDES Even before the district released an official reopening plan,

the community was divided.

While rumors of hybrid and distance learning spread throughout the city, parents seeking five days a week of inperson school joined together in social media groups, notably a Facebook group titled “UA Parents for 5 Days a Week of InPerson School.”

Meanwhile, parents fearing the risk of spreading COVID-19 in school buildings waited anxiously for a digital learning option and advocated for a variation of what distance learning looked like in the spring or for a hybrid option.

Jim Edwards, a parent of three UAHS graduates and an eight-year-old daughter at Tremont Elementary School, is a vocal advocate for five days of in-person learning.

Edwards said that students should be able to go back to school five days a week and protect themselves from the virus by wearing masks and following sanitary precautions. Yet, unlike the local health officials advising the district, Edwards does not believe that six feet of distancing is necessary to prevent the spread.

“Six feet is an arbitrary number cooked up by the CDC,” he said. “No one knows that three feet apart doesn’t work. This is an experiment. So, what we are doing is we are experimenting doing nothing. We will never know until we actually move forward with being at school.”

Parents in favor of going to school full time in-person voiced concerns for access to the child care, “irreparable damage” to students’ educations, mental health, loss of sports opportunities and concerns for students with disabilities.

There are other parents who are concerned about the spread of the coronavirus in schools, especially if social distancing cannot be enforced with all students in the building full time. They worry that under the in-person model the spread of the virus would be inevitable and would cost the lives of students, faculty, administrators and families.

Pediatric

pulmonologist and parent Kavitha Kotha is choosing to not send her children to the school building, and she has instead signed them up for UA Online Academy.

“As much as I want kids in the classroom, with the current level of community spread, [and] even with the precautions in place, there will be cases occurring in the school. As someone responsible for my family and my patients, that risk wasn’t one I was ready to take,” she said.

Rohrs expressed support for the district’s handling of the pandemic and its effects on school. Rohrs said he and his family are vulnerable to the virus.

“I think the administration has been very receptive and understanding to the safety of the students, parents, staff, the faculty, the administration—everybody,” Rohrs said. “Dr. Imhoff has done a really nice job of really listening to the Franklin County Health Department and [is] doing a good job of changing his mind based on what he was hearing.”

Language Arts and Capstone teacher Laura Moore said she also supported the precautions the district is taking, and she urged individuals to take the virus seriously.

“I think that anyone who isn’t concerned needs to be more cautious,” Moore said. “I feel really good about the fact that our administration cares so much about the safety and well-being of students and staff. They really tried to take into consideration what we know about the [corona]virus and what we don’t know to try to make sure that we’re not using members of our community as guinea pigs.”

Senior Izzy Petersen said that the fastest way to get back into the building is to start by “playing on the safe side.”

“I’d much rather be in online school right now and get the rest of our school year than open too early and then not have the rest of our school year,” Petersen said.

Senior Aidan Vanek chose to enroll in UA Online Academy to protect his brother who is immunocompromised.

“I have a younger brother who has a special medical condition where if he gets sick, something like the flu or a common cold [that] might take us like a week or so to kick, could take him months. So, I decided it would be best for me to make sure that I don’t add the extra risk of going to school for him. My brothers are doing it, too, so it was more like a family decision for us,” Vanek said.

Although Vanek is choosing the fully virtual option, he said he supported the district’s decision of enhanced distance learning and eventually a hybrid schedule.

“I think that the hybrid learning where [students go into the building] when it’s safe [is] fine. I do think if the school goes back in session fully, an outbreak is bound to happen,” he said.

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Senior Lilly Kurfees suggested that parents are likely more opposed to the district’s plan than their children.

“I think the parents are more frustrated by online school than the kids are,” Kurfees said. “The kids understand having to stay home and do online school.”

Senior Audrey Spielman, daughter of Chris Spielman, who has publicly supported a lawsuit suing the district for its current plan, said she understands the district’s decision.

“Obviously I want to go back to school. I think most high schoolers are a little bit anxious to go back, but I think until everyone figures everything out, it’s okay to do everything online for a little bit,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s the best idea to go back to school in the near future because if one person has [coronavirus] then that could get the whole school infected. I think it’s pretty safe what they’re doing right now, just by having school online.”

Principal Andrew Theado said he recognized that there are differing opinions on how to start school in the fall, but that the district was making the best possible decision they could with the information they had.

“I’ve never seen the community so divided on something,” Theado said. “Our Board of Education [and] our superintendent listen to everybody, [but] it’s hard because regardless of the decision, folks are gonna be upset one way or another.”

THE LAWSUIT On Aug. 6, the parents of an anonymous Hastings Middle School student filed a suit in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court challenging the district’s decision to begin the school year fully online.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that according to the lawsuit, the Hastings student, dubbed “Jane Doe” to maintain anonymity, receives special education services and has regressed due to online learning.

