Bronx Science should be one of the jewels of the NYC school system. It is a shame that Valerie Reidy should still be in a leadership position there. After maligning her math teachers with threats, and denigration, I see that she is now continuing her dismissive, unappreciative, and abusive attitude with the Social Studies department. Assistant principals such as Colchamiro and Jahoda who mistreat their teachers are held in esteem by Reidy. And as this article clearly shows, Reidy is adept at making excuses for the exodus of teachers. She can invent any reason for her failure to retain talented staff outside of the true reason: they hate the environment and would rather teach at a less "elite" school than put up with the lack of respect that has become ingrained in the Bronx Science culture. That is why I was gratified to see you report the comparative statistics with the other specialized high schools in NYC.
When the Bronx Science math department prevailed in their supervisory harassment case, after two years of fighting, it took only two hours for Joel Klein to announce he was disregarding the findings and recommendations of an independent arbitrator. Peter Lamphere, UFT chapter leader was removed from the school and assistant principal Jahoda stayed despite the findings against her treatment of staff.
The Department of Education's tendency to protect the most incompetent, abusive, or corrupt principals at all cost in a number of schools is finally coming to light in the media. The students of NYC deserve better.

The situation at Bronx Science really has detriorated since I entered the school 4 years ago. I, like Mr. Arenella, an earlier commenter, graduated this summer.

When I first came to the school, I presumed that the widespread dislike of Reidy was simply another manifiestation of typical anti-authority adolescent tendencies. However, this was a more than justified reaction to her rather authoritarian management style.

In those 4 years, she enacted a wide range of intensely unpopular policies, ranging from restrictions on entry and exit from the building that were claimed to be security measures (despite declining crime in the area at the time), to ending the old tradition of "freshman friday", specifically the custom of placing stickers on incoming freshmen, because of trumped up, if not completely fabricated, concerns about bullying.

Another major problem with the school is a consistent and persistent attempt by Reidy and other administrators to muzzle criticism of the school in any sphere it can control. The "Science Survey" (the school paper), for example, where I served as an editor last year, has since become little more (and I say this with all due respect to those I knew on the paper) than a fountain of press releases, with even the slightest or most indirect criticism of the school itself scrubbed out by Reidy and the administrator overseeing the english department before publication. Articles that dare criticize school policy often had to be accompanied by another piece for purposes of "balance" that parroted the administrations's take.

An editorial we had planned to do back in June of 2010 (2 school years ago) in response to the arbitrator's ruling on the math department dispute seemed to have been on its way to publication, but after ongoing talks with Reidy she bailed and prohibited the piece from being published, citing vague concerns about the content and tone. The actual article didn't even take sides on the merits of the union's claims (as we knew such a piece would be DOA), it simply called on the principal to make a public comment on the issue to students. However, it seems the mere acknowledgement of the issue in the school's newspaper, despite many of the students having read or at least heard about the case itself through the "Times" and other outlets, was already a bridge too far for the principal.

The ironic thing about all this is that Reidy and (some) of the administrators at the school are relatively personable people. Before these new revalations I was under the impression that Cochamiro was one of the few good adminstrators at the school. Sadly, this has proven not to be the case, and considering the lack of DOE response to these complaints, it will take quite some time before Science will be "worth the trip," as the school once touted in their promotional material, again.

I graduated last summer, don't listen to a word Mrs. Reidy says. It is a toxic environment, the kids know it every time they step into the class room. Teachers seem to be handcuffed by the administration, which is a real shame seeing as that they are some of the most engaging and well versed educators I've ever had. Mrs. Reidy will single handedly push out every teacher that seems to be even a bit out of line with her vision for Bronx Science. You mentioned the tenure issue at the school. I won't mention names but one teacher was given tenure last year, this teacher is notorious for his inappropriate behavior toward female students and is the accused in several parental complaints. This teacher is also known to be a Reidy favorite. This is only one example of such inflammatory issues going on at the school. It seems even more dirty when a much loved teacher like Mr. Sadok was fired after asking for time off to care for his seriously injured son, instead of getting tenure like this shady character. Hopefully, this article will call the issues to light and invoke change in a school that should be one of the proud achievements of New York's educational system.

