Tri-Valley Central School
Encyclopedia
Tri-Valley Central School is located on NY 55
, near Rondout Reservoir
, east of the hamlet of Grahamsville
in the town of Neversink
, Sullivan County
, New York
, USA. It educates students from pre-kindergarten
to twelfth grade
in the Tri-Valley Central School District, which serves not only the town but much of the adjacent town of Denning
in Ulster County
. It gets its name from the three streams that rise in that area of the Catskill Mountains
: Rondout
and Chestnut
creeks and the Neversink River
.
The original school building, currently used by students and faculty in the high school
grades, dates to the early 1950's and faces the church and cemetery in the Grahamsville Historic District
just across the road. It was built on the site of the former Grahamsville one room schoolhouse. It has been built onto twice since then to create the present middle
and elementary
schools, which combine to create a C-shaped structure with a parking lot
in the middle.
, a confrontation between a school security guard and a student led to an unusual student protest that made international news. School policy prohibits students from carrying their books, school work and belongings around in backpack
s between classes, since they can be used to conceal weapons. Girls were allowed to carry purse
s, and some began carrying large ones that could hold almost as much as a backpack. When some boys complained to the principal that this loophole was a form of gender discrimination, the school announced the policy would be amended to limit the size of purses students could carry.
Some girls interpreted this to mean that all purses would be forbidden. Since they relied on them to discreetly carry sanitary napkin
s and tampon
s when menstruating
, they wondered how they could do this in that instance. Rumors swept the school that they would only be allowed to carry purses during their menstrual periods.
On September 19, security guards were doing a sweep to enforce the rule. A ninth grade
r was among several students called out of a class to see if their bags were within the new rules. She said that security guard Mike Bunce, upon seeing her bag, asked her if she was having her period. She was upset and told her mother about it that night. Some other girls may also have been asked the same question.
The next day, girls at the school began wearing necklaces made of tampons and purses made from tampon boxes as a protest against this invasion of privacy
. Some boys wore sanitary napkins taped to their shirts as a show of support. A fellow classmate of Martin's, Hannah Lindquist, claimed principal Robert Worden threw her out of his office and told her she was "part of the problem" for wearing an o.b. tampon box necklace to a meeting to discuss a student who might have been suspended for her protest. Another male student was arrest
ed and charged with public lewdness
, a misdemeanor
in New York, after he streaked
through the school wearing only a paper bag
over his head in what he claimed was his protest against the backpack policy.
The school board eventually placed Bunce on paid administrative leave
at the beginning of October while it decided the future of his employment. Bunce had previously been forced to resign from the police department in nearby Monticello
, along with its then-chief, for operating a process-serving
business while on the job. A month later, the district fired
him.
New York State Route 55
New York State Route 55 is a state highway in southern New York, running from the Pennsylvania state line at the Delaware River in Barryville to the Connecticut state line at Wingdale...
, near Rondout Reservoir
Rondout Reservoir
Rondout Reservoir is part of New York City's water supply network. It is located 75 miles northwest of the city in the Catskill Mountains, near the southern end of Catskill Park, split between the towns of Wawarsing in Ulster County and Neversink in Sullivan County...
, east of the hamlet of Grahamsville
Grahamsville, New York
Grahamsville is an unincorporated hamlet at the junction of NY 42 and 55 in the Town of Neversink, in Sullivan County, New York, USA. It is near the western end of Rondout Reservoir, and is the southernmost community in the Catskill Park...
in the town of Neversink
Neversink, New York
Neversink is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 3,553 at the 2000 census.The Town of Neversink is in the northeast corner of the county...
, Sullivan County
Sullivan County, New York
Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 77,547. The county seat is Monticello. The name is in honor of Major General John Sullivan, who was a hero in the American Revolutionary War...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA. It educates students from pre-kindergarten
Pre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...
to twelfth grade
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
in the Tri-Valley Central School District, which serves not only the town but much of the adjacent town of Denning
Denning, New York
Denning is a town in Ulster County, New York, USA. The population was 516 at the 2000 census. The name come from an early landowner, William Denning.The Town of Denning is located in the western part of the county...
in Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
. It gets its name from the three streams that rise in that area of the Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
: Rondout
Rondout Creek
Rondout Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River in Ulster and Sullivan counties, New York, USA. It rises on Rocky Mountain in the eastern Catskills, flows south into Rondout Reservoir, part of New York City's water supply network, then into the valley between the Catskills and the Shawangunk...
and Chestnut
Chestnut Creek
-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Virginia...
creeks and the Neversink River
Neversink River
The Neversink River is a tributary of the Delaware River in southeastern New York in the United States...
.
The original school building, currently used by students and faculty in the high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
grades, dates to the early 1950's and faces the church and cemetery in the Grahamsville Historic District
Grahamsville Historic District
The Grahamsville Historic District is located along both sides of NY 55 just east of that hamlet in the Town of Neversink in Sullivan County, New York, USA. Its church is across the road from Tri-Valley Central School. In 1979 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.Five buildings...
just across the road. It was built on the site of the former Grahamsville one room schoolhouse. It has been built onto twice since then to create the present middle
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
and elementary
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
schools, which combine to create a C-shaped structure with a parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
in the middle.