Other plaintiffs have signed on since, including another anonymous plaintiff identified as “John Doe.” The Dispatch also wrote that the lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order and

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preliminary injunction to prevent school from starting online.

The family hopes that the court will force the district to offer an option of in-person learning.

The family started a GoFundMe page to raise money to cover legal fees. The page has raised $25,500 as of Aug. 18.

Rex Elliot is one of the lawyers that represent plaintiffs Jane and John Doe in the lawsuit. He explained the plaintiffs’ position in a statement.

“We have learned of the devastating harm to children who are forced to learn online such as severe regression in their development, poor fitness, removal of nutritional needs, ability to socialize, depression, suicidal tendencies and disparate impact to lower income families that cannot adapt to the technology needs and economic issues faced by single parents or double income families among others,” Elliot said in a statement. “With the precautions being taken by the District, the risk to children and adults alike is minimal and is far outweighed by the harm from not returning.”

Elliot also said that the district has revised the reopening plan to allow certain children with learning challenges to return in person on Aug. 31. However, he emphasized the importance of returning to school full time five days a week.

“We implore the District to continue to explore ways to get kids back to school full time five days a week so their educational development is not stunted any further than it already has been and we can minimize the harm that will follow from keeping kids away from their school buildings,” he said.

On the other side, Petersen said she is frustrated by the lawsuit.

“It makes me angry that people in our district are funding a lawsuit against the school when that money could be going toward the school, because if the school needs anything right now, it’s funding to help accommodate every student at home,” Petersen said. “If the people from the lawsuit are claiming that their student can’t be fully accommodated at home, then I would rather that money go to helping them instead of getting the school in more trouble and costing them time and money.”

Moore said that the leaders of the district are making decisions to keep people safe and that the resources that may be lost fighting the lawsuit is disappointing.

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“The number one thing that we need to do as educators is take care of our people. That’s foundational,” Moore said. “I trust our leaders have made as good decisions as they can. I have a hard time knowing that there’s so many resources that we don’t have right now and to split some of the time and energy and finances toward [the lawsuit] is hard to see.”

A LITTLE BIT OF GRACE There is an overwhelming consensus among administrators and educators that starting a new school year in the middle of a global pandemic will have many challenges.

Rohrs said he hopes that everyone offers empathy and understanding during these trying times.

“I would encourage the faculty, staff, the administration, the students and the teachers to give each other what I call a ‘little bit of grace’ during this time, meaning be patient with each other—extremely patient with each other,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that we’re going to have to kind of work through together that we don’t really understand yet.”

Moore said that the situation may not play out perfectly, but she hopes that the community will emerge from the pandemic wiser.

“To try to figure out ways to connect in the same way is a challenge. It’s really hard. But, we’re learners, and we’re going to do our best. All of us will make mistakes along the way, but it won’t be for a lack of trying or caring,” Moore said. “We’ll all remember this and the way that we responded to it and the way that we sort of dug in and did our best to support one another through it. My hope is that we can all give each other grace and help each other learn throughout the course of it and then on the other side of this year we will be so much wiser and so much more empathic and so much more ready to tackle the problems of the world.”

Theado said he wants students and their families to know how much he and the school staff care about them.

“In these situations, I think of a team or family. I know we can get through this together, I just know it. Our teachers are [going to] deliver great lessons, our kids are going to learn at high levels and when it’s safe to do so, we’ll work together about getting back in the building,” Theado said. “I just want folks to know that we care about them, and we care about your kids. While we may not always agree [on] how to go about this, I think we all have the same goals: to get a high-quality education, build great relationships and have students come out of Upper Arlington High School as better people, ready to take on all kinds of challenges that the world offers.”

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Signed, the Student Body In June, an anonymous account, @dearuaschools, appeared on Instagram posting stories of students facing discrimination in UA buildings.

BY JOSIE STEWART, ‘21. GRAPHICS BY MORGAN PLAGENZ, ‘21.

F

ollowing weeks of sustained protests in Columbus, Upper Arlington saw its first as students, activists and community members marched around neighborhoods in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

As the movement continued to surge around the nation advocating for executive and educational reform, one student tried to spark this reform in UA schools through social media.

The account, @dearuaschools on Instagram, quickly grew in followers and submissions as students, teachers, parents and community members began anonymously sending in accounts of discrimination in UA schools.

“I’ve always heard small stories from my peers about acts of discrimination they have faced at school, but I wasn’t driven to action until recently when I saw the outpouring of support for the BLM movement,” the student running the account said.

“It’s still common for me to still see posts and stories about the movement on my social media and news feeds, and the way that people have come together over this issue really resonated with me.”