I taught in the Social Studies Department at Bronx Science for three years, 2007-2010, having gone into teaching in my mid-50’s after a successful career in banking and finance. In my 30+ years of “real world” experiences, I never worked for a person who so abused his/her position and authority as was the case with Principal Reidy. Such people simply do not occupy senior positions – at least not in healthy and robust institutions. Question – how does an elite educational institution retain its status when 45% of its teachers believe the principal does not place the learning needs of it students ahead of other interests, 59% believe the principal is an ineffective manager, and 63% of its teachers do not trust the principal (source – 2010-2011 NYC Dept. of Education Environment Survey Report on Bronx Science – accessible from either the school or DOE website)? Answer – it does not. The larger question is - how can the DOE justify its position of seeking to give principals even more power and authority over supervised teachers when it is apparently incapable of correcting the egregious situation of this principal at Bronx Science, a (if no longer the) prime jewel of the NYC public school system? The details of my particular story can be found in the website associated with the Bronx Science New Principal Scholarship Fund which I established upon my departure from the school. Similar to the young lady whose story is told in the referenced NY Times article, I too continue to support the school and its students but the financial benefits of that support will be withheld until Reidy departs.

Firstly I would like to state that my name is not actually Lori Stone. I am using an alias because I fear for my safety when writing a public comment in regards to our "helpful and well-respected" administration while still attending school.

I am currently a senior in the Bronx High School of Science. I can honestly say that I am one of the "good" students- the ones that always finishes her homework and assignments on time, the ones that never cheat on tests or exams, the ones that participate in class and is almost never late to anything, the ones that balance school work and extracurricular- I am part of a team, several clubs, and I currently have a GPA of above 93 (with many honors and A.P. courses on my transcripts). Basically I view myself as one of the "model" students that does all she is suppose to do, never complains, and follows all the rules.

During my past three years at Science, I have not personally interacted directly with Ms. Reidy. I have interacted with the Assistant Principals a few times in regards to course requests in which I was met with many rude and uninterested Assistant Principals that shooed me away (with an exception of Mr. Colchamiro who was mentioned in this article as being a racist, something that I myself find extremely unbelievable because I actually honestly believe he is a well respected man. I am confused though since I can guess who the black teacher the article mentions is and I doubt she would tell lies). However, what I DO know about Ms. Reidy is that she, like many others have said, is creating a toxic environment at Science for both our teachers and my fellow students.

During my freshman year (2008-2009) I entered the school and believed that my upperclassmen were just those typical teenagers that refused to listen to authority, as someone has mentioned in a comment prior to my own. I thought they were silly and wasting their time complaining about the Ms. Reidy, who gave a really good first impression during Freshman Orientation, and the first few days of classes. Some of these upperclassmen were the ones who participated in the famous 2005 protests and the even more infamous 2008 student walk outs.

Going through the first half of my year not really caring about the "tensions" that were present between the administration and my upperclassmen, I got to know one of the math teachers at Science during my freshman year- I'll call her Ms. A to keep her name anonymous but I'm sure students who were in Science during that year will figure out who I am talking about. Ms. A was a great teacher- she was inspiring, she taught at a well pace, she always listened to you whenever you had a problem (both math questions and personal issues), and most of all, she always tried her best at her job. Everyone loved her, and no one expected Ms. A to suddenly leave half way through the year.

I remember walking down the math department that day and seeing her cry. She was bawling her eyes out and as a student, it broke my heart. It was like seeing your parents cry in front of you for the very first time when you were younger, when the "superman" or "wonder woman" of your life show that they have a weak side and even great heroes can be defeated. I couldn't get in a word with her, but before I knew it, she was out of the school before anyone could say anything to stop her.

The incident with Ms. A was the first of many more to come. Teachers being forced out of the school based on their grievance of the unhealthy environment / forced out because the administration had an issue with them- someone mentioned the Harry Potter similarities of when Umbridge was in charge of Hogwarts: Ms. Reidy is like Umbridge of Science. From a wikia: "Eventually, Trelawney was dismissed by Umbridge, who, in her great dislike for Trelawney, almost threw her bodily from the castle, ignoring the fact that Trelawney was in paroxysms of grief over her dismissal." Yes, as silly as this sounds, you can think of Science under Ms. Reidy like Hogwarts under Umbridge, and that there has been many cases of "Sybils [Trelawney]" during my past three years of Science.

