OPEN LETTER BY STUDENTS

OPEN LETTER VIVIAN MUST RESIGN

We, the students of Long Island City High School, strongly believe that the time has come for Vivian Selenikas to resign. We want to be recognized as investors of our education where our voices are actively taken into consideration. As stated by students in the book, Sent To The Principal by Kathleen Cushman, “The best leaders, this book’s student contributors said, show confidence in young people’s potential in these ways: know us and care about us, encourage us to take challenging courses, give us the support we need… show the community that you’re proud of us.” We do not see any of these qualifications in Vivian Selenikas. Long Island City High School is a second home to at least 1937 students of many different cultural backgrounds. Today we stand together to express common concerns that have fallen on deaf ears throughout the years.

One would expect a principal to help each student realize his or her potential as a worthy and effective member of society. A principal who works to encourage and stimulate their students and staff in a safe and nurturing environment. However, for years we’ve observed Principal Vivian Selenikas:

1. failing to make the education and well-being of students the fundamental value of all decision-making.

2. failing to fulfill all professional duties with honesty and integrity and failing to act in a trustworthy and responsible manner.

3. unreasonably restrain students from independent actions, such as peaceful protests in the pursuit of obtaining a higher education and improving the inexcusable conditions at LIC.

4. unreasonably denying student's access to varying points of view and attempting to provide severe consequences for those who oppose her views.

5. deliberately suppress or distort subject matter relevant to the student's progress as evidenced by the implementation of the Achieve Now program.

6. showing no reasonable effort to protect students from conditions harmful to learning or to health and safety as evidenced by the influx of students bringing weapons into the school building, cutting classes, using and selling drugs, and performing inappropriate sexual activities in the stairwells.

7. intentionally exposing students to embarrassment or disparagement as evidenced by the principal’s tone, speech, and derogatory statements made during meetings with students and or parents. Also evidenced with current staff members and former staff members who faced demeaning treatment which influenced their decisions to resign from LIC.

8. acting reactive in nature as evidenced by implementing new policies and procedures that fail to act in the best interest of students i.e. prohibiting a student from participating in ANY extracurricular activities as a result of their involvement in a peaceful protest.

9. failing to support the principle of due process and protect the civil and human rights of all individuals as evidenced by the ill and unprofessional treatment of former and current LIC staff members.

10. failing to honor all contracts until fulfillment, release or dissolution mutually agreed upon by all parties.

11. failing to accept responsibility and accountability for her actions and behaviors

12. showing a commitment to preserve a positive self image through her actions and behaviors regardless of its impact on others.

Without an ability to self reflect and hold oneself accountable, how can we expect Long Island City High School to make the improvements necessary to get to the next level. We have tried to be allies to our school leader and offer recommendations on how to make improvements in our school. But Long Island City High School continues to be led by a principal, who does not have the wherewithal to run a school effectively. We have a Principal who remains nameless and faceless to many as she spends most days isolated in her office. The purpose of this letter is to provide a timeline of events that shows a few of the many challenges students and staff endured under the rule of Principal Selenikas (i.e. bullying, discrimination, unfair practices, etc) with the hopes of making true reform. One that will offer a safe, nurturing, and productive learning environment for all LIC students that is sustainable.

OUR DEMANDS

Principal Vivian Selenikas should publicly acknowledge the biases that took place under her leadership towards Mr. Scott and Ms. Bloomfield.
Principal Vivian Selenikas should publicly apologize to all students of color who have experienced racism within her school.
Principal Selenikas should create a diverse staff that represents the student body in every department at Long Island City High School.
Principal Selenikas should aim to have a more inclusive curriculum taught by teachers who possess relevant experience in the subject matter.
Principal Selenikas should form a diverse hiring committee that is diverse and includes student representation to foster inclusivity within the hiring process.
Principal Vivian Selenikas should allow students to exercise their First Amendment rights without any hindrances, including but not limited to censorship, prohibition from petitioning, or inability to protest.
Principal Vivian Selenikas should establish a culture where the burden of effecting change within the institution does not solely fall on the oppressed staff and students.
Principal Vivian Selenikas should provide Professional Development workshops on Implicit Bias for staff and students.

We were asked the question, “if we were to get another principal what would you want?”:

Representation
Visibility of leadership
Effective and positive school culture which promotes a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment for all students, teachers, and staff. It is characterized by a shared sense of purpose, strong relationships, clear communication, and a focus on continuous improvement. fosters a love of learning, encourages creativity and innovation, and prepares students for success.

Respectful and positive relationships: Teachers, students, and staff should feel valued and respected in the school environment. Positive and genuine relationships among all stakeholders create a sense of belonging and promote a positive school culture.
High expectations for learning and behavior: A positive and effective school culture sets high expectations for student learning and behavior, and provides support to help students meet those expectations.
Clear communication: Effective communication is essential for creating a positive school culture. Communication should be clear, consistent, and transparent, and should include all stakeholders in the school community.
Collaboration: A positive and effective school culture encourages collaboration among teachers, students, and staff. Collaboration helps to create a sense of shared responsibility for student learning and success.
Continuous improvement: A positive and effective school culture focuses on continuous improvement. This includes ongoing assessment of student learning, professional development for teachers, and a commitment to implementing best practices.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:

February 2016- 2019

Achieve Now: Students of color who were having difficulties with their behavior, attendance, and academics were placed in one room on a daily basis in an isolated area of the school to receive instruction. Very little instruction took place in the Achieve Now program as the principal had low expectations of the students and provided little to no guidance to the staff involved. This setting also violated some students' rights as it failed to adequately meet their academic and behavioral needs of their IEP. Students were not allowed to go to the cafeteria and as an alternative, received cold lunches that were brought to the classroom by LIC staff. Lunch bags were left in the classrooms overnight causing leftover food to be spoiled. When a student questioned why they do not get hot lunch, the principal stated, “you do not deserve hot lunch. Hot lunch is a privilege, It needs to be earned.”