The student, who requested anonymity to protect the integrity of the account as well as their safety, was inspired by @dearolsd, a similar account that shares stories anonymously to show Olentangy officials experiences of inequity and discrimination in their schools and

@dearpwi which documents the experiences of people of color in predominately white institutions.

“Here I was, reading about stories happening hundreds of miles away when I didn’t even realize some of the things happening in a school district right here in Columbus. Pretty soon, I found more ‘dear school district’ accounts, and I started wondering about what things are happening in UA that I am not aware of,” the student running the account said. “When I first made the Google [Form] and everything, I wasn’t really expecting too much feedback but almost instantly, the account started gaining followers and people started submitting their stories.”

This form, linked in the account’s bio, has over 700 submissions and counting, but the student also receives stories via direct messages.

“Every one of the posts that have been made has to be read through for names, which are removed, and then formatted and cropped correctly to be posted. I do not discredit stories that I haven’t witnessed personally or bring my own biases into the mix, but obviously, not all submissions are posted,” the student said. “Those that aren’t posted include the ones that are too vague and short, so something like, ‘a student yelled a slur in the middle of class.’”

The account also avoids posting submissions that call out a specific teacher or student to avoid “cancel culture” and defamation.

“Ultimately, the Instagram page aims to generate empathy for those who have had these awful experiences, and also creates a sense of community and support from a lot of the comments under the posts,” the student said.

This has created an outpour of support for the account and for the students who are experiencing discrimination. The account has received multiple messages from teachers thanking it for bringing these stories to light and from alumni or current students for being given a space to share their experiences.

“I have gotten messages from teachers in the district telling me that they are reading through the posts or that it is important for teachers to see these stories which makes me hopeful that even if the administration doesn’t take any further action, maybe the teachers can make a difference,” the owner said. “I am very grateful to all of the people who have DMed the account telling me that they’re thankful that these stories are finally being shared. In the beginning when things were slow, and I was getting more pushback. Those messages really motivated me to come back and keep working on the page even when I was stressed out and feeling overwhelmed.”

This pushback has come in the form of direct messages but also with the creation of two Instagram accounts, @deeruaschools and @deardearuaschools. While the second account was taken down, the first posts satirical, fake stories to 23 followers who submit through a Google Form linked in their bio.

Similarly, the form created for @dearuaschools receives humorous or hateful submissions.

“There are the submissions that are mocking the account or mimicking the submissions that have been posted. These submissions completely trivialize horrible experiences that have changed people’s lives and impacted the way they think and act.

There have even been submissions making references to movies that were accidentally posted because I wasn’t prepared for people to be so insensitive,” the owner said. “I was embarrassed about letting those slip through, but really, it is those people who should be ashamed of themselves. They spend all of this time writing submissions mocking people who feel deeply impacted by discrimination and through that entire process, they never stop and feel any empathy for them.”

As for messages, many are criticizing the goal and validity of the account.

“I have received many DMs from people who don’t like the account. One of the messages I got said, ‘you know this isn’t making [Upper Arlington] look very good,’” the student said. “I have also gotten messages and submissions accusing the page of ‘cherry-picking submissions to push a narrative.’ The question I want to ask them is what narrative are these posts pushing?”

Other submissions that are not posted are those recounting stories of groups of people who do not typically face discrimination based on their race, gender or beliefs.

“Many submissions and DMs are also from presumably caucasian people on being called ‘white’ or ‘cracker’ and why they believe that this account, by not recognizing that, is ‘silencing their voices.’ The reason why the page does not feature the stories involving ‘reverse-racism’ is that that type of ‘racism’ is not deeply rooted in centuries of slavery or institutionalized discrimination,” the student said. “Especially in a district where being white is seen as the default race, these acts cannot be rooted in power and also do not have the ability to oppress.”

Despite having over 2,500 followers and tagging the UA Schools Instagram account in each of their posts, @dearuaschools has elicited little response from the Board of Education. In an email to parents and students in the district, they did acknowledge the account’s existence and reminded students and parents of the Speak Up! hotline to report incidents within the school anonymously or signed.

On the UA Schools account, many supporters of the student’s account also urge the district to read the submissions. One post in particular, @dearuaschool’s most liked, led to many comments in support of a teacher who recently lost her job in the district.

“Some of the most powerful posts that I’ve read are from alums who have graduated from UA years

ago but still remember and reflect on their experiences here.

Some are from those who watched their peers struggle with discrimination but never stood up or spoke out and now wish that they had,” the owner said. “Others detail their own fight with discrimination in UA, and how they had to learn to rethink many ways of thinking that were drilled into them after they graduated and grew up.”