You KNOW something HAS to be wrong when the students, the faculty and teachers, and the alumni association are ALL complaining (as in, many members from each group I listed). Rumours are rumours yes, but when so many students have been forced out by administrations for ridiculous reason (EX: A classmate in my year went to Korea for winter break during my Junior Year. He couldn't come back to school in time because of issues with Customs, and when he came back which was about a month after school has presided, the administration forced him to transfer out instead of trying to help him solve his issue. Basically, if someone from the administration does not want you in the school, he or she will do ANYTHING to get you out and keep you out), teachers have been brought to tears, some PUBLICLY HUMILIATED WHILE TEACHING A CLASS, well respected teachers showing dismay about Ms. Reidy whenever Ms. Reidy is mentioned in class discussions (EX: mentioning school policies in social studies classes in comparability to national policies), and alumni have been refusing to pay their dues (Ms. Sarah Hofer, amen sister! I know that I am going to do this when I join the alumni society), you know something is OBVIOUSLY wrong.

My belief that my upperclassmen back in '08 were exaggerating the problems and creating drama due to their refusal to obey authority was proven wrong as the years I spent at Science increased. You will notice a pattern: a student speaks out about an issue privately (via Emial), they are ignored. A student speaks out publicly (or attempts to speak out publicly), they are silenced by the administration (ALL student publications are reviewed by Reidy- the yearbook, the newspaper, etc. and if she finds something she doesn't like, it will be removed). A teacher speaks out or does something that is not part of Reidy's vision of Bronx Science, and the next thing you know, he or she is getting sacked (or a version of it).

You will realize that Bronx Science is not the place it used to be- current students, I hope you can try your best to have the greatest high school experience and graduate with with as minimum problems as you can but I GUARANTEE YOU that if things stay like how they are now, you will not leave this school without personally being belittled or disrespected by the administration. I GUARANTEE YOU that you will not graduate without seeing one of our beloved and respected teachers cry their eyes out and eventually, leave. I GUARANTEE YOU that you will realize how the environment of one of America's most prestige high schools has been reduced to utter trash for the students and teachers that must learn and work in this living hell.

article doesnt mention how peter lamphere (one of the best teachers i have met in my entire life) left the school while jahoda is still there still creating problems within the math dept.

I taught for a year in the English Department at Bronx Science. Surely the most dispiriting experience of my professional life. I loved my students, they were great. My coworkers were smart and hardworking. But I have never met anyone as cruel and petty as Principal Valerie Reidy, from whom I had to endure threats, intimidation, and ultimately denial of tenure and the end of my public school teaching career in New York City. "Toxic" is indeed a totally apt word to describe the work environment she has created at the school. I was warned soon before I was hired that there was something wrong at the school--why would a school as respected as Bronx Science only hire untenured teachers, many of them inexperienced Teaching Fellows? So many smart and talented teachers left the school during the very short time I was there. New teachers, my advice to you: if you value your career, don't work for Valerie Reidy.

Jim Litsas noted that he was impressed with the speech Principal Reidy made at a parent-teacher meeting. But why was she at a parent-teacher meeting? I asked this question back in 2005 during my No Quack campaign when Ms. Reidy was using calling herself "Dr." (Mike Tyson, the fighter, has an honorary doctorate, also, but does not presume to call himself "Dr. Tyson.") How can parents and teachers have a meaningful dialog if Ms. Reidy is always there to intimidate. Parents told me that they did not want to jeopardize any advantage that Bronx Science might give their child by antagonizing Ms. Reidy.

Ms. Reidy got her job after the previous principal, who was well respected, had his career put in limbo by then Chancellor Levy, a Bronx Science grad, who decided that the school should have a Nobel Prize winner as principal. When the search came up dry, and the principal in limbo walked, Ms. Reidy, an assistant principal of science and biology teacher, was chosen. Her education credentials are ordinary at best and her charisma is nil, but what she does excel at, besides reasonably good fiscal management, is vindictiveness towards anyone who crosses her.