These deplorable conditions had a profound negative impact on these students’ social emotional health, academics, overall behavior and outlook on life. Some students referred to the Achieve Now program as the “box.” The box is a jail term known for being a disciplinary confinement that holds prisoners for 23 to 24 hours a day. Many students were looked down upon by their peers as well as LIC staff members. As a result of their experience, many students dropped out.

September 2019

Garret Morgan, student and LIC football athlete, attended class and felt very embarrassed and uncomfortable after hearing his teacher state “athletes are monkeys playing the piano” referring to Garrett playing football. A statement by Garrett was written and submitted to administration. No follow up by the administrative staff was conducted, particularly the principal who failed to return phone calls made by the students' mothers.

October 2019

Step Up Club: Victoria Dorch, Heaven Peoples, and Sekiyah Burrell wanted to start Step Up Club to create a safe space for students of color to express themselves through dance, spoken work, art, group activities, etc. They followed the steps necessary, including essential submission of documents. Initially, they had goals beyond the art, that included taking on social justice related issues. It started off with a strong collective of 18 members that presented their vision to Mr.Linton. Mr. Linton assisted us with planning of the agenda and future of the club, while we were still in search of someone to lead another component, step. Step, according to Step Afrika, “Stepping is a percussive, highly energetic art form first developed through the song and dance rituals performed by African American fraternities and sororities. In stepping, the body becomes an instrument, using footsteps, claps and spoken word to produce complex polyrhythms. Stepping has been described as “one of the most exciting dance forms created in the 21st century.”

Mario Scott and Tiffany Ali were assigned as the “step masters” (coaches). The Step-Up Club was not assigned an official room to practice, like every other established club in LIC. Members were subjected to finding random spaces throughout the building to practice despite several attempts at requesting a room. In addition to inadequate practice space, staff members were not paid for their time as their counterparts, and the club was not provided with a budget to purchase needed items. As a result of the many hardships faced, the club lost members, our coaches used their personal money to purchase outfits and other items for a school Black History show for which we were asked to perform. No support was provided by our principal on this student led initiative.

May 2020

The death of George Floyd was traumatic not only for our students but also staff who had a difficult time coping. Vivian Selenikas decided to send a letter to the students and their parents over one week following the incident, even though many families questioned what was being done by the school to address the situation and the friction that occurred between LIC staff members. Staff felt very uncomfortable discussing this topic with their students and failed to get any clear direction from their principal on how to move forward. Heaven Peoples, a student, initiated an Instagram groupchat, which included several members, to support the school community due to the lack of administration involvement. As this was a time of protest, where some youth advocates around the country participated in protests that ended in police brutality and suffered repercussions like macing or even beating. Despite the school being known as a melting pot for so many diverse cultures, there was no call for protection or safety precautions around these protests, nor solidarity when issues of race were involved. Heaven Peoples requested a “Breather Day” from Assistant Principal Maria Argyris, who supported and helped to structure this idea as well as many others. Upon this, we had two schoolwide sessions, Group 1 at 11:00 AM-12:30 PM and Group Time 2: at 1:30 PM- 3:00 PM titled, Breathing: A Positive Protest- Anti-Racist Practices. This was a time for students to express their pain and call for the school’s support. Vivian Selenikas was present in the morning session but did not attend the afternoon session. In the morning session she did not speak or share any words of empathy.

June 2020

6/24/2020 - Student Change Council was created in the efforts of providing a platform for students to have a voice and improve conditions at LICHS. Heaven Peoples, Lawrence Brown, and Jamilla Boyd were coordinated with tasks. The students did not feel supported by Vivian Selenikas during this initiative because they came up with a few recommendations which were either ignored or met with resistance from the Principal. The students failed to receive support because many of the recommendations to improve the school involved actions the principal needed to make in order to be more present in the building (i.e. walking around the school hallway to introduce herself to students). Vivian Selenikas did not create a platform for collaborative effort as most of the proposing ideas came from the students. She did not present any new or innovative ideas to correct the problems we were seeing in our school.

6/26/2020 - Mr. Scott sent his letter of resignation, which highlighted the racism he faced as a school staff member at Long Island City High School. He expressed great disgust in how open his colleagues were in making ignorant and culturally insensitive comments during a virtual UFT meeting around the George Floyd case. Mr. Scott pleaded with Vivian Selenikas in his letter to create a safe space for Black students. However, Vivian Selenikas ignored his requests and responded to Mr. Scott by calling him a “coward”.

Assistant Principal Bloomfield reached out to Mr. Favors, culturally responsive trainer/consultant, for Impartial Bias Training for staff. Mr. Favors also worked with members of the Social Justice Club.

An account was created on instagram named “exposinglichs.” The Instagram account discussed discrimination/racism students faced at LICHS which was never addressed. Heaven Peoples and Nafisha Anzum sent a letter to Superintendent Lindsey to report what was taking place at LICHS and to ask for support. The office responded and stated that the racism account was being investigated.