Although the frequency of submissions has slowed, the stories are still being reposted on students’ Instagram stories and being used as evidence by other student and alumni groups that are asking for the district to change.

“I want the account to reach both types of people right now so they don’t grow up to have regrets about their experience in UA Schools,” the student said. “And so newer generations don’t have to keep fighting the same battle.”

TO DEFEND OR DEFUND Following the movements for racial equality after George Floyd’s death, students and alumni in Upper Arlington have debated the importance of Student Resource Officers in schools.

BY JOSIE STEWART, ‘21 AND NOAH MIZER, ‘21. COVER AND SPOTLIGHT GRAPHICS

BY SOPHIA SHEN, ‘21.

F

ollowing the death of George Floyd on May 25, the sustained efforts to reach racial equality have been felt across the country and in Upper Arlington. Black Lives Matter protests in Columbus continue months later and several hundred UA residents attended a similar protest for Floyd’s death earlier this summer as they marched through South UA’s neighborhoods.

These recent efforts, though, seem to have divided the community into two sides following a great amount of public discourse online, two arising petitions from students, alumni and parents and emerging yard signs on the corners of each street sharing their position on the police. While both “defend” and “defund” the police are trending in everyday conversation, surrounding communities such as Worthington have successfully removed Student Resource Officers (SROs) from their school buildings and have inspired a group of UA students and alumni, Golden Bears for Reform, to urge UA Schools to do the same.

Founding member of Golden Bears for Reform and 2019 UA graduate Dylan Carlson-Sirvent proposed this idea to his group and released a petition via FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UAARLINGTONIAN

social media in early June. The petition asked the district to end its contract with the UAPD and affirm its commitment to Black lives. It garnered over 500 signatures in about three days from parents, students, alumni, community groups and past or present educators.

A few days later, a competing petition was shared on social media which asked the district to “reject the request to end the contract with UAPD and affirm their commitment to school safety.”

The petition but did not publicly show signatures.

Now, with two competing groups and students returning to school, the conversation continues.

WHERE DID THEY COME

FROM?

Police were initially added into UA school buildings in 2014. The contract between the City of Upper Arlington and Upper Arlington Schools states that SROs would be added to support “the need for safe and secure schools and a safe academic learning environment for community youth.” With this, it stipulates W W W . A R L ING T O NIA N. COM | 1 1

that the mission of the SRO program is to strive to assist schools in securing this statement.

At the time, two SROs were stationed full time at UAHS: one special-duty officer at the senior doors and another officer splitting time between the two middle schools.

Following the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, the district went through an exhaustive safety report for students in schools and added recommendations to secure the safety of students. Aside from the stricter programs with student IDs and visitors, the report also resulted in the addition of two more SROs. This same report states that the role of these SROs “goes beyond law enforcement as they help to build a positive school culture by providing an additional role model and confidant for students.”

Now, with the two petitions arising in the community, many supporters of continuing this contract with the UAPD cite the importance of having officers in the case of a school shooting or other potentially dangerous event.

“There’s the SROs who just sit by the door to protect. Ultimately, it’s against school shootings. That’s the intent of having them there,” said senior Nick Ortli. “I do think having someone like Officer Rice is very helpful because it just brings that line of communication.

Everyone when they’re younger is probably afraid of the police. I always thought of them as people who if you did something wrong, you would immediately be arrested.”

Although Ortli is not positive of the effectiveness of the SROs, longtime community member and past UA graduate Sharon Maceyak believes that having police officers there makes for safer schools.

“I will tell you that a couple years ago, UA was really big about having police presence in the school and closing lunches and wanting to protect their children. All of the sudden this other side came up where they wanted to defund the police and basically get rid

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of them from schools,” Maceyak said. “I don’t know where that all comes from.

There aren’t any schools that don’t have a police officer unless they’re private.

With a police officer at the school, there is less of a chance that things will go awry.”

However, many students and groups doubt the ability of SROs to protect students in the case of a shooting and specifically cite schools in the Columbus area such as Worthington that removed their SROs this year.

“Obviously having police in schools makes people feel safer, but data has not found it to be conclusive that having police in schools necessarily changes the outcome of a mass shooting if it happens,” Sirvent said. “I think in order to solve the issue of mass shootings in the United States, it won’t be solved by police in schools.”

This data reflects that these shootings are rare and that crime has declined on school grounds recently as explained in the New York Times. On the other hand, some students don’t find that the officers in school make them feel safer.

“I personally never really thought [SROs] made me feel safer. I just never really made me feel different than a trusted adult I could talk to,” sophomore Ceylone Reighard Brooks said. “I guess I view police officers a little bit differently. As a person of color, you know there always could be a bias.”

In a statement from full-time Officer Jon Rice, he says that his safety is exactly the goal, though, as put in the safety report and contract.

