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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. From New York Civil Liberties Union. December 13, 2006: New York City is creating a massive video surveillance infrastructure, according to a New York Civil Liberties Union report released today.

The proliferation of video surveillance cameras in the absence of legal or regulatory constraint, the NYCLU said, has profound implications for basic rights and liberties.

The report, “Who’s Watching? Video Camera Surveillance in New York City and the Need for Public Oversight,” documents a sharp increase in the number of video surveillance cameras — both publicly owned and privately owned — on Manhattan streets.


A 1998 study conducted by the NYCLU identified 2,397 video surveillance cameras visible from street level in Manhattan. Today’s report documents the locations of the same number of surveillance cameras in Greenwich Village and Soho alone. It also shows the locations of 292 surveillance cameras in Central Harlem, where cameras literally line 125th Street.

“Cameras are popping up on building facades, storefronts and light poles,” said Donna Lieberman, NYCLU Executive Director. “To the untrained eye these cameras are often hard to see. But their presence has significant implications for the rights of privacy, speech, and association.”

Unregulated video surveillance technology has already led to abuses in New York City, including the Police Department’s creation of visual dossiers on people engaged in lawful street demonstrations and the voyeuristic videotaping of individuals’ private and intimate conduct.

“Public officials have yet to consider the impact of this technology on basic rights and liberties,” said Robert A. Perry, NYCLU Legislative Director.

The report comes as City Council members push to mandate surveillance cameras in bars and night clubs by passing the so-called “Nightlife Safety Initiative,” the MTA moves to install cameras in buses without substantial privacy protections for the riders who will be captured on camera, and the NYCLU itself returns to court to challenge the NYPD’s policy of archiving video images of individuals engaged in lawful public demonstrations.

Philadelphia Police Staff Inspector Thomas J. Nestel, who in 2005 conducted a study of police surveillance policies and practices in the 50 largest cities in the United States, joined the NYCLU at its press conference to comment on video surveillance technology and the need for protections in cities nationwide.

“In order to prevent abuses that could endanger individual liberties, video surveillance systems must possess layers of protection,” Nestel said. “Written guidelines, training, adequate supervision, registration processes, image release policies and legislative penalties for misuse should serve as the minimum standard for operation.”

The NYCLU takes the position that the City Council should not utilize or mandate video surveillance cameras without undertaking a comprehensive analysis that establishes the scope and purpose of video surveillance cameras; procedures for training and supervising personnel who operate or maintain cameras; clear rules and procedures regarding retention, storage and destruction of images; explicit prohibitions of unlawful video surveillance practices; and penalties for violators of those
prohibitions.

Former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields noted: “Despite holding public hearings, many essential questions remain unanswered regarding the regulations, policies, training and clearly defined procedures in the installation and use of video cameras. … [T]he Report’s Recommendations would provide answers to the many questions, as well as establish integrity for implementation of such a program.”

The NYCLU’s report and maps and a special website on video surveillance are available at www.nyclu.org/surveillancecams.

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. December 12, 2006: The Board of Education voted Monday evening to approve the development of a “pilot” dual language Kindergarten program at George Washington School to begin in fall 2007. A successful introduction next year could pave the way for Dual Language Kindergarten classes throughout the White Plains elementary schools in the near future. The program is being piloted because of the great success such programs have had in the New Rochelle and Port Chester School districts, according to Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors.

 

 

A presentation by George Washington School Principal Terri Klem and Newcomer Center Director, Suzanne Lasser, showed how Dual Language programs in New Rochelle in place in that District were responsible for Elementary Hispanic and Black students in New Rochelle scoring 15% more passing grades on the ELA Performance tests in 2004-2005. She also noted how New Rochelle Blacks and Hispanics outperformed their White Plains counterparts head-to-head on the 04-05 ELA Assessments, attributing the difference to the New Rochelle Dual Language instruction in the lower grades. Photos, WPCNR News

 

 

The White Plains Board of Education  voted unanimously  (5-0, with Donna McLauglin not present),  to pilot the program at a cost to the district of $60,000 a year. Principal Klem said that a state grant of up to $300,000 was available to pay for the pilot. The district is hopeful of securing this grant to pay for the pilot program.

 

Suzanne Lasser started the presentation by showing that Black and Hispanic Elementary school students in Two-Way Bilingual Programs between Kindergarten and Sixth Grade perform in the 70 percentile as opposed to Black/Hispanic students receiving traditional “pullout” from class ESL from grades K-6, who score in the 11^th percentile when they reach 12^th grade,  according to An Assessmentof Diverse Children executed by the National Clearing House for Bilingual Education.

 

Students using content-based English Spanish Language instruction in the elementary grades, eventually score in the 22^nd Percentile by 12^th grade;  When Bilingual Education is continued past 6^th grade with ESL Content – percentile scores rise to the 65% percentile (passing), with students receiving “Two-Way Bilingual” in the lower grades scoring in  the 70^th percentile (passing).