July 2020 - August 2020

The Student Change Council continued meeting into the summer months with students from the Social Justice group and Principal Selenikas. We had to come up with changes we wanted to see in school to improve the school culture. The meetings were seen as pointless because none of the ideas presented were explored or even implemented as promised. Finally, Principal Selenikas agreed to allow students an opportunity to have an open space to discuss the concerns of racism at LICHS. The students raised concerns about the principal being racist due in part to her absence when faced with questions and or concerns around the issues Mr. Scott raised in his letter. During the open space, numerous students asked Principal Selenikas why she called Mr. Scott “a coward” for expressing his feelings about his experience at LICHS. Vivian Selenikas offered no response but later apologized for her actions.

December 2020

After strategies discussed in the summer, students Victoria Dorch, Garrett Morgan Jr., Heaven Peoples wanted to propose a Social Justice Club. The club was supervised by Mr. Linton, Mr. Smart, and Ms. Perera. During the Social Justice Club we discussed key events that impacted people of color nationally and internationally.

May 2021

The original members of the Social Justice Club spent hours planning and later implemented a 2-session virtual professional development around Microaggressions at LICHS. Staff members were educated around the many negative experiences students of color faced in LICHS in the efforts of making staff more cognizant of their actions moving forward and to offer insight into their experience. Presenters offered alternative ways staff members could interact/engage students of color as a means to build healthier relationships and to improve the school environment.

September 2021

Equity and Access Meeting started. Its goal was to heighten awareness and celebrate the many diverse cultures found in LICHS. The meeting was held on a monthly basis and was led by AP Bloomfield. Celebrations were planned for each month i.e. Spanish Heritage Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Earth Day, etc.

Assistant Principal Bloomfield recruited students to be a part of this initiative; Halima, Heaven and Garrett Morgan also to be a part of Equity and Access. The committee ran successfully under AP Bloomfield’s supervision.

October 2021

My Brother’s Keeper and My Sister’s Keeper started at Long Island City High School. The program was led by Assistant Principal Bloomfield. My Brother’s Keeper was led by Mr. Smart and Mr. Linton. My Sister’s Keeper consisted of girls who were originally in Girls Group led by Ms. Hagan, Ms. Perera, Ms. Ali, and Ms. Herrera. The groups were successful under AP Bloomfield’s leadership. She brought in guest speakers to help students relate to their experiences.

December 2021

The Change Of Mind Program was proposed by Garrett Morgan Jr. He discussed with Assistant Principal Argyris, Assistant Principal Duncan, and Principal Vivian Selenikas. This proposal focussed on ways to better assist students who were facing suspensions by connecting them to an advocate for behavioral modification. Although the proposal was approved by the principal, it was never implemented as there was a lack of follow up by the Principal.

January 2022

There was a meeting held with the Social Justice Group, Principal Vivian Selenikas, and the Deputy Superintendent Leneen Gibson. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the present school culture of the building. In that meeting we discussed many important factors that contribute to our school culture. We brought up concerns regarding rape culture in the building, student/staff relationships, a need for more mental health services, a need for more diversity amongst the hiring of new staff, racism, no visibility of the principal, as well as the need for improved lines of communication as situations arise (i.e. students did not want to rely on news or social media outlets to learn about problems taking place in the school. Recommendations were presented as a way to lessen the problems we were having in the school building.

February 2022

A Food Harvest event took place, which was organized and spearheaded by Assistant Principal Bloomfield. Students received bags of produce and other food items. There was also a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Food Pantry. Tiffany Caban (council member), Deputy Superintendent Leneen Gibson, Principal Vivian Selenikas, Zone 126, and others were present for this occasion. The Principal thanked everyone for their efforts, coordination, and success of this event failing to acknowledge Assistant Principal Bloomfield’s significant role and hard work on initiative.

March 2022

Three intruders chased an LICHS student into the main lobby area of the school. One held a knife while another had a cane to attack the student. The student was nearly stabbed before an LICHS staff member and school safety agent came to his aide. Students, parents, and LICHS staff were not notified about the event on any platform (i.e. email, letter, etc).

March 2022 - June 2022

Lunch with the principal started. Lunch with the principal allowed students the opportunity to ask questions and express their concerns about school related issues. This meeting came as a result of our concerns at the superintendent’s meeting. During these meetings we discussed important topics and concerns that mattered to us. Unfortunately, the meetings were not as productive because Principal Vivian Selenikas failed to follow up with suggestions and recommendations made by the very same students she put in charge of the initiative. Some suggestions that we gave to her included a need to change the dress code policy due to body shaming. We spoke about body shaming because one of our current participants Halima was curvier compared to other students. She was asked to change by the principal on May 12, 2022 and told to “look in the mirror next time you walk out of your house” and to “dress as if you are coming to work.” Although these comments triggered Halima’s mental health, Halima went to the principal’s office after her school day to apologize to the principal as she felt belittled by a person of authority. Halima was not the only student who was told to change their outfit. There were many other students that were asked to change in the principal's bathroom. We asked for consistency and uniformity if such rules/policies were going to occur inside the school.

