By Nicole Falco
While the vote was postponed, however, the idea hasn't been scrapped. Instead, the board is asking for additional community input, and plans to discuss the issue further at its April 4 committee meeting. Chief among the reasons for proposing a change - for the past three years, the high schools have hosted their proms on the first Friday in June, though that date is not mandatory - is a concern for students' safety.
The board's idea is that holding the prom the night before graduation would curtail student participation in activities such as underage drinking, since graduates are required to attend a breakfast and rehearsal the morning of graduation. And prom-goers who would normally extend the party with unsupervised weekend getaways to the Hamptons or the Jersey Shore would be unable to do so.
The suggestion was not made based on a specific incident at any of the schools' past proms. According to Dr. Frank Chiachiere, Board of Education president, the board is in "general agreement" that there is a perceived safety concern and a need to be proactive.
"The school district recognizes that it is not responsible for activities, in a legal sense, that occur after prom ends," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marc Bernstein, who later added, "We do everything possible in our roles as leaders to minimize the risks to our kids. We do that in a variety of ways in our schools ... If we were not involved in sponsoring the proms, then I think we could walk away from this totally."
Bernstein also cited educational concerns, including the fact that the many juniors who attend the senior prom have to take the SAT exam, which, historically, is administered the first Saturday in June - the following morning. He added that hosting the prom in mid-June isn't a viable option, since that is when Regents exams are scheduled.
In a survey conducted by Dr. Thomas Troisi, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, the district found that of the two dozen schools in the county that responded, 75 percent host proms the Thursday before graduation, although ceremonies are not necessarily held the following day. Some schools host Sunday-afternoon graduations. The school districts surveyed included West Hempstead, Lynbrook, East Rockaway, Long Beach, Lawrence and Rockville Centre. Each of those districts hosts a prom on that Thursday night.
Students and parents offered numerous reasons why the board should not mandate that the prom be held that night. Some said it is their responsibility to supervise their children, not the board's. "As a parent, it is up to me to impose or enforce [rules]," Janet Morgan said, much to the approval of the 75 or so parents and students in the audience at Memorial Junior High School. "I do it every night and on the weekends without the aid of the superintendent or Board of Education."
At least one board member, Dr. Maria Fletcher, agreed. Prior to hearing public comment, Fletcher said, "I raised three children. I'm all for safety ... [but] what happens after the prom should be the responsibility of the parent. I do not need to raise hundreds of other children."
Another parent, Bonnie Mallonga, said, "If we as parents and the Board of Education are to take a proactive role, we are to teach [our children] how to act responsibly on prom night."
Parents and students alike said that if the prom were held the evening before graduation, which usually takes place at 5 or 5:30 p.m., students would be lethargic rather than excited, and it would be an inconvenience. "Graduation day is a very special day in the lives of students," said Alex Ellinport, president of North's class of 2007. "We'd like to attend the ceremony feeling enthusiastic and energetic."
Ann Coen, a special education teacher at South High and parent of a Central junior, said, "I personally don't want the stress of getting my daughter ready for the prom and graduation on two consecutive nights."
Others, like South juniors Stephanie LaRaque, Amanda Aponte and Carolina Cortes, said that holding the two events so close together would diminish the meaning of each day. And some suggested that the change would encourage the organization of unofficial proms.
"Students who want to will manage to find a way to engage in sex, drugs, alcohol and other risky behaviors," said Central High Student Council President Sarah Weiss, a senior, in a statement read by her father, Richard.
Board members were swayed by parents and students, who also submitted surveys and petitions from each of the three schools that showed that most 10th- and 11th-graders are opposed to a change. Trustee Anthony Iadevaio made the motion to table the vote in order to discuss the points raised that evening. The vote to table was unanimous. Trustees Walter Nesbith III, Andrew Walters and Jeane Greco Jacobs were absent.
Jacobs, who was ill, had suggested re-evaluating the date on which proms are held at the board's February committee meeting, although, according to Bernstein, the prom has been an ongoing topic of discussion among the superintendent and PTSA leaders.
"It's gotten to the point where there is so much excess associated with it that it has become a recipe for disaster," Jacobs, who has two children who would be affected by any change, said later in the week. "In my opinion it is a school-sponsored event ... therefore, I think the school district does have a say in how the prom is arranged.
"Nobody would want to do anything without community input," Jacobs added. "You revisit academic programs, class structure and curriculum - there are always things you revisit."
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