“The most important job that I have is making sure that all 2,000 students 200 plus staff are safe from outside threats or threats within,” Rice said. “I am a Resource Officer and the key word here is a resource. On a daily basis, I meet with students who have issues and help them” RESPONSIBILITIES While SROs have been placed in schools for the protection of students, they carry out other responsibilities

and establish positive relationships with students.

Rice is positioned at UAHS full time, while Officers Josh Luke and Travis Goodman are positioned full time at Hastings Middle School and Jones Middle School, respectively, and Officers E.J. Windham and Don Stanko rotate through the five elementary schools At the high school, Rice states that his priority is keeping students safe, but he also engages with students in other ways.

According to him, his duties include investigating traffic crashes or thefts, enforcing parking and other traffic laws, checking the property for strangers or construction workers and helping with programs in classes.

“The main part of my job is being available for the students and staff at any time that they may need assistance. I do quite a bit of listening and counseling throughout the day and tell every student that my door is always open if they need help,” Rice said. “I also participate in safety plans for students in need as well as emergency evacuation and safety plans for incidents and fire drills. I attend every dance, home football game, playoff games, open houses, prom, and graduation.”

Rice is also an administrator for the Stand Project, a club dedicated to spreading awareness about the dangers of alcohol and drug use, as well as providing students with alternative activities.

Here, his duties include facilitating funding and transportation, planning events with students and traveling to middle schools to educate students and find interested students.

“I am currently the Youth Engagement Chair for the Stand Project,” Rice said. “I can’t tell you how proud I am to know and work with the people who participate in the Stand Project.”

Rice works closely with students in the group and has maintained good relationships with many despite pushback against law enforcement nationwide.

“What is happening is an

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overgeneralization of school resource officers,” said Stand Project member Aidan Brennan, in response to the swaying public opinion on SRO presence in schools.

Recent outcry against SROs is largely due to the belief that many members of the police force unfairly punish people of color at higher rates than white people.

This has led to strong discourse online, specifically Facebook, where arrests data from the UAPD’s 2018 Annual Report were shared alongside the demographics of Upper Arlington. The report states that Black citizens accounted for 25.8 percent of arrests, while white citizens accounted

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for 70.0 percent of arrests. However, according to the Census Bureau, only 0.6% of Upper Arlington’s population is Black while 91.5% is white.

The report also includes data from the SROs in the middle and high schools.

Included in this are 29 police reports, 130 parking violations, 13 misdemeanor charges, 21 felony charges, three felony arrests, three felony charges and 145 security checks at the high school.

Meanwhile, in the middle schools there were four reports, zero misdemeanor or felony charges or arrests and 513 security checks.

Also listed are 53 counts of student

assistance for the high school. Some students use the SROs as resources for personal issues since they are in the building.

“When I was [struggling with mental health, Rice] offered to [let me] come in and talk and vent to someone. That meant something because I hadn’t really gotten that from a teacher or an administrator,” Ortli said. “Not saying that they wouldn’t because they obviously would, but that’s just how I had that connection with them. All of it just made me upset because everyone was tearing down the police name. It felt like wrongful blame because all of

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these UA police officers are just getting [criticized], and I don’t know anything they’ve done wrong. They’re held to a high standard.”

Some students, though, agree with defunding the police and believe that officers are in charge of too much and should not handle mental health issues.

“I feel like mental health workers could be a lot more beneficial than someone you think would punish you,” Reighard Brooks said. “[If officers were gone, I think putting the funding into] mental health would be best. If someone were depressed or anxious, I feel like if we had someone who can stop the small things it would be better than [an officer].”

Reighard Brooks also cited an article from the ACLU which recommends

that schools have at minimum one counselor for every 250 students and one psychologist for every 750 students.

In general, though, Ohio schools do not meet this standard with the state averaging 501 students to one counselor.

“It can help students feel more comfortable,” Reighard Brooks said. “I just feel like you wouldn’t want to go up to a police officer and say ‘Hey, I’m sad today.’ You want to talk to someone who you can be really close with.”

Reighard Brooks, along with Sirvent’s group believe that the funding for the SROs would be better spent achieving these recommendations.

Currently, $535,000 is spent for four officers according to the SRO Billing Calculation for 2020, but Sirvent is still very understanding that the officers

make some students and parents feel safer.

“The main concern that I have heard from people that were against the petition [to remove SROs] or supported it but were hesitant to sign it was that a lot of people are scared because the issue of mass shootings hasn’t gone away,” he said. “So they said ‘Well, if you take the police away isn’t it at least better to have police in schools as a safety precaution.

I think I am definitely more sympathetic to that view having heard it.”