We also discussed the rape culture in the building. There are many peers of ours who have been sexually assaulted/harassed/molested that are in need of support and we asked for a healing circle. Principal Vivian Selenikas then asked the student who suggested it to come up with a plan for a healing circle. As students, we didn't have the knowledge of how to start or even run a healing circle and therefore didn't believe it was our responsibility to come up with a plan of action. That would take Counselors, Teachers, Social Workers, Administration, etc to create and implement a plan. For example, do you ask a woman who was raped to find her rapist, and then ask the rapist to explain how he can change his behavior. It is not the responsibility of the victim to do so. The same theory applies to us students. If you as a leader agree that there is a need, you can coordinate as the leader in executing these ideas or delegate the authority to other professionals within the school building to do so (i.e. teachers, CCNY, deans, Social Workers, etc.). We also brought up the fact that there were serious charges brought up against two teachers (Mr. Mulbach and Mr. Simms). These charges contained events that were sexual in nature. Although a newspaper article was published and news vans were parked outside the building, it was never addressed by the principal to the school community. We were left in the dark about major incidents occurring in our school. In fact it continues to be extremely embarrassing that our school community is informed of these unfortunate incidents either through hearsay in the school hallways and through social media outlets.

We spoke about the visibility of the principal. We asked Vivian to come out of her office because many students didn’t know who she was. We recommended a need to have more assemblies and “meet and greets” during student lunch hours. We expressed that she often presents as unwelcoming and how important it is to make students feel included in the school especially by their principal. We also suggested picking a random group of students to come to her office, but that too fell on deaf ears.

September 2022

Assistant Principal Bloomfield was removed as the Assistant Principal in charge of Equity and Access and was replaced by Assistant Principal Smith. As students we were not informed about why Assistant Principal Bloomfield was removed from her duties when she played a key role in that position. She did a great job. Since her removal, the Equity and Access committee met two times for the first term of the school year 2022-2023. The only celebration discussed involved Spanish Heritage Month.

October 2022

An LICHS student carried a fully loaded gun into the school building after having an altercation with another LICHS student outside of the school just days prior. 21st street was shut down and a massive group of police officers stormed through the school to apprehend the student. Some students, parents, and teachers were notified about the incident initially through “citizens app,” which created disruptions in classes and throughout the hallways. Some students and teachers alike felt anxious, unsafe, and scared as questions and concerns were not immediately addressed by the principal. Some of our friends cut school after hearing about the incident and witnessing police officers rush the main entrance of the school. We have routine drills (i.e. lockdown, fire, etc) throughout the year, yet an incident of this magnitude was never given the immediate attention or urgency it deserved. Instead, a generic letter was sent to families and staff many hours later. A town hall meeting was also held later in the week about the incident.

November 2022

A group fight took place in a local McDonalds which involved LICHS students and unknowns, resulting in a stabbing. An LICHS student was stabbed and immediately rushed to the hospital. Students found out about the incident from the local news reports, newspapers, and social media outlets before the principal notified anyone about it to make students feel safe.

December 2022

Unknown intruders entered the school and were found hanging out in our school cafeteria. The students and parents were not notified about the intruders.

First My Brothers Keeper /My Sisters Keeper meeting held. We were notified that Assistant Principal Bloomfield was removed and will no longer be involved in the program. Assistant Principal Bloomfield was replaced by Assistant Principal Sherman. My Brother’s Keeper and My Sister’s Keeper is a safe space for students of color to talk about challenges, build socialization skills, self-identity, etc. The program helps keep students on track to reaching their full potential. Having a black/brown leader is essential to our group because we discuss topics that are crucial to our daily lives as students of color. So it was hard to see AP Bloomfield replaced by someone who didn’t have our similar background and true experience/ understanding of what it’s like being a person of color living in this society. She also didn't have the resources that AP Bloomfield had to really connect us.

January 2023

1/27/2023- AP Bloomfield resigned and sent a letter. The letter discussed the discrimination she faced by Principal Vivian Selenikas during her years as an administrator.

1/29/2023 - Over 700 people have signed an online petition for Principal Vivian Selenikas’ resignation, February 2023

February 2023

2/1/2023- A student letter was sent to Superintendent Tu and Chancellor Banks expressing concerns about our principal and the future of LIC.

2/2/2023- Equity and Access meeting held. During the meeting, Troy Thorpe, Halima Ait Elhoussine, and Alyssa Lester (students) asked Principal Vivian Selenikas why Assistant Principal Bloomfield resigned and if she was discriminated against during her employment at LICH. The principal said it was a “personal and personnel matter,” and therefore can not discuss.

2/5/2023- Parent Petition started to demand Principal Vivian Selenikas’ resignation.

2/8/2023- Students from Long Island City High School united to protest by participating in a peaceful walk out for the injustice they have faced in Long Island City High School. Principal sent an email stating that the protest was peaceful and safe.

2/9/2023- We, the students held another protest by way of a sit-in. Some of the students involved in the protest, Halima Ait Elhoussine , Nyasia Perez, and Jeanette Montetna, were called out of class and brought to the dean’s office where they were questioned about the protest by AP Duncan and Dean Goranitis. The students were provided with no information about why they were chosen as well as being questioned about details pertaining to the protest. The students' parents were not notified prior to, during, or even after they were questioned. The students were manipulated into writing statements and forced to write that the protests will continue.

The principal reported the sit-in to be peaceful as no individual was hurt and no safety concerns reported.

