Note: This is an article that appeared in the June issue of the Malibu High School student newspaper, The Current, written by four MHS students. For more coverage about this article, visit here.
For a new kid on the block, first impressions are important. The arrival of Jerry Block from Oak Park High School was, and still is, a big change for all returning students, as most have never had anyone else aside from Dr. Mark Kelly as their principal.
Mr. Block has had an interesting first year as our principal. There have been positive changes as well as challenges that he has had to overcome. And it is the choices he has made that have left students and faculty still contemplating the relationship they have built over this year.
Varied opinions on Mr. Block and his administration have surfaced. Some of the community feel that he has done a great job of running the school his first year. According to WASC, Mr. Block has even been noted as, “a visionary leader.” However, others feel that Mr. Block’s administration has been lacking in communication and is often inconsistent on enforcement of school policies.
Many teachers have encountered selective policy enforcement: several members of faculty have gone to Mr. Block with virtually identical requests pertaining to health and family, only to receive what one anonymous teacher described simply as “different responses.”
Another anonymous source said “[Block] seems to be selective in who he’s reprimanding… He’s selectively started to enforce rules but he has not announced which rules he’s enforcing, and he hasn’t made it clear what, if anything, has changed.” A general lack of clarity and consistency has been one of the most frequent criticisms of Mr. Block by teachers.
Another significant event in Mr. Block’s first year has been the conflict pertaining to AP testing. There has been controversy about forcing students to take a costly test ($90) in order to receive the grade they earned in the class.
According to the Education Code of California, section 49011 (a), “a pupil enrolled in a public school should not be required to pay a pupil fee for participation in an educational activity.” At this school, that means that you cannot legally make a student pay for a test in order to receive a grade. However, this is exactly what the school has been doing, and continued to do this year.
This year, the issue was formally discussed for the first time, and appeared to conclude peacefully with Mr. Block’s approval and an email stating that teachers offer an alternate test to pass the class. This was the first year in which students were not required to take and pay for an AP test, an illegal practice that had been happening for years without being addressed.
However, when it came to the actual enforcement of the new policy, some teachers ignored his position, without repercussion. While Mr. Block said that teachers should not count mock AP tests for a grade, teacher John Cary stated in an email to students that, for those who chose not to take the AP test “The mock exam will count as a grade.” This email was forwarded by teachers to Mr. Block, but when asked about the situation, Mr. Block responded “I don’t know [about Cary’s email]”.
Despite several instances of teachers disregarding the stated AP policy, no evident action has been taken by the administration to remedy these actions. As a result of these inconsistent policies on AP testing, many students were frustrated and confused. Though some had planned on opting out of AP testing, many ultimately took these tests, with some bringing in money the day of the test.
It is an inconsistent policy enforcement such as this that has contributed to strained relations between Mr. Block and certain members of his staff. Out of the seven teachers interviewed, only three would go on record to speak about Mr. Block.
“Everyone’s feeling a little paranoid, let’s put it that way,” said an anonymous teacher.
Some teachers feel that Mr. Block is not listening. Several anonymous teachers have alluded to the fact that when presented with idea, Mr. Block will concede but then fail to follow through.
“He has the language that it’s a democracy… we say various things we want to happen, and then he more or less seems to ignore it,” said another anonymous teacher.
In response to the apparent uneasiness of some of the staff, Mr. Block stated that “we need to talk to each other, not about each other.”
This year, Mr. Block has been confronted with difficult situations. One such situation, which occurred earlier this year, was the replacement of a controversial long-term French substitute.
According to one anonymous French student, the substitute “tried to be an insane disciplinarian but had no disciplinary skills.” The same student went on to say “I don’t think she’s qualified to even be a teacher and was really overwhelmed.”
When this student brought complaints to Mr. Block he responded with what this student described as “Block’s standard remark,” which is, “I need to get back to you on this.” Despite a campaign by students and parents to remove the substitute, Mr. Block remained reluctant to do so. According to an anonymous teacher, Mr. Block “knew there was another option [for a teacher to teach the class] but said there weren’t any other options to parents.”
“He knowingly misled parents,” the teacher said. “He handled that one so unbelievably poorly.”
Some time after this, the entire class witnessed their substitute, starting to collect her things only to be interrupted by Mr. Block, who allegedly told her “I’m going to need you to leave, I thought I made myself very clear this morning.” After this incident, the substitute was replaced.
Although there has been trepidation among faculty, there are those that have gone on the record with nothing but laudatory words for the new principal.
“I think he’s the best principal we’ve had since the school started,” said teacher John Cary. Cary also went on to say that “all the changes [Block] has done for the school have, in general, been good.”
Among the changes instituted this year by Mr. Block, there have been positive aspects. The new Robotics Club has been flourishing under Mr. Block’s guidance, and there is a strong possibility of new courses for the upcoming years.
However, although it is nice to see a school looking great on paper, one thing necessary for a school to run well is a positive relationship between the principal and the students.
Needless to say, Mr. Block has had very big shoes to fill, as a large part of Dr. Kelly’s legacy is that he was a figurehead for active involvement with the student body.
Every morning he was seen greeting students at the school gates and his voice was often heard on the announcements. Everyone knew who he was, and he knew everybody.
It is understandable that a principal’s first year comes with many obstacles. However, many students, especially the senior class, feel that little effort has been made on his part to reach out.
“Maybe ASB has seen him more, but you take the average student and a lot of them don’t even recognize him as an authority figure,” said senior Alexis Hada.
This past year, Mr. Block has been an infrequent presence on campus.
He has occasionally been seen around the school, but he is most often found in his office or the surrounding area.
“I know he’s been in the ‘hallways’… like outside his office, but I think that with any new principal [relations with students] are kind of a secondary thing to come,” said teacher Adam Panish.
Many students have expressed disappointment, especially members of the senior class, that Mr. Block gives the false impression that he knows the student body.
These dissenting students believe the only significant interactions that he has had with the student body have been with the Robotics Club and ASB, as well as select encounters with the senior class regarding graduation requirements.
On the subject of Mr. Block’s efforts to get to know the student body, teacher JuliaCheri Hoos said, “I have not witnessed any.”
However, Mr. Block has acknowledged that with the students “one of [his] goals coming up would be really to have better interactions and more interactions with students.”
The first year as a principal is difficult at any school, especially one as unique as Malibu High. Mr. Block has clearly made his best efforts to get to know the school and make positive changes. Although certain teacher-relations have been tense and there seems to be a lapse in effort to get to know the student body, Mr. Block has shown strong interest in positive reforms for next year and proved an advocate for technology. Mr. Block hopes for nothing but good things for the school, saying “the sky is the limit.”