COMMUNITY SUPPORT Throughout these movements, many students have been vocal on social media about their beliefs and how to support

them. Residents around Upper Arlington have been doing the same through yard signs, protests, donations and social media posts.

One group, Equal UA, has created signs that say ‘Enough.’ in reference to police violence against people of color.

According to their website, the group’s overall mission is to “help build a more inclusive and equitable culture where all people feel welcome and can fully participate in all aspects of life in Upper Arlington.” The signs were created after the death of George Floyd and were a fundraiser for the Columbus Freedom Fund, My Project USA and Asian American Community Services.

“The Enough signs were an emotional response to watching the killing of George Floyd after still recovering from the murder of Ahmaud Arbery,” the Equal UA Board said in a statement. “It was the representation of what many of us were feeling as we struggled to process the events in our country and the continual oppression of Black people in this country. It was not political. It was a human response that manifested in a sign.”

The group sold close to 1,200 signs and raised over $10,000 that was split between the three organizations.

Similarly, other UA residents have displayed signs that say ‘UA Loves UAPD’ in their yards. Although the signs are not targeted against each other, residents tend to express very different opinions with them.

Maceyak proposed the idea for the signs and created them with a group of friends.

“I had a group of friends that wanted to have these signs up because we just support the police. Then all of the sudden people wanted the signs. It started off as a thank you to the police department,” she said. “We had a big banner that we put out at the Municipal Building, and we could only keep it up for 24 hours, but then people wanted it. So, we were like ‘Okay, if people want them, they can have them.’”

The group did not specifically advertise these signs with most spreading the information by word of mouth. As of July, the group had given away about 300 signs from community members FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UAARLINGTONIAN

approaching them.

Both groups have had a wide variety of both support and backlash for their products.

“We’ve talked to probably about 200 people about delivering these signs and they all say ‘Well, why wouldn’t somebody want this in their yard,’” Maceyak said.

“There’s just so much support for the police in Upper Arlington. Not everyone is on social media, so we just talk to them.

We’ve had people cry when we came to their door.”

Similarly, the Equal UA Board believes that based on the responses to their signs, the community has found allies and “there is progress being made.”

Despite this, both have also seen some disappearances of signs from yards.

“This isn’t an anti-other group message in any way, shape or form. I believe as many others do that everyone is allowed to have an opinion. We’re spreading love is how I look at it,” Maceyak said. “I just wish that we could all come together. I feel bad for the kids and the high schoolers and middle schoolers [who] have to see this because it’s kind of embarrassing.”

Despite having a different outlook, Equal UA shares a similar overall goal.

“Several Enough and Equal UA yard signs were taken from residents’ front yards this summer,” the Board said. “Even though yard signs have been stolen, Equal UA hopes not to focus on the theft of the signs but focus instead on moving our mission forward in Upper Arlington. While it is easy to get caught up with stolen lawn signs, the real issue is to relentlessly promote open, healthy and respectful civic dialogue about the importance of building a more inclusive and equitable culture where all people feel welcome and can fully participate in all aspects of life in Upper Arlington.”

THE CONVERSATION

shifts every day,” Rice said. “We have seen yard signs supporting us and have received a lot of cards and letters from all ages. I noticed when I’m on patrol more people are waving to me and giving the thumbs up for support. I have received letters of support from UAHS students, staff and the administration as well.”

Even with some support, groups like Golden Bears for Reform in Upper Arlingotn and others nationwide still are pushing to end contracts and reach racial equity.

“Maybe it won’t be that they end the program right away or for a year, but I think that the end goal should be to have schools that don’t need to be policed because that’s pretty unique to the United States,” Sirvent said. “I’m not so sure that having police in schools necessarily makes students that much safer and I think in the end we should strive to have schools that shouldn’t have police in them. We shouldn’t normalize that for students to have police armed and walking around their hallways.”

According to Education Week, 29% of schools in the US have police officers stationed in the buildings. Even with the two petitions and continued conversation, the Board of Education has responded little to requests concerning SROs. “We encourage the school district to have continued dialogue with students.

We believe in asking the students what school culture they want to cultivate and celebrate,” the Equal UA Board said.

The district offered to host a town hall meeting to discuss this topic but a date has not been set yet.

“We believe [students’] feedback and insights are needed when looking at where resources are being allocated,” the Board continued. “This speaks to the mantra, ‘Not about them without them.’

Students need to be at the table where decisions are made that impacts their school experience.”

Despite students not returning to the building as usual due to COVID-19, interactions with SROs are still changing.

“I have noticed a change [since the movement following Floyd’s death] and so has most of the department. We discuss the things we see and hear during our W W W . A R LING T O NIA N. COM | 1 5

A Show to Always Keep in Mind Criminal Minds is the perfect quarantine binge.

GRAPHIC BY MORGAN PLAGENZ, ‘21.