2/10/2023- Mevelyn Rodriguez, Alyssa Lester, Nyasia Perez, Halima Ait Elhoussine, Aaliyah Lester, Jordan Carriel, Genesis Alcantara, Troy Thorpe and Jeanette Montetna were questioned about their involvement and other details about the sit-in protest. Parents were not notified about the students being questioned. Students and parents expressed concerns. Assistant Principal Duncan stated that statements were needed for an ongoing investigation and that she was unable to provide further details.

Halima Ait Elhoussine was questioned by Jordan Barnett (district representative) in front of Mr. Smart and Ms. Perera for 4 periods. Halima was asked questions about the protest, relationship with the principal, her demands, and motives.

Dean Kritikos’ responsibilities and duties as dean were taken away because she stepped outside of the school during the “walk out” protest to make sure the students were safe.

Troy Thorpe, Halima Ait Elhoussine, Alyssa Lester, Jordan Carriel, and Nyasia Perez were called into Assistant Principal Argyris’ office to invite them to a meeting with Vivian Selenikas and Superintendent Tu. Students were told that their parents would be notified and that the meeting would be held at the Zone126 office.

2/12/2023- Students from Long Island City High School completed a small student survey that included 480 LICHS students from all grades. The survey results are below.

88.8% of students did not think that Vivian Selenikas was visible at Long Island City High School.

72.8% of students feel that the school prioritizes the following identities in the building: race, sexuality,

and gender, age, culture, class, religion, and disability.

76% of students feel the building is not safe.

69.3% of students feel that the staff is not diverse.

65% of students feel that they have an adult they can go to for support.

52.8% of students feel that they reported an incident and never heard more about it.

91.3% of students feel that Vivian Selenikas does not provide a culturally responsive environment for her staff and students.

2/13/2023- Students (Jordan Carriel, Halima Ait Elhoussine, Nyasia Perez, Troy Thorpe, and Alyssa Lester), along with their parents, attended a meeting with Principal Vivian Selenikas, Jordan Barnett, and Superintendent Dr. Tu. The intended purpose of the meeting was to address questions and concerns of the students. Principal Vivian Selenikas failed to answer and address the students' and their parents' questions and concerns. Instead, the meeting was focused on how the Principal felt about the protests and her self image as being a public figure, all of which was supported by the Superintendent, Dr. Tu. The Superintendent left the scheduled meeting a short time after it started, even though the meeting was scheduled around her availability. Some parents were frustrated as they made last minute accommodations to be present for the meeting.
Principal Vivian Selenikas was loud in her delivery to the students and parents and she targeted one of our students directly by referring to her as a “bully.” The students felt that they were doing nothing wrong in expressing the many concerns they have in a peaceful way. The students stuck to the facts about what has been going on in their school environment as well as the changes that are needed. The students always made sure that everyone was safe and following the right protocols, which was evidenced by Principal Selenikas reference to the protests as being “peaceful.”

At the end of the sit-in there was a discussion around having a truce from February 15th-17th between Sharif Rucker and other student representatives. Sharif Rucker asked for the list of questions and stated that Vivian Selenikas will answer said questions at the sit-in and from Monday’s meeting.

2/15/2023- Students held a sit-in and Principal Vivian Selenikas and District representative, Sharif Rucker were present to observe. During the sit-in, students emailed a second letter to Principal Vivian Selenikas, Superintendent Tu, and Chancellor Banks. Immediately following the sit-in Sharif Rucker spoke to a few students, and requested that they call a truce until Friday, February 17th, 2023. Mr. Rucker asked the students to present the 12 questions they wanted answered and that he will work with the principal on answering what she could. When students asked why the principal had to write the questions down instead of just answering them while present at the sit-in , Mr. Rucker then replied “she’s writing them down so she can go in her office later, she can think about the questions, and come back and give you answers”.

The students agreed to the terms.

2/16/2023- Nyasia Perez, a student advocate, gave a copy of the questions that were given to the principal on 2/13/2023 to the principal's office in order for it to be sent to Sharif Rucker.

2/17/2023- A meeting was held with the Principal Vivian Selenikis, Assistant Principal Maria Argyris, Social Worker, Keith Linton , Social Worker Allen Smart, Social Worker Raven Perera, representatives from the Queens North district (Jordan Barnett and Sharif Rucker), and 4 students (Alyssa Lester , Halima Ait-Elhoussine , Troy Thorpe and Jordan Carriel).

The purpose of the meeting was to address the students' questions around safety, School Curriculum, Microaggressions, Assistant Principal Bloomfeild’s resignation, and the deaning duties/responsibilities being removed from Ms Kritikos. The first thing addressed in the meeting was student expectations. These expectations involved acknowledgement of the Principal’s actions and a public apology for how she handled the situation with Assistant Principal Bloomfield and Ms. Kritikos, the dress code which looked at body shaming issues, and the microaggressions that continue in our school building despite the pds that were conducted to address the issue a couple of years ago. Along with this there were also demands that the students made as far as wanting change within the school, more meetings with regards to Equity and Access and successfully planning events that were planned on the calendar, the hiring of more teachers of color, development of an African Studies curriculum that is reflective for students of color, the hiring more safety staff to make the hallways and stairwells safe as well as ways to prevent more weapons coming into the school building.

Alyssa Lester referred back to the day of the sit-in, 2/15/2023 and said “Before we further discuss the demands we would like to go over the questions.” Principal Selenikas then proceeded to wait for a response when she was then asked by student Jordan Carriel “we thought you wrote the questions asked by the students and came up with answers?” She responds, “well I didn’t feel the need to answer any of the questions because in the beginning of the meeting, the topics have already been brought up.”

