A group of parents who attended Principal Jacqueline McEvoy’s State of the School Address on Sept. 18 prepared the following statement.

Parent Statement for State of School Meeting

Many parents have begun meeting to discuss serious concerns regarding how the Paly administration has handled and continues to handle “Freshman Friday” this year. Our key concerns are:

1. Lack of communication with parents and students prior to and since the event;

2. The process used to question students that participated in Freshman Friday;

3. The consequences, primarily suspensions, that do not seem to be a reasonable response to student behaviors, such as water ballooning and egging; and

4. The way the suspensions have been framed, such as “attempted to, or threatened to, cause bodily harm to another person” when a student was suspended for water-ballooning or egging.

As parents, we recognize the importance of campus safety and that it is important for a school to respond to unacceptable behavior. We also recognize the school’s important role in maintaining discipline and its authority to do so. However, we do not believe that the administration’s approach to handling problems with Freshman Friday this year is conducive to fostering a positive school climate that encourages personal responsibility and concern for peers.

While we realize that all parent concerns may not be addressed, we hope that parents and administration can work together to transform school “traditions” like Freshman Friday into events that maintain a positive spirit and are fun for all students.

We strongly believe that it is important to begin a dialogue between parents and administration. As parents, we want to support Paly and its students (our children) in creating a positive and responsible learning environment for all students.

We have been informed that Dr. McEvoy is interested in and open to meeting with concerned parents. We look forward to scheduling this meeting soon.