Somehow I crossed her, though I still do not know how. I had 30 years of college experience as a research chemistry professor and several excellent years at Bronx Science before my fall from grace. After a summer during which I mentored new teachers for the DOE, I began a new semester in which every observation, each of the unannounced "gotcha" variety, was unsatisfactory. The written critiques, probably written by the assistant principal, were nonsensical and educationally ignorant. (A chemistry or physics teacher cannot start the scientific method with "state the problem" because chemistry students, unlike biology students, do not know enough chemistry or physics to know they have a problem, unlike biology students who have 15 years of life experience when they walk into a biology classroom.) And all lessons had to be of the "developmental" variety during which the "aim" of the lesson is elicited from the students after a demonstration. Teachers could not announce the topic of a lesson beforehand, or suggest textbook readings or homework. Ms. Reidy claimed such assignments would destroy the "wow factor." One day I was challenged by Ms. Reidy regarding giving prior knowledge after a good student used the 25¢ word "equilibrium" in her discussion during class.

Despite the fact I had an excellent job elsewhere I returned to face the DOE hearing brought about by Mr. Reidy's unsatisfactory yearly evaluation of my work. I had three heroic witnesses appear on my behalf, one of which was still teaching at Bronx Science. Mr. Reidy, testifying by speakerphone from the comfort of her office, misspoke many times in that hearing, a hearing in which the deck is always stacked against an untenured teacher. The committee never asked her how I could be perfectly competent for two years (and 30+ years prior), then a miserable failure the next. The DOE has a battery of lawyers whose job is to assist principals in building cases against unwanted faculty. In my case Ms. Reidy's superiors back-dated letters and ignored evidence in accepting her evaluation. Ms. Reidy has absolute power and she wields it absolutely. As she once told me, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way but I will win." At least she doesn't call herself "Dr." anymore! However, I cannot ever teach for the DOE again in any capacity, even as a substitute.

Bronx Science Alumni wring their hands over the possibility that Ms. Reidy's successor might be a graduate of Bloomberg's ineffectual "Leadership Academy." That is a very real concern, given the quality of recent principal appointments in the northwest Bronx, but it is no excuse for allowing Ms. Reidy to drive experienced teachers out of Bronx Science to replace them with cheaper, more compliant novices, bringing them to tears in the process. Unnecessary roughness. Penalty.

I will end by recalling a day at Bronx Science during which Neil deGrasse Tyson of Hayden Planetarium and PBS Nova fame, and a Bronx Science graduate, returned to the school for a visit. His grace and demeanor with students that day made me daydream about what might have been had he, and not Ms. Reidy, been appointed as principal in 2001, before the Reign of Terror. A crazy idea, perhaps, but was it any crazier than the quest for a Nobel Prize winner?

It’s hard to reconcile this portrayal of the principal with the woman who spoke at the PA meeting earlier this week. As a parent, I can say she leads a well-managed school which, despite a student body of 3000 kids, truly has a small-school feel with a real sense of community. There’s a constant effort to engage students and enhance their total high school experience, both academically as well as socially. Things run smoothly and if there’s a problem, you feel it will be quickly resolved. The principal and her deputies convey passion for their students and education. I get the sense that every decision is made with the students’ best interests at heart.
Schools are successful when the administration holds itself, faculty and students to high standards. Unpopularity may come with the territory. As a parent, it’s hard to know how teachers are treated but one hopes they’re treated with the respect and appreciation they deserve because most of them are terrific. For my family, our experience at Bronx Science outshines that other school downtown and yes, it IS worth the trip.

The following article appears in the current edition (Fall 2011)of The Bronx High School of Science Alumni News (page 14):

State of the School Address Pinpoints Academic Achievements

The 2010/2011 school year was a stellar one for Bronx Science. Despite looming citywide budget cuts in education, Principal Valerie Reidy, Assistant Principal Phoebe Cooper, the rest of the administrative staff, teachers, and of course, the great students at the school had much to celebrate and be proud of during the past year.