We were told that these questions would be answered directly and firsthand but was never given a direct response to any questions asked by the students nor did she want to approach any of the issue’s students came to her with. The questions addressed regarding equity and access were, in our student survey which is a small sample of our student body of 480 students, it shows that only 8.7% believe that you provide a culturally responsive environment for staff, and students. The Equity and Access team was very successful last school year under the direction of AP Bloomfield. This year AP Bloomfield was removed as a facilitator and replaced with Ms. Smith, however, Ms. Bloomfield stayed a participant. Why did this happen if we had such a successful year? This year we had a huge celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month where you purchased items as well but nothing after, until the next business day when Ms. Bloomfield’s letter came out. While you continue to say publicly that you embrace your Hispanic side and our school is 80% Hispanic, what happened to the other 20%? What excuses can you possibly have for not celebrating any other heritages/cultures through equity and access only?

Ms. Selenikis' response to these questions was that she was not clear on why the Equity and Excess committee was no longer having consistent meetings and that she planned on having equity and access continued in June of 2023. Principal Selenikas stated that she could not answer any questions pertaining to AP Bloomfied’s resignation due to legal reasons and that the matters were “personnel not personal.”

The level of poor communication between school staff and parents/guardians was also addressed during the meeting. Parents and guardians received a letter about the “walk out,” but students asked why parents were not notified about the sit in? Again this addresses the lack of communication and appearance that parents do not need to know about occurrences in the school building. Students also asked why they were being investigated since the sit-in protest was said to be peaceful and when did it become “optional” for parents to know when their children were being questioned/ investigated by staff members?

The Principal was unclear about why students were questioned and simply stated that there was an ongoing investigation. The Principal also added that she was awaiting the results of the investigation before taking action. Students also asked Why they were questioned and specifically told by AP Duncan and Dean Goranitis what to write at the end of each statement? Why were our parents not notified that we were questioned? There were over 200 students that participated. Why all students that participated in the protest were no questioned but only a select few? What was the Principal’s purpose in directing AP Duncan to put a stop on their IDs and take statements? Why did a concerned parent’s email about having her child’s statement retracted, never received a response? A student from Long Island City High School was reprimanded for her comment on the petition, “burn the witch.” A student asked the Principal if she acted in retaliation for the posted comment on an outside social media platform? Dean Kritikos was removed as a dean because she was outside during the peaceful protest to ensure the students were safe. Students asked the Principal if she could provide a rationale as to why Dean Kritikos was relieved of her deaning responsibilities when she has been a well respected staff member by many. The Principal provided no direct response to the questions about the protest and said that matters regarding Ms . Kritikos were legal and could not be further discussed other than what was already of knowledge among students.

The questions asked were, our student survey which is a small sample of our student body of 480 students, it shows that only 24% feel safe in the building. We are scared to go down certain staircases because students smoke weed, vape, drink, brandish weapons, deal drugs, and tag graffiti. The bathrooms have school aides outside, but inside the bathroom, there are always students smoking. We have not seen any improvement, instead, the staircases and bathrooms are getting worse. A classmate recently found a used condom in the staircase that they do not have cameras in. These issues have been brought up to you by student leaders last year on numerous occasions and by staff members, and there have not been any preventative measures. What will it take for you to take action? We already know that ambulances have been called for drunk kids and kids who have overdosed. When will you, as head of the school, accept that you have a safety issue in your school? What improvement in school safety have you witnessed after hiring AP Duncan? Jordan Barnett asked if the condom in the staircase was reported to anyone. We informed DOE staff during the meeting on 2/13/2023, when the principal took notes. She did not report it for further investigation, nor did she follow up with students in the meeting. Curriculum was also discussed in this meeting. AP Argyris asked Ms. Barnett if she could provide assistance in finding African curriculum studies for Long Island city high school. After the meeting occurred, we were told that there will be a follow up meeting after two weeks. As student’s representatives we felt like it was urgent that Principal Selenikis apologize for her actions and that we are given a timeline of changes that she will make within the school, as requested in our email to all participants of the meeting on February 18th, 2023. If Principal Selenikas did not meet our demands by Monday February 27, 2023 the protesting would continue.

2/27/2023- Halima Ait Elhoussine and her mother received a notice for a disciplinary meeting scheduled for Wednesday 3/1/2023, the morning of her senior trip.

2/28/2023- Our peers in Journalism were censored in their articles. Their articles were edited by Principal Selenikas.

March 2023

3/1/2023- Disciplinary Meeting was held for Halima Ait Elhoussine with Principal Selenikas, Assistant Principal Natalya Duncan, Secretary Jasmine Johnson, Halima Ait Elhoussine, Iman Berrada Elazizi, Awateef Ibrahim and Public Advocate Dannelly Rodriguez. It was stated by Principal Selenikas that she violated B39 by posting the youtube video, and her actions of leading a walkout on 2/8/2023, and two sit-ins on 2/9/2023 and 2/15/2023. Halima was excluded from ALL extra-curricular activities.

3/2/2023- Students and parents from the first meeting on 2/13/2023 were invited by Assistant Principal Argyris for a meeting with Principal Selenikas.

