Groups Calls for Firing of Rolling Meadows High School Principal

A Change.org petition has been started by a group calling themselves the Taxpayers of Cook County, and they are calling for the termination of the Rolling Meadows High School principal.

Reasons cited for the petition include: 

"Unnecessary reformatting of school curriculum to focus soley on AP tests scores, restricting the number of 'non'-educational' assemblies (musical shows, dances), while organizing others that focus on explaining AP testing, and the unexplained firing of nationally recognized journalism teacher," the petition states. 

Journalism teacher Stan Zoller was told he will not have a job with the school next year, according to the Daily Herald. 

Officials with the Northwest Suburban High School District 214, told the Daily Herald there has been a small reduction within the district, that the journalism program would continue and that Zoller's position would be filled internally. 

Zoller has 20 years of journalism experience and has been with Rolling Meadows High School since 2005, according to an article about Zoller on the Lakeland College website. 

Zoller worked as an adviser for The Pacer, Rolling Meadows student newspaper, which has won several awards during his tenure, including the NISPA Golden Eagle, Quill and Scroll's Gallup Award and the Kettle Moraine Press Association's "All-KEMPA Award," according to the Lakeland College article. 

Arlington Heights has been unable to obtain comment from high school officials due to it being the weekend regarding the claims made in the petition, and will update this story as more information becomes available. 

Comments from people on the Change.org petition include, "The changes she [Eileen Hart] has made are unnecessary and ultimately detrimental to the student body," said Nathan Walters of Arlington Heights. 

"Because I'd rather have a better principal in our school that supports open minds and not just test scores," said Beron Barton. 

What do you think? Are these issues a real problem for you as a parent, or student, at Rolling Meadows High School? Tell us in the comments section below.