Principal Reidy took the time to share the impressive accomplishments and future goals for the Bronx Science in a State of the School address at the annual Alumni Association meeting at the school in June. “Our kids, who have some of the best young minds in the city and across this nation, continue to amaze me,” Ms. Reidy says. “They rise to the challenge of anything presented before them, want to learn, and always perform well beyond what is expected of them. By working together with our great staff, we have all achieved so much this year and will continue to do so in the future.”

Principal Reidy and her staff implemented several new learning and teaching techniques this school year that have led to much success. This included expanding the number of Post-AP (college 201 level) classes, improving the students’ skills in non-fiction reading by incorporating a cross-curriculum approach, having the students write four full inquiry-bad lab reports emphasizing clear, scholarly writing, and boosting the mastery rate on the physics and chemistry regents exams. The school has also instituted a new pilot Freshman writing course.

The students’ successes included 8 Intel semi-finalists, 28 finalists and five winners of the NYC Science and Engineering Fair, and two Junior Science and Humanities Symposium winners. In addition, the school’s celebrated girls’ robotics team, the Iron Maidens, won an Entrepreneurship award. But it’s not just about science and math at Bronx Science. We have extraordinarily well-rounded students. The always stellar Debate team was the national champion. The students themselves put together two wonderful school plays, Inherit the Wind, and West Side Story. Principal Reidy is particularly proud of all her “scholar athletes” who propelled the many sports teams to dozens of city and regional championships.

The Guidance Department’s college process was improved to increase parent involvement and facilitate communication with the department, the students and the colleges. In the ongoing effort to continue to raise the achievement profile of our students, making them more desirable to the top colleges, Bronx Science now includes advanced placement classes in its graduation requirements. The college application process can be costly. Through special funding and gifts from the Alumni Association and Parents’ Association, the following can now be offered to needy students: SAT review courses, free PSAT tests for 10th and 11th graders, college trips, college nights, and access to a college consultant. Generous alumni also provide over $135,000 in college scholarships.

In addition to all these college-oriented initiatives, there were great strides made in the area of technology and infrastructure. These included: the addition of new chemistry and biology labs and the deployment of technology to increase teacher productivity and improve communication between the teachers, administrations, students and parents.

There still are many challenges ahead for the coming year but the overall goal remains: To provide our students with the best education possible by offering all the benefits (course selections, diversity, support, college opportunities) of a large school with the personalized approach of a small school environment. Ms. Reidy notes that, “with new budget cuts coming down the pike, reaching our goals will take much more of an effort, but through the help of our wonderful parents and caring alumni we know that it is achievable.”

I have to agree with what everyone has said already. If teachers are leaving, reports of harassment and discrimination continue, there is something there to investigate. Even rumors are based on some truth. I do not understand how Joel Klein decides to simply disregard findings from an independent investigator. What has Reidy done to bring all these people to the dark side?

This kind of reminds me of the Harry Potter series when Dolores Umbridge takes over Hogwarts. I'm not joking around. This is a serious matter and very many great educators have left our school. Students and teachers both say it is a toxic environment. Why won't anyone listen to the students and teachers? It is still a school. Please don't treat it like it's a business.

How many years must students and teachers alike fight to overturn the tyranny and persecution that is Reidy?

Ms. Philips,

Sloppy writing, failing Journalism 101. Not even one opposing viewpoint (outside of Ms. Reidy's response to the hard to believe claim against Mr. Colchamero) to the case you're making?

Should tenure be automatic or should teachers be put through their paces to see if they deserve what amounts to a lifetime position teaching children? Would you not agree that there are countless teachers that can't be removed from positions they're not qualified for due to the strict union contract? Might Ms. Reidy's demands of teacher excellence prior to granting tenure perhaps be a quality instead of a fault? Did you explore that possibility? Could it raise the ire of some UFT members?

Did you confirm your numbers of teacher turnover at Bronx Science? Compare it historically? Compare to city-wide averages? Could turnover sometimes be a good thing if it cleanses the school of teachers who might not be living up to high standards?