 

The New Ro Story.

 

Lasser unfolded a success story that lifted my eyebrows. She showed charts demonstrating the New Rochelle School District progress in 2004-2005 that she said was attributed to New Rochelle installing Dual Language education in Kindergarten in 2001-2002.

 

Before Dual Language, 39% New Rochelle Blacks in the year 2000-2001 recorded passing grades at the 3 level on the ELA Test in 4^th grade, and 18% scored at the “4” Level. In 2004-2005, the first year children exposed to Dual Language were taking the State Assessments in 4^th grade, 50% of the Black students scored at the 3 Level and 28% Scored in the 4 Level.

 

For Hispanic Students, the difference was significant, 51% of Hispanic Students passed without Dual Language instruction, and 7% of them scored at the 4 Level. Hispanic Students exposed to Dual Language instruction, taking the 2004-2005 ELA 4^th Grade Tests saw 53% Pass (achieving the 3 level), but more significantly 28% achieved scores at the 4 level.

 

A byproduct of the Dual Language program in New Rochelle is that it has improved performance of White Students too. A total of  43% the New Ro White Students not receiving Dual language instruction passed in 2000-2001, achieving the “3” level, and 36% achieved the “4” plateau. White students exposed to Dual Language taking the 2004-2005 Test saw 38% pass at the “3” Level, but a whopping 54% achieving “4” Levels. White Students passing went from 79% to 92%!

 

White Plains vs. New Ro — No Contest

 

The most telling chart was the comparison between White Plains 4^th Grade ELA tests with New Rochelle.

 

Lasser showed a chart comparing passing rates of White Plains Plains Blacks (63%)  being 16% below New Rochelle Blacks (79%), with the Hispanic difference less dramatic. New Rochelle Hispanic students taking the 4^th Grade ELA Tests in 2004-2005 saw 78% pass compared to 68% in White Plains.

 

Lasser said the “traditional” ESL Pullout method according to research showed “little academic progress and once mainstreamed, rarely (do they) catch up.” She said “Late Exit Bilingual Education, “English Language Learners outperform students in English-only programs.”

 

She described the advantages of Dual Language Instruction, as “providing language enrichment, students from both language groups outperform students in any other bilingual program and score above the 50^th percentile on standardized tests of English reading by the seventh grade.”

 

The Pilot model at G.W.

 

Ms. Klemm, the George Washington Principal, explained how George Washington wanted to implement the program.

 

Klemm reports the plan is to create two Kindergarten classrooms with two teachers handling a heterogenous group of students. Students, she said, “would travel from room-to-room for instruction in both languages.” Klemm said the Hola Espanol program now in place at G.W. has students writing in Spanish and English in second grade, and showed examples of their work.

 

Terri Klemm, George Washington School Principal last Night at the BOE, awaiting the Board vote.

 

The advantages of the Dual language instruction, Klemm noted these benefits that G.W. has already seen through the Hola Espanol program. She said the students develop first and second languages (English students, Spanish; Spanish-speaking students, English) and they help each other learn. She said the program “promotes bilingualism, biliteracy, and positive cultural attitudes. She described a “Homework buddies” program where English and Spanish-speaking students collaborate on homework and have playdates with each other – which has, she said, the beneficial effect of bring parents of Spanish and English students together.

 

She said both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking students become “enculturated” with the new languages. 

 

Speaking to WPCNR after the meeting, Klemm said New Rochelle has been adding Dual Language classes each year.

 

Concern over the Tab.

 

The Board was impressed with the presentation, and Bill Pollak asked why it had not been done before. (As early as 2002, WPCNR had pointed out to certain Board of Education members, the success Port Chester was having with dual language, bilingual education in the K-6 levels.) Ms. Lasser said the Newcomer Center had to evaluate the programs it had in place. Superintendent of Schools Connors explained that at a recent meeting of school districts to discuss the Achievement Gap, the success of New Rochelle and Port Chester with Dual Language program was highlighted, and the suggestion for the pilot program came out of that meeting.

 

Terry McGuire, Board of Education, and Tim Connors, Superintendent of Schools.

 

Ms. Klemm did not indicate how much it would cost to install Dual Language Programs at all Kindergartens at G.W. – and did not have an estimate on the cost of such programs throughout the district. Terrance McGuire of the Board of Education said that he was concerned that “given all that we want to do (the capital improvements project,” he wandered how the District was going to pay for expanding this pilot should it be successful. Klemm had said earlier that her school had been very careful in hiring and had two teachers in place who were bilingual and could handle the two separate classrooms the conceived pilot requires.  She said the cost to the district, should the grant not be forthcoming would be $60,000.

 

Bill Pollak of the Board asked Ms. Lasser what she would say to those who would say their grandfathers came over to the United States and they did all right learning English. Lasser answered saying studies of the immigrant generation showed that the vast majority stopped their education at the 8th grade level and it was not until the third generation that their grandchildren caught up with the rest of the population in education.