T

(Lola Glaudini), Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), Jennifer Jareau (A.J. Cook) and technical analyst Penelope Garcia. From a 23-yearold genius with an eidetic memory to a BAU senior agent suffering from a major depressive episode, each character has a unique struggle that adds depth and interest to each episode.

By combining criminal cases, warped psyches and the private struggles of each character, Criminal Minds creates a suspenseful yet sweet balance of good and evil. The cases show the worst of humanity, but the kindness of the characters and their never-ending fight for good shines through.

Still, the show is not for the faint of heart. It depicts sex trafficking, rape, kidnapping, mutilation, arson and other unsavory activities. Despite the witticisms thrown into each episode, there is still a dark undertone.

The show requires a certain level of desensitization.

However, the writers use the dark themes as opportunities to comment

BY MEGHAN BEERY, ‘21

on human nature. Criminal Minds demonstrates that good and evil are not mutually exclusive. It is often things that are out of someone’s control that can dictate who they grow up to be, whether it’s the environment where they were raised or a behavior they developed. The show does not shy away from philosophical questions about good vs. evil and nature vs. nurture, which adds an extra layer to the plot.

Despite the dark undertones of the show, Criminal Minds provides a fresh and interesting perspective on human behavior and human nature.

Because of the dynamic characters, unusual stories and thought-provoking questions, the show is an excellent option to fill the many free hours in a day.

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here are three main items required for a successful Netflix binge: a blanket, a snack and a large amount of free time. The third item has been in high supply for the past five months giving many people the opportunity to discover plenty of binge-worthy shows. One such show is the American crime drama Criminal Minds.

Created by Jeff Davis, Criminal Minds is based upon the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) in Quantico, VA. A team of profilers wellversed in behavioral analysis uses their knowledge of human psychology and behavior to catch criminals (also called unknown subjects or unsubs for short).

Each episode focuses on a different unsub with a unique behavioral challenge spanning from OCD to an acute stress disorder.

The team is led by Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), an experienced profiler and new father. He is assisted

by Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) and SSAs Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), Elle Greenaway

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By the Numbers

Explore UAHS through statistics. COMPILED BY JOSIE STEWART, ‘21. GRAPHICS BY MORGAN PLAGENZ, ‘21.

5

352

days a week in the building are sought by parents suing the district. At the current number of cases, students are using enhanced distance learning instead.

22

days will be spent out of the school building for students choosing to follow the district’s plan. As of Aug. 26, students will return to the building Sept. 21.

509

students are in the incoming freshman class. The freshmen had orientation via Zoom on Aug. 19 with sophomore, junior and senior mentors.

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posts have been made on @dearuaschools on Instagram as of Aug. 26.

Each of these posts highlights an experience of discrimination from students, parents and alumni in UA schools.

students make up the Arlingtonian staff for the 2020-21 school year. This includes ten staff writers and five editors.

EIGHT in EIGHT

2021

marks the opening of the new high school building. The current plan is to be open to students in the fall with its first graduates being the Class of 2022.

118

students are mentors in this year’s freshman mentoring program. This includes 21 mentor leaders who helped create the program in its first year alongside many teachers and counselors.

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minutes are dedicated to each period for students not taking part in the UA Online Academy with four periods a day and an hour break for lunch.

Eight students respond to a question in eight words. COMPILED BY BEN RIGNEY-CARROLL, ‘21.

If you could teach an online class about anything, what would it be about?

I would teach how to play the guitar.

FRESHMAN CARSON WIDMAN

Gold because you can play your whole life.

I want to teach Public Speaking for introverts.

SOPHOMORE DYLAN CULLMAN

How to pretend you’re smart when you’re not.

How to cheat your way through high school.

I’d teach baking since it’s easy at home.

FRESHMAN LAYLA SWARTZ

SOPHOMORE SOPHIE MILLER

JUNIOR MAIA STARRWALKER

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JUNIOR GARRETT WIDMAN

How to get a quote published in Arlingtonian.

How to be successful without trying too hard.

SENIOR AUSTEN JONES

SENIOR AUDREY ELVERS

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How to hold a Coronavirus Election

The COVID-19 pandemic has created another obstacle in an already complicated election.

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he 2020 election has gotten even more complicated. The COVID-19 pandemic has killed over 100,000 people in the United States alone and left millions of others sick, unemployed or homeless. This pandemic has also canceled many public gatherings, from sports to learning in public school buildings. However, there is one event we cannot let a pandemic stop: the election.

