EDMONTON – A student at Ross Sheppard High School has started a petition to reinstate suspended teacher Lynden Dorval and toss out the no-zero policy that started a storm of controversy in Edmonton’s public schools.
Jacob Garber, 17, began circulating a petition among the students at his school Friday. So far, he’s collected about 40 signatures, though he plans to get more this week.
The Grade 11 student doesn’t know Dorval personally, but believes the no-zero policy doesn’t benefit any of his peers. Garber had the highest overall average in his grade at Ross Sheppard last year.
“For about a week, everyone knew about Mr. Dorval’s suspension. I wanted to help,” he said. “And (the no-zero policy) gives those who do not want to do their work a way out. It is unfair to those who hand in their work on time.”
Avoiding a zero-grade for students who don’t complete their assignments is the practice in most Edmonton public high schools. Teachers are expected to encourage their students to hand in the work. If that fails, they must enter a behaviour code, such as “not completed,” instead of a grade.
That practice was fiercely criticized when Dorval, a physics and science teacher, was suspended indefinitely last month for defying the policy by handing out zeros.
Dorval said he was glad for Garber’s support and has received several messages of encouragement from former students, colleagues and school principals. Many of his former pupils have denounced the no-zero policy, he said.
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“Students don’t approve,” Dorval said. “A lot of better students say they’re not happy that other students get the same marks.”
Garber said he hasn’t found the no-zero approach to be of any help in his classroom either. In his career and life management class, several of the students haven’t handed in any assignments to take advantage of the policy.
“The teacher’s trying to get them to do work,” Garber said. “The work’s really easy … but she’s constantly nagging.”
Garber believes that students should speak to their teachers if they need more time to finish their work.
He said the school board’s rationale for the no-zero policy is that it gives students a second chance if they’re sick or if they have family issues at home.
“Teachers are already really willing to accommodate these things,” Garber said. “The no-zero policy isn’t fixing anything. It’s making it worse.”
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