Panel Votes to Shrink DeWitt Clinton, the Bronx’s Largest Public High School

In a move surprising to no one, but saddening to an entire school community rich in history and pride, the Department of Education’s Panel for Educational Policy voted early Tuesday morning to downsize DeWitt Clinton High School and open up two brand small schools inside the building known as the Castle on Mosholu Parkway.

Op-ed: Stop School Closures and Co-Locations for Third Term

If something is broken – fix it. Sadly, Mayor Bloomberg adheres to a different philosophy when our city’s education system is concerned. The Administration’s default response to struggling schools has been to close them, without first investing enough time and resources into turning them around. And instead of laying out a thoughtful plan for some schools to share facilities in the same building – co-location – the Administration turns a cold shoulder to community input. We need a new approach for our city’s one million students.

Panel To Vote on Plan Opponents Say Will ‘Kill’ Clinton HS

Tonight at a meeting in Brooklyn, the Panel for Education Policy, the 13-member body controlled by the mayor’s office that must approve major changes and proposals by the city’s Department of Education, will decide the fate of dozens of city schools, including DeWitt Clinton, the largest and one of the most storied high schools in the Bronx.

Unions, MS 80 Parents Rally to Remove Principal

Disgruntled parents and local union members rallied last week outside of MS 80, the Norwood area’s largest middle school, to protest the school’s principal, Emmanuel Polanco. The protesters said Polanco is leading the school down a troubling path and violated the rights of at least one faculty member. They plan to continue rallying every week until Polanco is removed.

Herbert H. Lehman High School Off ‘Phase Out’ List

Herbert H. Lehman High School, which has struggled to stave off closure from the Department of Education for the past two years, has been removed from the phase-out list. The high school’s principal, Rose Lo Bianco, said she was informed by Chancellor Dennis Walcott, who gave the principal the good news personally.

Bronx Hoop Teams Compete for Final Four and Beyond

The boy’s Varsity A Division playoffs are coming down to the wire, as the top eight are facing off in games today and tomorrow to decide the Final Four.  Evander Childs plays McKee/Staten Island this afternoon at 5 p.m. at the Evander Childs gym.  The Tigers are looking good, especially after trumping John Bowne 71-53 on Tuesday. Morris Campus, the only other Bronx team left in the tournament, is going head to head against Taft today at 5 p.m. at the Morris gym in what should be one heck of a game to watch.  Both teams have had nearly identical


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Bronx Parents on Edge After Attempted Luring at PS 33

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. Fortunately, this time, it didn’t come true. As an 8-year-old girl was walking to her school building at PS 33 in University Heights on Thursday, Feb. 21, police say a man attempted to lure her into coming away with him.

Fearing the Worst, Clinton Fights to Save School

Alan Ettman, an English teacher at DeWitt Clinton High School, has been down this path before. He taught at Walton High School, a large school just a mile south of Clinton, before a couple of small schools were “co-located” into the same building around the turn of the century. Renovations were soon done at the building for the new schools, while Walton’s facilities deteriorated and its spirit sank. At one point, Ettman literally found himself locked out of the faculty bathroom.