I have a child at Bronx Science. I can assure you that Ms. Reidy is a tough and focused principal. She's not warm and fuzzy, but she runs a large highly respected school with budget shortcomings as well as I could hope for. I'm sure she's had issues with some of the teachers, students, and parents. She has little tolerance for bad behavior on any front, especially if it has negative impact on education. At the same time, those that work hard and try their best get fantastic support.

She has expressed a desire to create a consistency in how the same class is graded between different teachers: this is so students play on a level field not dependent on the chance of getting one teacher or another. Might that tighten some of the methodological freedom some teachers have had? Probably. Should a 95% received by one child represent the same quality of work as a 95% received by another? Sure. They also study statistics that can accurately track the success of failures of teachers.

I know many teachers who are thrilled to be working at Bronx Science, as well as a number of alumni with nothing but good feelings about where the school is now. Could you not find one to quote? Did you have them and decide not to include because they might soften the drama of your piece? I can tell you that Bronx Science has an amazing feeling of community for such a large school, let alone one with so many families from wildly different cultures. Will every student, parent, and teacher be happy? Seems impossible to me.

I'm from a family of journalists. One worked at the New York Times as a respected editor for decades. The Times, at one time, used to tell the whole story, presenting all sides, instead of putting forth what is at best a one-sided piece of drama that should be better left for the Murdoch's Post. I'm saddened that you turned this in, and equally saddened that your editor didn't correct the deficiencies. In the future please try to explore multiple sides of your subjects and to present opposing opinions in your future work: it might not stir water-cooler chat as much, but it is a big part of what journalism is meant to be. Also fact check and don't cherry pick stats to bolster your thesis. We should get better from the Times.

To The Editor:
Re: “At Prestigious Bronx School…” (column, Sept. 16):
Those opposed to “life tenure” can’t have it both ways. Many have complained that tenure is granted too easily and, once granted, it is next to impossible to remove an incompetent teacher.
Now we are faced with a principal who says, “Not in my school!” One who will not tolerate teachers who walk into a classroom unprepared, ill informed, or simply do not have the training or skill to communicate subject content.
I have known teachers who believed that they could teach a lesson to their students simply by talking about the subject: no motivation, no development, no Socratic method of questioning and eliciting answers.
Rather than finding fault with Ms. Reidy, the PA, those on the faculty who are doing their job and, above all, the Department of Education should be thankful that they have an administrator who knows what should be happening in a classroom and will accept nothing less.
Michael Krutoy


Queens, N.Y., Sept. 17, 2011
I taught a variety of biology classes at Bronx Science from 1983-1998.

I have never been to Bronx Highschool of Science and do not know anyone there today, but think it might be instructive to share the following personal story -- in 1969 I left a decent California Highschool to start my first year at UCSD, in Revelle College. At that time it was a new University, and was organizing itself along a model which might be described as a "public CalTech" (an experiment which was not entirely successful and which couldn't scale to the size of UCSD today in any event). I knew I was one of the smartest kids at my graduating class, deeply interested in science, and well-prepared ... I thought.

In the first few weeks at UCSD I had that experience so common to good students in highschool: I found out to my horror that suddenly everyone around me was smart ... worse yet a surprisingly large fraction of the students came from two highschools: Bronx HS of Sci ... and a Pasadena equivalent associated with CalTech. These kids were astoundingly well prepared, and far more disciplined and mature as students. I struggled in the competition against them, particularly so my first year. One of them became my informal tutor immediately ... and as an entering freshman in College was, in my professional estimation now (as tenured faculty in geophysics and physics at a SUNY University), better prepared in math than most entering graduate students we have today.

He was a truly exceptional young man, and has gone on to a good career in science (better than mine) ... but an overwhelming fraction of the students from those two schools have gone on to do very well.

My point about this is that at Universities today, teaching by "guided learning" is not anything like an enforced standard, and if there is any population of students for whom it might be a good experience to be taught by "university professors" or "university professor types" ... I would think it would be the students of high schools of this kind ... at least for the upper classes.