3/3/2023 - Meeting conducted with Principal Selenikas, students (Alyssa Lester, Nyasia Perez, Jordan Carriel, Troy Thorpe ), Parents, Assistant Principal Argyris, Social Workers (Mr. Linton, Mr. Smart, Ms. Perera). Principal Selenikas presented an agenda to begin a core meeting group. We wanted our questions from the 2/13/2023 meeting answered before any group began. A parent attempted to attend the meeting with Mr. Rodriguez, her advocate. Mr. Rodriguez was prohibited from entering the meeting according to School Safety officers as per Principal Selenikas. During the meeting, Principal Selenikas introduced a new policy stating that students are only able to protest between the hours of 7:15 am and 7:45am. Principal Selenikas further added that students needed to submit a permit to protest for an area near the football field and receive approval.

3/4/2023- Students wrote an email to Principal Selenikas, Jordan Barnett, Chancellor David Banks, Superintendent Hao, and all other participants in the meeting. In the email the students stated their concerns starting a “core working group.” We, the students, noted that we cannot move forward as a group in these meetings. We are not in any position to trust Principal Selenikas due to the libelous remarks that were made at the meeting. Principal Selenikas failed to hear us and continued to reply that the “core working group” meetings will continue.

3/10/2023- Mr. Rodriguez appealed the decision that was made by Principal Selenikas for Halima Ait Elhoussine.

3/17/2023- Mr. Rodriguez forwarded appeal to Superintendent Hoa Tu for Halima Ait Elhoussine.

3/18/2023- We, the students from Long Island City High School sent letter to Chancellor Banks asking for a meeting.

3/21/2023- We held 4th PROTEST outside of Long Island City High School at 1:00PM. Students shared their DEMANDS for Principal Vivian Selenikas in printed paper. During the protest, one of the student activists Halima Ait Elhoussine received a bomb threat. Halima reported the threat to Assistant Principal Of Security AP Duncan and was told to write a statement the next day.

3/22/2023- Social Justice Meeting was invited to meet with Principal Selenikas. Students in Social Justice questioned Principal Vivian Selenikas about her recent actions towards Halima Ait Elhoussine, visibility in the school, dress code, and representation and addressing the biases in the school building. Principal Vivian Selenikas did not accept to meet the student's demands.

3/23/2023- Students from the meeting on 3/22/2023 collectively wrote an e-mail to Principal Vivian Selenikas, Superintendent Tu, and Chancellor Banks notifying the disregard of Principal Selenikas and they no longer wish to participate in meetings.

3/27/2023- Halima Ait Elhoussine received a sorry letter from the student who made a bomb threat towards her, and his parents were notified, that was his only consequence. Halima wrote a letter to Principal Selenikas, Superintedent Tu, and Chancellor Banks notifying the unfair treatment. A student wrote, "burn the witch" on the petition and received a suspension, a student made a threat towards the principal during the protest and was arrested, and Halima received a bomb threat by a student in the school and received a sorry letter. All decisions that were approved by Principal Selenikas.

3/29/2023- Students participated in a co-curricular activity, Womens's History Month Show. The flyer indicated that participants and attendees will receive extra credit. Halima Ait Elhoussine was part of the event and her name was printed in the program. Principal Selenikas refused to allow Halima to participate and asked for the program to be edited. Program was reprinted without Halima's name.

3/31/2023- Superintendent Hoa Tu, and district members visited Long Island City High School and were present until 9th period. They witnessed the conditions of Long Island City High School.

April 2023

4/3/2023- Students attended the first "Breakfast with the Principal". Halima questioned the unfair treatment of her extra-curricular activities curricular activities being taken away.

4/4/2023- Students met with Councilmember to discuss school concerns.

4/5/2023- Student who would like to remain anonymous mentioned that after school when he was about to leave the school building on 3/31/2023 was forcefully searched as requested by Assistant Principal of Security Duncan for a vape pen. Before he was searched excessive force was used to restrain student. Student shad marks on his body from school safety. Parent notified school personnel and asked for follow up.

4/17/2023- Halima addressed the lack of recognition for Arab American History Month and informed the SLT that she was prohibited from participating during Women's History Month. Parents and staff of SLT was also notified about the safety in the school building and the graffiti.

4/26/2023- Another student was forcefully searched by school safety as requested by Assistant Principal of Security Duncan for a vape pen. Student was aggravated because he did not want to be searched and he requested for his mother to be called. Excessive force was used against student and AP Duncan witnessed the incident. School personnel was notified as asked for a follow up by advocate.

May 2023

5/4/2023- Halima received disciplinary conference letter about her AP Lit class teacher. Halima questioned her teacher about inappropriate comments that was said to the class and was disciplined.

5/6/2023- Students went to the People's Forum to seek assistance.

5/8/2023- Students went to City Hall and met with DOE officials.

5/10/2023- Halima was removed from her classroom of AP Literature and prior to removal she was removed for 5 days. She was disciplined twice for B19.

5/12/2023- Students met with an assembly member.

Violations of Principal Selenikas

Principal Selenikas has abused her power particularly in the form of misinforming her students of their rights. Below are several rights entitled to the students of Long Island City High School. Principal Selenikas has violated over the years. In the Second Amendment of the student bills of rights, “The Right to Freedom of Expression and Person”, it states students have the rights to, “determine their own dress within the parameters of the NYCDOE policy on school uniforms and consistent with religious expression, except where such dress is dangerous or interferes with the learning and teaching process;”

This was violated when she dress-coded students and made them change in her bathroom. Females were body shamed because not every female who wore revealing clothes were asked to change, only the students who were curvier. Principal Selenikas led Halima El Houssine through an emotional roller coaster when she told Halima, “look at yourself in the mirror, next time you leave the house.”

