LAWRENCE — Alejandro Feliciano may only be 19 years old, but he thinks he has the answers for what ails the Lawrence School District.
He should know. After all, he graduated from Lawrence High last year.
At a School Committee meeting last month, Feliciano presented 300 copies of his self-published book, "Next Year's High School" to Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy for distribution to students and teachers.
He and a handful of school chums — Jimmy Nguyen, Reuben Gutierrez, Bao Huynh, Robert Tavares and Sang Luu — worked on the book during the final two weeks of their senior year.
The small, pocket-sized paperback book contains the personal insights of six high school students who offer advice on what high schools need to do to reach today's kids.
One Lawrence educator who has read the book calls it "must reading" for all teachers.
David A. Toto, a teacher at the Business Management & Finance High School, said he's surprised Feliciano's message hasn't had the impact he expected it would on the Lawrence education community.
"I think the book has not been put to good use, and people were really not interested in the book," he said. "It is too bad because these students tackle the problems that we face every day, such as removing the troublemaker out of the system in order that the majority can learn."
When asked to give his assessment of the book earlier this month, Laboy was complimentary, but said he wasn't inclined to recommend it for a required reading list.
"I think it's the voice of young people who need to be heard," he said. "It's a book of reflective thoughts on their journey. It's a candid voice that speaks of their aspirations and goals. Both their criticism and their comments tell us there's work to do and also speaks to a 21st century need."
Laboy declined to elaborate on specific points in the book, saying he hadn't read it recently. The superintendent has since gone out on a six- to eight-week medical leave.
When Feliciano addressed the School Committee last month, he criticized school officials for failing to focus on the most important problems at Lawrence High School. He cited student abuse of teachers as one of the most serious, most overlooked problems.
He recalled being a student in a sophomore class where "the best teacher I ever had in the entire Lawrence High" was hounded by unruly students into quitting her job.
"She wasn't fired. She just resigned," Feliciano said. "They threw tables at her, they threw chairs at her, they threw paper at her, they threw pencils ... Nothing happened to the students. I know, because I was in that class, and I felt really sad for that teacher."
He said school administrators have done little to back up its teachers in the face of such physical and verbal abuse.
"You guys as the ones in charge have to do something about that," he said. "You have to make sure that if we do something wrong, a teacher doesn't have to get aggressive with that student in order to make sure that student knows his place."
Feliciano said his goal in presenting copies of his book to Laboy was to inspire teachers and students.
"I'm donating 300 books to the teachers and students so they can see they can do it too," he said. "They have someone to look up to. They have someone to say, 'If he can do it during the last two weeks during finals, then so can I.'"
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