NEW YORK — In a unanimous decision, the Brocton School Board decided to restore the journalism class as part of the English curriculum at Brocton High School.
With the reinstatement, the board also approved the appointment of Dadie Sedota as the course teacher.
In May, principal EvaDawn Bashaw decided to cut the course from existence after the school newspaper published a poll showing a majority of students did not like the school. Instead of a newspaper class, students were going to be offered creative writing and Shakespeare courses.
Before their unanimous Aug. 12 decision on reinstatement, board members listened for nearly an hour to citizen’s comments on why the newspaper class should be offered.
They were presented with petitions that contained 251 signatures of individuals who supported the journalism class, as well as a myriad of comments from local citizens.
“Brocton students are fortunate to have taken the [journalism] class taught by Mrs. Sedota,” said Lynne Wysocki in the [Dunkirk-Fredonia] Evening Observer.
Board President Tom DeJoe told The Buffalo News that parent and student support helped the board make a decision.
“The program has been invaluable in getting students into college and helping them write clearly and concisely,” he said.
Sedota, who was appointed teacher of the reinstated journalism class, told the News she was pleased with the board’s decision.
“It was very moving for me to see their commitment to students,” she said. “I felt almost renewed by the tremendous community support for the program and me as a teacher.”