Students press Princeton board on curriculum, grading, bike safety and graduation sashes

Students and community members used the board’s public‑comment period on May 9 to press for changes ranging from classroom practice to street safety and graduation policy.

A Princeton High sophomore, Eva, delivered an extended critique of the high school’s English and math programs. She said the current freshman/sophomore English offering is a single universal course with very few assigned titles — “a grand total of four books” in freshman year and three in sophomore year, she said — and limited essay writing ("less than 4 essays per year"). She argued that fewer texts and fewer writing assignments limit opportunities to develop critical thinking and writing skills. On math evaluation, she said the district’s weight (reported in the comment as 85% tests / 15% homework) favors students who test well and can incentivize cheating; she proposed a higher participation/homework weight (she suggested 75/25 or 80/20).

Members of a Girl Scout troop (troop 72146) described work on an 'inside government' badge and urged bike‑safety practices during May Bike Safety Month: helmets, hand signals, reflectors and riding on the right. Fourth‑grader Neli described daily crossings of Harrison Street and asked the board to support a crossing guard near a light; the chair and administration said crossing‑guard deployment is the municipal police/council responsibility and encouraged families to raise the issue at the town council.

Seniors Malia Triomanoy and Rena Garcia told the board they had been informed by their principal that embroidered sashes bearing club names or flags would not be permitted at graduation; they asked the board to reconsider, saying sashes allow students to represent cultural identity and club work. Administration acknowledged a principal concern about the proliferation of cords and decorative garments and said the issue would be discussed when the principal returns.

Board response and next steps: Board members thanked students for civic engagement, said administrators would continue conversations with staff and families, and advised students and families to bring traffic‑safety requests to the municipal council when appropriate. The board committed to follow up on the graduation‑regalia question with school leadership.

Why it matters: Student testimony raised instructional and equity questions (curriculum breadth and grading practices), as well as safety and cultural‑recognition concerns that could result in policy clarifications or intergovernmental requests for crossing guards.