Elections in the United States typically consist of hundreds of thousands of people going through enclosed buildings while touching the same pieces of equipment in order to exercise their right to vote. However, several states have implemented a voting

system that can be used during a pandemic. Oregon, Utah, Washington, Hawaii and Colorado have conducted all-mail elections for the past several years, automatically sending ballots to registered voters. Recently, numerous states, as well as the District of Columbia, have also begun using this system in their primary elections as a means to prevent an increase in coronavirus cases. Despite these changes, many states require an excuse to request a mail-in ballot and a select few refuse to accept ‘fear of the coronavirus’ as a valid excuse.

So how do we hold this election when states cannot agree on whether or not the coronavirus is a valid excuse for requesting a mail-in ballot?

Despite claims from President Trump, the election cannot simply be postponed until a method is agreed upon. It would be extremely difficult to achieve as the Nov. 3 deadline looms and would give very little leeway for voters.

In order to hold this election properly, the United States needs to follow the example of states like Colorado and Nevada and automatically send every registered voter a mailin ballot. In-person elections would dramatically increase the amount of both coronavirus cases and deaths along with possibly decreasing voter turnout. Voters should not have to risk their lives

BY MIA DORON, ‘23

to vote.

While mail-in elections are the best alternative in the current situation, there are several problems. The United States Postal Service has warned several states that it may not be able to deliver mailin ballots by the set deadlines, in part due to the massive budget cuts the new postmaster general has implemented.

It would also be very difficult for both Indigenous people on reservations and those being evicted to cast a ballot. It would also make Black and Latinx voters more susceptible to voter suppression.

However, despite its many flaws, voting by mail is still the best option for the 2020 election. It seems this patchwork system riddled with chaos is our best bet for a safe election.

IT’S TIME TO CHANGE

We still have time to learn from others’ experiences and reverse a decision before it’s too late.

BY EDITORIAL BOARD

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for the Black Lives Matter movement, created social media accounts to show the district the true experience of being in the building and met on Zoom meetings to educate one another and learn from one another about what the next steps are for the schools.

This is where we ask the district to learn from now.

Living in a city like Upper Arlington, with a 91.5% white population, a large segment of our population may not feel pressed to take personal stake in the mistreatment of people of color by police officers, or to notice the subtle ways that it is visible in our own community. With simple research, though, it’s easy to find that some students are much more likely to be marginalized by Student Resource Officers in schools.

In fact, Black girls in schools are four times more likely to be arrested than white girls and Black and Latino boys with disabilities make up 12% of all student arrests despite being only 3% of enrolled students nationwide.

From comments on Facebook to arrest rates of people of color, we have learned that some officers are capable of complacent racism, and when criticized did not do everything in their power to correct it, we are faced with a decision, do we want our schools to legitimize and incorporate this type of culture in our buildings?

If the answer is no, then we need to look at the way that police and race are addressed in our schools, starting with police and staff expectations, and continuing with long term education and training to help those interacting with students to understand how to provide racial equity in the classroom,

and how to facilitate an environment that demands the acknowledgement and active participation needed for breaking down racial inequality.

Knowing that we won’t be in person for at least a sizable portion of this school year, now is the time to terminate the current contract between UA City Schools and the UAPD. Not only would this allow an increase in safety by reallocating this funding into mental health initiatives to stop school shootings before they happen, it would affirm the district’s commitment to their students and their comfort in the building.

There are times for the police to create relationships with children but in a building where kids are meant to be educated and learn empathy is not one of them. Let us use this societal reset as an opportunity to participate in our nation’s demand for equality, starting with the removal of police from our schools and attention to the voices of students.

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY MORGAN PLAGENZ, ‘21.

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ntering this school year, we are faced as a community with an unusual set of obstacles. These include, but are not limited to mounting political tensions during the approach of a presidential election, a global pandemic bearing down on our health system and economy, widespread challenge of the United States police system and most pressing for many students right now, the struggle to adapt to digital learning. Despite what might seem like an unfixable mess of a year, we are being given a unique chance to achieve long-lasting positive change and learn from new challenges.

Whether it be educating yourself on political or humanitarian issues, watching presidential debates, learning how to sew a mask or memorizing the script to an entire TV show, we all have something to show for the time we have spent at home.

Luckily, the school is still giving us time to adequately prepare to return to the building. When it comes to COVID, we as a staff applaud the school for taking appropriate measures to keep students safe. They learned, they listened and they informed the parents and students about their decision.

If this year has taught us a general lesson, it is that we cannot always understand the lives of others. Even still, we must try. Keeping students, teachers and UA families safe should be a top priority when we cannot know who is immunocompromised, who may be a carrier and who is allegedly safe.

The district has recognized this and carried through, but we are still waiting for them to make change elsewhere.

Looking at all the things going on in our community, if we want to make the best of this time, we have to reflect, we must begin to see the break from “normal” as a chance to change what normal looks like.

This summer, students took to the streets of Columbus and UA to stand

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