THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SIGNED OUR PREVIOUS PETITION WITH 720 SIGNATURES AND WE WOULD BE THANKFUL IF YOU CAN SIGN OUR NEW ONE. 

VIEW OUR OPEN LETTER FOR DETAILED INFORMATION. 

The school community of Long Island City High School is concerned about the leadership of Vivian Selenikas in our school. There have been numerous allegations of racism from former staff, and we are questioning our safety and school culture inside the school. In February 2023, there were three protests (walkout on 2/8/2023, sit-in on 2/9/2023, and 2/15/2023. There has been a meeting with Vivian Selenikas (principal), Dr. Hoa (Superintendent), students, and parents on 2/13/2023 to discuss our concerns. Vivian did not directly answer the questions, and students were promised answers on 2/17/2023. Once again, Vivian Selenikas failed to answer the questions directly. Letters were mailed from students (2/4/2023, 2/15/2023) to Superintendent Tu and Chancellor David Banks. 

Following the peaceful protests, students were questioned by Deans and the AP of Security as directed by Vivian. Vivian stated that we get permission to protest from the administrative staff. According to Vivian Selenikas, protesting can occur between 7:15am to 7:45am. As students of the NYC Department of Education, we do not NEED permission to protest in your time. It is our right. In response to our peaceful protests, Vivian has abused her power and retaliated in several ways to staff and students. 

Students emailed all participants of the meeting and the chancellor their demands and gave Vivian Selenikas until 2/27/2023 to respond to the requests. Other than meeting the students halfway, she targeted one student and excluded her from extra-curricular activities by having a disciplinary meeting. She is using her power to silence students' voices, which is illegal. 

We created a student survey, and we received feedback from a small sample size of 480 students. Only 8.7% of those 480 students feel that the school is culturally responsive, 88% of the students feel that the principal needs to be more visible, and only 24% feel safe. Vivian Selenikas has not addressed any of our concerns since our protest. The staff and herself participated in numerous implicit bias training and professional development by students about microaggressions. She continues in the same manner and does not address staff when that does occur. The hallways and staircases continue to have hall walkers, and no interventions exist. As students, we are scared because students are smoking, dealing drugs, sharing weapons, having sex, etc in the staircases without cameras. As the principal of the school, she is not visible anywhere. Kids do not know who she is and can't even describe her. We had an Equity and Access committee that would celebrate all holidays and cultures, which fell apart when AP Bloomfield was removed from her position to lead it. There were events that we looked forward to celebrating but no longer had.

LONG ISLAND CITY HIGH SCHOOL NEEDS CHANGE! We are disgusted by great staff members like the Assistant Principal of English Bloomfield and Mr. Scott resigned because of Principal Selenikas. No one should face racism, discrimination, marginalization, and segregation in Long Island City High School. The open letter below describes everything that has transpired in Long Island City High School. 

Students feel unsafe knowing who they can confide in for any issue. Adults should not fear for safety or deal with racism from adults and witness teachers quit. Vivian Selenikas is self-indulged, delusional, and racist due to her failure to hold herself accountable and self-reflect. 

OUR DEMANDS ARE:

• 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 you would want?”:

• Representation 
• Visibility of leadership 
• Effective and positive school culture 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.