2007 student protest
Shortly after the beginning of the 2007-08 school yearAcademic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
, a confrontation between a school security guard and a student led to an unusual student protest that made international news. School policy prohibits students from carrying their books, school work and belongings around in backpack
Backpack
A backpack is, in its simplest form, a cloth sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders, but there can be exceptions...
s between classes, since they can be used to conceal weapons. Girls were allowed to carry purse
Handbag
A handbag, or purse in American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag that is often fashionably designed, typically used by women, to hold personal items such as wallet/coins, keys, cosmetics, a hairbrush, pepper spray, cigarettes, mobile phone etc....
s, and some began carrying large ones that could hold almost as much as a backpack. When some boys complained to the principal that this loophole was a form of gender discrimination, the school announced the policy would be amended to limit the size of purses students could carry.
Some girls interpreted this to mean that all purses would be forbidden. Since they relied on them to discreetly carry sanitary napkin
Sanitary napkin
A sanitary napkin, sanitary towel, sanitary pad, menstrual pad, maxi pad, or pad is an absorbent item worn by a woman while she is menstruating, recovering from vaginal surgery, for lochia , abortion, or any other situation where it is necessary to absorb a flow of blood from a woman's vagina.These...
s and tampon
Tampon
A tampon is a mass of cotton or rayon or a mixture of the two inserted into a body cavity or wound to absorb bodilyfluid. The most common type in daily use is designed to be inserted into the vagina during menstruation to absorb the flow of menstrual fluid...
s when menstruating
Menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that can occur in fertile women for the purpose of sexual reproduction. This article focuses on the human menstrual cycle....
, they wondered how they could do this in that instance. Rumors swept the school that they would only be allowed to carry purses during their menstrual periods.
On September 19, security guards were doing a sweep to enforce the rule. A ninth grade
Ninth grade
Ninth grade is the ninth post-kindergarten year of school education in some school systems. The students are 13 to 15 years of age, depending on when their birthday occurs. Depending on the school district, ninth grade is usually the first year of high school....
r was among several students called out of a class to see if their bags were within the new rules. She said that security guard Mike Bunce, upon seeing her bag, asked her if she was having her period. She was upset and told her mother about it that night. Some other girls may also have been asked the same question.
The next day, girls at the school began wearing necklaces made of tampons and purses made from tampon boxes as a protest against this invasion of privacy
Invasion of privacy
United States privacy law embodies several different legal concepts. One is the invasion of privacy, a tort based in common law allowing an aggrieved party to bring a lawsuit against an individual who unlawfully intrudes into his or her private affairs, discloses his or her private information,...
. Some boys wore sanitary napkins taped to their shirts as a show of support. A fellow classmate of Martin's, Hannah Lindquist, claimed principal Robert Worden threw her out of his office and told her she was "part of the problem" for wearing an o.b. tampon box necklace to a meeting to discuss a student who might have been suspended for her protest. Another male student was arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
ed and charged with public lewdness
Indecent exposure
Indecent exposure is the deliberate exposure in public or in view of the general public by a person of a portion or portions of his or her body, in circumstances where the exposure is contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. Indecent exposure laws vary in different...
, a misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
in New York, after he streaked
Streaking
Streaking is the act of running nude through a public place.-History:On 5 July 1799, a Friday evening at 7 o'clock, a naked man was arrested at the Mansion House, London, and sent to the Poultry Compter...
through the school wearing only a paper bag
Paper bag
A paper bag or paper sack is a preformed container made of paper, usually with an opening on one side. It can be one layer of paper or multiple layers of paper and other flexible materials. A bag is used for packaging and/or carrying items....
over his head in what he claimed was his protest against the backpack policy.
The school board eventually placed Bunce on paid administrative leave
Administrative leave
Administrative leave is a temporary leave from a job assignment, with pay and benefits intact. Generally, the term is reserved for employees of non-business institutions such as schools, police, and hospitals....
at the beginning of October while it decided the future of his employment. Bunce had previously been forced to resign from the police department in nearby Monticello
Monticello, New York
Monticello is a village located in the Town of Thompson in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 6,512 at the 2000 census. It is the seat for the Town of Thompson and the county seat of Sullivan County...
, along with its then-chief, for operating a process-serving
Service of process
Service of process is the procedure employed to give legal notice to a person of a court or administrative body's exercise of its jurisdiction over that person so as to enable that person to respond to the proceeding before the court, body or other tribunal...
business while on the job. A month later, the district fired
Termination of employment
-Involuntary termination:Involuntary termination is the employee's departure at the hands of the employer. There are two basic types of involuntary termination, known often as being "fired" and "laid off." To be fired, as opposed to being laid off, is generally thought of to be the employee's...
him.