I graduated in June of 2011, and while my overall experience at Bronx Science was positive, Principal Reidy's actions as head of Bronx Science have definitely had an adverse effect on the school. When I came to Science in 2007, I didn't understand what all the controversy about Principal Reidy was. Everyone seemed to hate her, but I couldn't see any valid reasons why. Over my four years at the school, I came to understand and agree with the negative perception of Principal Reidy. Many of my teachers, even the best and most qualified ones, seemed to be scared of her and what she would do to them if they made one mis-step. I had one teacher, who has been at Bronx Science for over 15 years, who was afraid to take a day off when he was feeling sick because he believed it might get him in trouble with Reidy. I also saw many good teachers quit, get fired, or retire early, and this made me realize the harm that the administration was doing. I should also mention that during my time at Bronx Science I experienced a startling lack of enrichment activities such as fun projects and field trips, and I know that Reidy contributed to this (two of my teachers cited her as the reason why we couldn't watch films related to what we were studying in class).
From what I can tell, the primary impetus behind Principal Reidy's authoritarian style of administration is her misguided desire to have every teacher at Bronx Science use the "guided discovery" method of teaching. While I have no doubt that Reidy is an excellent teacher and scientist (these are the qualities that led to her being appointed as the school's principal in the first place), her attempt to force her own method of teaching on all the teachers at Bronx Science has been extremely deleterious. What she doesn't seem to understand is that every teacher has his or her own style of teaching and it is counter-productive to force all of them to conform to her way of doing things. In addition, the way her administration has gone about trying to instate this uniformity (denial of tenure, public humiliation, censorship, etc.) has created a truly toxic environment and has led to the departure of many excellent teachers, widespread hate of Reidy, and an overall deterioration of the school.
Bronx Science remains excellent, but it is getting worse and worse. Historically, it has always had great students and great teachers. Now, because many of the great teachers are leaving in flocks due to Reidy's abusive actions, the main factor contributing to the school's greatness are the students. Reidy and her corrosive style of management must be dispelled from the school before great students stop coming to Bronx Science and it becomes a shadow of the great school it once was.

I graduated in Bronx Science in the class of '92. Bronx Science was an amazing school back then, and I feel it gave me an academic advantage for life. I had some truly great teachers--many of whom had real-world experience, and chose to forgo higher paying jobs for the privilege and pleasure of teaching at Bronx Science.

Bronx Science has always had brilliant students--and as a former member of the nationally recognized debate team, I am sure that the successes of the debate team have nothing to do with Ms. Reidy. Bronx Science' debate team has a long history of great achievement.

It saddens me to see teachers leaving in droves, forced to comply with standardized methods of teaching. The magic of Bronx Science had everything to do with the individuality of the teachers. When an entire departments leaves, there must be a problem.

I do not have any personal experience with Ms. Reidy--and I am thankful for that, from what I have read. I rarely follow the Alumni news--and in this case, "no news is good news." I was inspired to publicly comment here because it angered me to witness so much suffering amongst former teachers and students in the articles I have read.

What a shame for such a beautiful school to have such a toxic environment.

I am happy to see this controversy coming to light so publicly. It is only a matter of time before change comes again.

"Sarah Hofer, who graduated in 2005, said she once planned to return to Bronx Science as a math teacher, but abandoned that idea when she saw former teachers she admired head for the door."

Ditto, as a World Language teacher. Instead, I have been teaching in NJ even though for three years I lived in Riverdale.

My friends, this is happening everywhere in the Educational System. There are many changes that need to be made and I completely agree that cleaning up Bronx High School of Science would be a good start. Just make sure that if your goals are reached with this one school, you continue to march towards a future where progress of our planet and knowledge of the universe are more important than having our children's creativity, spirituality, and curiosity castrated by a system that is made for teaching and learning around the concept of failing.

It is sad to see a school with a prestigious name and history behind it deteriorating at an exponential rate. I am a 2009 Graduate with a history of going back to my roots on a regular basis to pay my dues and help how I can, whether it be in the form of volunteer work or donations fo some sort. Bronx Science (what us students and faculty call it because Bronx High School of Science is so long) however is one place I have not returned to since graduation, with no plans to do so in the near future.

