Some Are More Equal Than Others No. 2723

Some Are More Equal Than Others No. 2723

The Cambridge City Council is consistently inconsistent. To cater to 12
whining football players and whining SAT test takers the City Council and its
chairman-mayor seek special consideration from hundreds of Malden citizens and
many Cambridge citizens who are to be inconvenienced. (David Abel, "Test for
Cambridge team will be getting to game," David Abel, Boston Globe, September 26,
2007)
At the same time Councilors tell advocates for disability rights that they
need 35, or 300 persons (The Mayor) in order for the city to enforce laws
regarding equal treatment of persons with disabilities.
Brian Murphy said one parent asked him if the City Council could try to get
the starting time of the football game delayed.
One parent seeking special treatment is a higher priority for Murphy than
the thousands of persons with disabilities who are denied rights and privileges
guaranteed by the US Constitution, the MA constitution, City policies, state
laws and US laws.
This is one more example that in Cambridge as in Animal Farm some people
are more equal than others. Shameless, clueless, lawless and careless pigs have
taken control of the City of Cambridge.

Roy Bercaw, Editor ENOUGH ROOM

Test for Cambridge team will be getting to game
Malden's gala plans vie with SAT exams
By David Abel,
Boston Globe Staff
September 26, 2007

A month into his senior year at Cambridge Rindge & Latin School, Jerard Warren
is being recruited to play football for several universities, including Temple,
Maryland, Hofstra, and Northeastern. The 18-year-old tight end just has to keep
playing well, maintain his grades, and score high enough on the SAT exam.

But next month, he and a dozen of his teammates may be forced to choose between
academics and athletics when the team squares off against Malden High School
just after the SAT exam ends.

Under pressure from city and school officials in Cambridge, Malden has agreed to
delay the Oct. 6 game from noon until 1 p.m. but has refused the 3 p.m. start
time requested by Rindge & Latin.

Warren, who has a learning disability and has been given an additional two hours
to complete the test, doesn't want to miss the game. But he knows he can't rush
the SATs to play football.

"I feel like it's really unfair to put us in this situation," Warren said. "I'm
going to try to take my time, but I want to be there for the team. It's really
stressful. It would be nice if they could make the game later in the day."
Message Board YOUR VIEW: Are Malden officials or Cambridge officials being
unreasonable or unfair?

But officials at Malden High, which is celebrating the school's homecoming and
150th anniversary that day, have told Cambridge officials that they have already
spent too much time and money on the weekend's festivities to start the game any
later than 1 p.m., an hour after the exam is scheduled to end.

"Thousands of hours of work went into planning events, the football game being
one of the keystone events," said Michael Dube, athletic director of Malden
public schools. "Things had been planned, purchased, and scheduled.

"There was plenty of time to communicate this issue," he said. "Had it been
communicated in a timely matter, we could have accommodated them. We have made
the accommodations we're able to make at this point."

He blamed Rindge & Latin for not raising the issue until little more than a week
ago, months after the schools agreed to the time, when Cambridge parents began
realizing the conflict and asking for the game to be rescheduled.

Dube said that Malden planned around the conflict and that most of its players
have either already taken the exam or have registered for another date.

To compromise, Dube said, Malden initially agreed to delay the game until 12:30
p.m.

But Cambridge officials said the delay was insufficient, especially for players
such as Warren, who will be given until 2 p.m. to finish the exam. On Monday,
the Cambridge City Council passed a resolution, by a vote of 8 to 0, calling on
Malden to postpone the game until 3 p.m.

Yesterday, after the mayors of both cities and superintendents of both schools
discussed the conflict, Malden agreed to delay the game until 1 p.m.

Mayor Richard Howard of Malden said he thought the hour delay was a fair
compromise. "We're accommodating them as much as possible while maintaining the
schedule we set a while back," said Howard, explaining that the school has to
fit the game between a buffet, a performance by the school's marching band, and
various homecoming gatherings.

Cambridge officials said an hour delay is barely enough time for the students to
make the trip from Cambridge to Malden.

"If we could get it to 3 p.m., it would make it a lot better for the students,"
said Brian Murphy, the Cambridge city councilor who sponsored the resolution.
"I'm worried they're going to just try to get through the test as quickly as
they can to get to the big game. We should be able to accommodate both."
[...]
David Abel can be reached at dabel@globe.com.