Fourth Period Refugees

For the past few months, a surprising number of students have assembled in the second floor hallway between the half-floor and the escalator bank during fourth period. Many of them have fourth period free, while others have lunch periods or lab frees during this time. Each day, between 15 and 30 of these students, mostly juniors with a few sophomores, sit in this cramped passageway. This inconvenient situation is not comfortable for either the students themselves or the people who must step over them to move through the hallway and has resulted in clashes with some school administrators.

At the beginning of the semester, the juniors assembled around the benches in the third floor atrium. This was unsustainable, however, because administrators insisted the group move to the first or second floors, the cafeteria, or the library as to avoid disrupting classes. A few weeks into the school year, the group abandoned the third floor in response to disciplinary threats made by school officials.

The library often reaches its maximum capacity at the start of the period, so it’s not an option for many of them. Similarly, the cafeteria is often unpleasantly crowded during fourth period. On the second floor, a large group of seniors occupy the senior atrium as well as the Senior Bar, making this area crowded as well. The half-floor is fully populated by freshmen. The first floor is also unpleasant and noisy because of music and P.E. classes. Through the process of elimination, the only area for these students to convene is along both sides of the narrow hallway on the second floor between the escalator bank and the half-floor.

Because the group is so large, it occupies substantial floor space. This congestion creates a few problems. It is both uncomfortable and unproductive for the students themselves. It is also inconvenient to the students and staff who need to walk through this passageway. Finally, it creates a noisy and claustrophobic environment and even poses a potential fire hazard.

School administrators have responded to this dilemma by demanding that students disperse and relocate. Students have drawn attention to the fact that there is nowhere else for them to go, but school officials have reacted unkindly, insisting the students relocate without suggesting an alternative for them to move to. It is understandable for these school employees to be frustrated for having to constantly deal with the issue, but they should not direct this frustration at the students. Instead, they should remain open-minded and consider the root cause of the problem.

This situation has resulted from two administrative failures.

First, the program office has assigned fourth period to many students for their lunch period. School officials have confronted the group of students and complained that fourth period is the only time of the day where they observe such overcrowding, as if it were the students’ fault. The reality is that students with later free periods have more options outside the building. Most local restaurants open between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m., around when fourth period ends. Simply redistributing students’ free periods to more convenient times of the day would allow more students to leave the building and Stuyvesant’s hallways to remain free from congestion as a result.

Second, school policy has created the overcrowding by placing many areas off-limits—often without reason. The third floor atrium, for instance, is not an option for these students. When asked why, school officials have explained that students are not to assemble in areas near classrooms. The thing is, the third floor atrium is adjacent to a gym, the medical suite, and a small office. A group of calm students would not disrupt these facilities. One easy solution to this impasse would be to return the benches to the third floor atrium and open the area to students, solving the issue of overcrowding without disrupting classes.

Looking forward to next year, Stuyvesant should work with students to fix this dilemma. School administrators should reconsider the school’s policy regarding where students are permitted to assemble. The programming office should strive to more effectively distribute free periods in order to prevent overcrowding. And school officials should show more patience with the students until the issue can be resolved.