In addition to faculty being treated poorly (Mr. Sadok was a favorite teacher of mine who helped me even after I graduated. His disheartening situation is mentioned above.), students are treated like nothing more than numbers and money bags. Our scores help earn funding for the school. Our sports teams are among the top competitors in a lot of the sports provided. Yet we are not treated with respect nor dignity. Many of my peers did not get to graduate with me because they were convinced to transfer schools because of low grades or attendance. I was victim to these attempts at cohersion as well. The student body is subjected to a detention policy that is outrageous, whc left many of us serving dozens, in some cases hundreds, of detentions for minor offenses. These detentions take years to serve in many cases because of a policy that limits how many you can serve per week, and doubles un-served detentions every year. That is not to mention that an offense such as cutting a 45 minute class gets a student a near 2 hour detention. In the majority of cases students become banned from being able to participate in clubs and teams because having 3 detentions causes a loss of privileges, and sometimes even one detention may cause a loss of privileges depending on the extracurricular activity in question. This holds students back from expanding their resumes and spicing up their college applications.

In addition, class sizes continue growing, resources are lessening, and the teaching staff was becoming less and less experienced, with some teacher's closer in age to us than was comfortable. I did not even have a seat in one of my classes and had to sit on a window sill because of lack of seating and a sight problem that would make it difficult for me to sit in the one available seat in the back of class. Definitely not expected from a specialized high school.

I cringe every time I hear a parent say their child will be attending Bronx Science next year. I sadden every time a college professor, colleague, or supervisor smiles when I mention being a Bronx Science alumni, praising it for it history as a school of talented and gifted young adults. I let them know how I feel. I feel cheated of an experience that warrants that praise. I truly hope it changes for the future students.

Bronx Science is a great school and always will be as long as there are good teachers there for the students. If teachers keep leaving each year because of Valerie Reidy, then there is obviously a consistent problem with her managerial and administrative capabilities. She should leave and stop hurting good teachers who are nothing short of good because all they do is help kids. Bronx Science is the place where my life changed and I'm sure I wasn't the only student who went to Bronx Science and learned more about life than just numbers and history. Something is wrong in Bronx Science if teachers are leaving and if changing the teachers hasn't made the school a better place, then by all means, change the principal. She needs to leave.

As a parent I would like to point out the consequences of teachers leaving for those who stay--the students. Mrs. Reidy says she feels very good about the people she's hired. Well, I don't. She only hires young inexperienced untenured teachers, who, no matter how well intentioned, are still learning how to do their jobs. Rather than have a seasoned teacher, my daughter had an inexperienced teacher who didn't know how to prepare her properly for the Regents. When it came time for college letters of recommendation her teachers were writing them for other students at Stuyvesant High School where they are now working. Maybe Stuyvesant is the better school after all--they know the value of a good teacher.

"...once granted, it is next to impossible to remove an incompetent teacher."

Absolutely incorrect. Two years of U (unsatisfactory) ratings are all it takes to take the tenure away from any teacher. One year of U ratingsis all it takes for an untenured teacher.

It is not too difficult on line to find an article in the Stuyvesant students paper about Rosemarie Jahoda that relates her suggestion on an LGBT Day of Silence, in which kids take an oath of silence, and carry cards saying so, to her class that they try to get the silent kids to talk. At least the Stuyvesant paper is not edited by the principal like the Bronx Science "student" paper that is censored by Ms. Reidy. The truth is in short supply at Bronx Science.

Truly a shame that a fine institution such as Bronx Science must be paraded through the paper like this. Unfortunately "where there's smoke there's fire" adage is usually true. I had a great experience at BS. But of course that was quite a while ago. Class of '66. (That's 1966 for you wiseguys out there)

In my experience as a teacher, I was always disappointed that NYC BOE offered so little incentive for teachers to continue their academic studies, esp toward a doctorate. Hey, if I had received an honorary doctorate from anywhere, I wouldn't have hesitated to call myself "Dr.ICLE" Dr.Drake should not have used that as an excuse to call Dr.Reidy a Quack. Somehow, it fits his name more appropriately, right?

I will be a freshman at Bronx Science this September and I still have a choice to pick my normal school offer over Bronx Science. After finding out about this news, I am a bit hesitant to write Bronx Science down as my high school. If the good teachers are mostly gone, then there wouldn't be a reason to attend that school or would it?