An inside view of a Bronx charter school whose doors are open

Since Lehman High School added scanning last year, students at every large high school building in the borough must go through metal detectors before they can get to class.

That’s not the case at Hyde Leadership Charter School, a five-year old Hunts Point secondary school that emphasizes character education. I got a press release earlier this week about the school’s move into its own brand-new building this year.

“Hyde-Bronx administrators, teachers and parents made the decision not to have students enter through metal detectors, the way most other public schools do,” the release said. “Although Hyde-Bronx is located in the significantly disadvantaged Hunts Point neighborhood, the school believes that students need to feel respected and responsible.”

Today in the Community section, Hyde teacher Mark Fusco reflects on the differences he sees between his school and other charter schools, and about his efforts to teach his junior English students about social justice.

“I’m thankful that Hyde stands apart from most charters,” Fusco writes. “The theme of my school is social justice, a label rarely worn with pride in these times when schools are not measured by the content of their character but by the strength of their test scores.”