Dr. Howard L. Hurwitz Barricaded' Principal, Dies

Dr. Howard L. Hurwitz, educator, author and former principal of Long Island City H.S. died on September 23 of natural causes.

Hurwitz is best remembered for the controversy that swept over his tenure as principal of the once-troubled school, where his hard line tactics won him the admiration of parents and the wrath of Board of Education and law enforcement officials.

In his 1988 novel, The Last Angry Principal, Hurwitz described his experiences as principal of Long Island City H.S. including the day parents barricaded him in his office to prevent him from being fired by the Board of Education.

A woman named Marge was 17-years old and in her senior year at the school when Hurwitz arrived in 1976. She recalled how Hurwitz' decision to discipline a troubled student lit a firestorm of controversy that lasted for days ending when a federal judge ordered his arrest. "The girl was always in trouble," Marge said. "So we weren't surprised when he learned that Dr. Hurwitz wanted to suspend her."

Records indicate the student became belligerent when asked by administrators and Hurwitz to produce a hall pass. When Hurwitz suspended the student, the Schools Chancellor ordered him to reinstate her or be fired, Marge said. Hurwitz refused to follow the Chancellor's order.

"The next thing we knew, there were parents at all the school entrances and they had barricaded Dr. Hurwitz in his office," Marge said. "We were handed signs supporting Dr. Hurwitz when we arrived at school and we were told to hold them and picket outside to show support for the principal."

The standoff lasted several days, until a federal judge ordered Hurwitz' arrest for his failure to produce data on teachers and students at the school.

Hurwitz later returned as principal of Long Island City H.S., where he remained for just over one year.

Hurwitz penned four books, including his 1974 Dictionary of American History and The Best of Hurwitz on Education in 1991 and the life story of his developmentally disabled son in his 1973 offering titled, Donald: A Man Who Remains A Boy.

Funeral services were held for Hurwitz on September 24 at the Schwartz Brothers- Jeffer Memorial Chapel in Forest Hills.—Liz Goff