In the Second Amendment of the student bill of rights, "The Right to Freedom of Expression and Person, publish school newspapers and school newsletters reflecting the life of the school and expressing student concerns and points of view consistent with responsible journalistic methods and subject to reasonable regulations based on legitimate pedagogical concerns".

Both current students and alumni in journalism have reported ongoing censorship by Principal Selenikas, including editing and cutting off paragraphs from their writing. In particular, censorship was applied to their coverage of protests.

In the Third Amendment of the student bills of rights, “The Right to Due Process”, it states students have the rights to, “be provided with the Discipline Code and rules and regulations of the school;”

Students were not provided the Disciplinary Code until this current school year (2022-2023), meaning within the time she spent as principal, students were not aware of the direct codes, or school rules and regulation they have allegedly violated and the potential consequences of said violation.

In the "Third Amendment of the student bills of rights, The Right to Due Process, Due process of law in instances of disciplinary responses for alleged violations of school regulations for which they may be suspended or removed from class by their teachers; students with disabilities, or who are “presumed to have a disability” have the right to certain protections under IDEA.” The right to due process by law for students includes The Right to be Fully Informed, The Right to Participate and The Right to Challenge."

As far as The Right to be Fully Informed, the principal has shown many times a lack of communication to the parents in the LICH'S community when it comes to safety issues. The Right to Participate includes bringing representatives who have special knowledge regarding a child to meetings and having meetings at times that work for everyone, but mainly cater toward the parent's availability.

In the "Third Amendment of the student bills of rights, The Right to Due Process know the procedures for appealing the actions and decisions of school officials with respect to their rights and responsibilities as set forth in this document.”

When students are suspended, they are not told that they have rights to appeal especially during the principal's suspension.

The Discipline Code, Parents as Partners section states, “School staff should keep parents informed of their child’s behavior and engage parents as partners in addressing areas of concern. Outreach to parents can include, but is not limited to, a phone call, an in person conference, and written communication.”

Parents were not notified about the safety of the building in March, 2022 and December, 2022. In February, 2023 during investigations the student’s parents were not notified about the students being interviewed or coerced to write statements. When the parents found out, and asked to retract the statements, they were notified that they were unable to do so.

The Discipline Code, Student Responsibilities states, “express themselves in speech, writing, and other modes of expression, including electronic expression in a manner which promotes cooperation and does not interfere with the educational process”

In February, 2023 some students who participated in the walk out and sit in protest were questioned. The students who wrote a statement were manipulated to write more and state that the protests will continue.

The NYC Department Of Education Equal Employment Opportunity states, “It is the policy of the DOE to provide equal employment opportunities in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, age, marital status, partnership status, disability, sexual orientation, gender, military status, unemployment status, prior record of arrest or conviction, caregiver status, consumer credit history, predisposing genetic characteristics, sexual and reproductive health decisions, or status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual offenses, or stalking.”

The resignation letters by two black staff members discussed the harsh treatment they faced during their Employment. In June, 2020, Mr. Scott’s letter focused on the discrimination he faced especially during George Floyd’s time. Assistant Principal Bloomfield, February 2023, highlighted the many ways she was targeted by Principal Vivian Selenikas as well as the Assistant Principal’s responsibilities taken away. In the same month, Ms. Kritikos was targeted in retaliation for being outside during a peaceful protest, ensuring the safety of the students.

Banning Halima from the Women's History Month Co-Curricular Activity was against the discipline code because she is a current student who can express herself about her identity.

The NYC Department of Education Parents Bill Of Rights, “Parents have the right to, Be informed on a regular basis, both informally and through formal progress reports, of their child’s academic and behavioral progress in school;Be accompanied by a friend, advisor, or interpreter at hearings, conferences, interviews and other meetings concerning their child, in accordance with established procedures without pre- approval from staff or school administration;”

In February 2023, numerous students were questioned after the protests (walk-out and sit-in) and parents were not notified. Parents received letters stating that their child’s investigation has been unsubstantiated without being told what they were accused for. Principal Selenikas does not communicate with parents to follow up about incidents that have been reported. In March 2023, when a parent lost trust and wanted to bring an advocate, she was told that she cannot bring one in a meeting.

Chancellors Regulation A-421 states, "It is the policy of the Department of Education (“DOE”) to prohibit verbal abuse of students by DOE staff members, custodial workers, vendors, consultants, Community Based Organization (“CBO”) staff and similar individuals on school property, on school trips, and at other school-related functions off school property... Verbal Abuse is defined as language (written or oral) about or directed toward students, that: 1. Belittles, embarrasses or subjects students to ridicule; or Has or would have the effect of unreasonably and substantially interfering with a student’s mental, emotional, or physical well-being"

On 3/13/2023 Principal Selenikas yelled at Halima and said, "HOW DARE YOU? SHAME ME AND BULLY ME" in front of other students, and Jordan Barnett and Superintendent Hoa Tu. While this has not been the first time, she told Halima "look at yourself in the mirror, before you leave the house" when she was dress coded on 5/15/2022. On 3/1/2023 in a disciplinary confernece with Vivian Selenikas she raised her voice at Halima again and stated, "Young lady, you are just a student."