Another racial incident at Churchill HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To those of you who think this N word pass thing is trivial, I have an AA DC at Churchill and other kids have said very vile, racist things. I view the N word pass as childish and ignorant. These other comments are more direct, and when I've mentioned to others at my work, etc. jaws drop. I won't mention them here because the perpetrators could recognize the situations and I don't want to add to the drama.

Don't trivialize the problem by thinking of it as limited to silly passes.

So true!

+1000 Even when problems are specifically reported to Benz and Heckert, they both have done little to step in fix the behavior. Kids are left to fend for themselves in a toxic environment.

Is there any surprise that kids are fighting? My own child has said that he has had to physically defend himself at school. No videos posted in his case, and no interventions from the adults running the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To those of you who think this N word pass thing is trivial, I have an AA DC at Churchill and other kids have said very vile, racist things. I view the N word pass as childish and ignorant. These other comments are more direct, and when I've mentioned to others at my work, etc. jaws drop. I won't mention them here because the perpetrators could recognize the situations and I don't want to add to the drama.

Don't trivialize the problem by thinking of it as limited to silly passes.

If other kids have said vile, racist things then that is the problem. (My own AA child at Churchill has experienced only more subtle -- but not trivial -- racism at Churchill.) Don't take out your anger for this problem on kids who have not done anything nearly as bad. If you make a word "forbidden" then teenagers are going to test the boundaries, but they did not do it in any sort of hateful way, or even write or say the N-word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To those of you who think this N word pass thing is trivial, I have an AA DC at Churchill and other kids have said very vile, racist things. I view the N word pass as childish and ignorant. These other comments are more direct, and when I've mentioned to others at my work, etc. jaws drop. I won't mention them here because the perpetrators could recognize the situations and I don't want to add to the drama.

Don't trivialize the problem by thinking of it as limited to silly passes.

So true!

+1000 Even when problems are specifically reported to Benz and Heckert, they both have done little to step in fix the behavior. Kids are left to fend for themselves in a toxic environment.

Is there any surprise that kids are fighting? My own child has said that he has had to physically defend himself at school. No videos posted in his case, and no interventions from the adults running the school.

Was your kid attacked because of his race?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To those of you who think this N word pass thing is trivial, I have an AA DC at Churchill and other kids have said very vile, racist things. I view the N word pass as childish and ignorant. These other comments are more direct, and when I've mentioned to others at my work, etc. jaws drop. I won't mention them here because the perpetrators could recognize the situations and I don't want to add to the drama.

Don't trivialize the problem by thinking of it as limited to silly passes.

If other kids have said vile, racist things then that is the problem. (My own AA child at Churchill has experienced only more subtle -- but not trivial -- racism at Churchill.) Don't take out your anger for this problem on kids who have not done anything nearly as bad. If you make a word "forbidden" then teenagers are going to test the boundaries, but they did not do it in any sort of hateful way, or even write or say the N-word.

Perhaps that was your child’s experience. The n-word has been used toward AA students at Hoover and Churchill in the hateful context it historically has been used by a white person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fyi--it's a *racist* incident, not a *racial* incident.

Why does this stuff keep happening at Churchill?

Because of the increased amount of scrutiny on affluent white kids. High school kids making fun of each other to included poking at stereotypes has always happened. How many times a day do you think the N word is throw around at Kennedy or Blair. It isn’t white kids so it isn’t as big a deal and those kids get eye rolls or talkings to about respect. When white kids do it the police are called and admin make a production least they be viewed as complicit or downplaying it. That said it is the world we live in and white kids need to know they are on a shorter leash with certain subjects.

Kind of like how we now have an opioid crisis because so many middle class white people are dying from it, but when lots of poor blacks were dying from crack cocaine or even opioids, there didn't seem to be much of a crisis; or like when HIV was a gay man's disease and so it wasn't considered a crisis, but once it started to hit straight white people, then it became a crisis.

So, yes, sh1t like this has been going on at other schools, but now that it's hit the wealthier white enclave, all of a sudden there's more attention paid to it.

I think part of it is also that society doesn't expect much from poor people, but they expect better behavior from more "educated" wealthy people.

A simpler explanation is that racism is rampant at the segregated schools.

Dumb people like things dumbed down, I get it. But seriously there are black people at Churchill. I suspect you should buy a dictionary and look up the world

Under 9% black
Less than 5% FARMs

There are only 16% blacks in the county. Are we rationing blacks now? Which school get to give them up? Is a one for one swap for white kids or is there a diminished value credit considering white kids are such problems

Once you sprinkle in those extra white kids which school is going to turn the corner ?

Here are some "comparisons" (or really, "contrasting" schools).

EX 1
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04782.pdf
Wheaton
8.5% white
54.7% Hispanic
22.6% black

We may as well add Hispanics into the mix, yes?

EX 2
more of a balance with minority enrollment
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04798.pdf
Springbrook
7.2% white
38.5 Hispanic
38% black

EX 3
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04701.pdf
Damascus
55.7% white
18.8% Hispanic
11.4% black

Sherwood has similar demographics, but with 15.7% black.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To those of you who think this N word pass thing is trivial, I have an AA DC at Churchill and other kids have said very vile, racist things. I view the N word pass as childish and ignorant. These other comments are more direct, and when I've mentioned to others at my work, etc. jaws drop. I won't mention them here because the perpetrators could recognize the situations and I don't want to add to the drama.

Don't trivialize the problem by thinking of it as limited to silly passes.

So true!

+1000 Even when problems are specifically reported to Benz and Heckert, they both have done little to step in fix the behavior. Kids are left to fend for themselves in a toxic environment.

Is there any surprise that kids are fighting? My own child has said that he has had to physically defend himself at school. No videos posted in his case, and no interventions from the adults running the school.

The picture painted here is so different from the one that BOTH of my kids have painted of the school. Was Dr. Benz checked out? Absolutely. Did she need to go a long time ago? Absolutely. However, this fighting thing is the most ridiculous thing I've heard so far. Yes, there was ONE altercation this year that got attention because the principal sent out a letter. in my DD's case (while Benz was there), once a year she might have mentioned that some kids got into a fight and everyone gathered around because it was so out of the ordinary. DS that is still there has said the same thing. DS is not super popular or unpopular, but has never been bullied or physically attacked at school. He does however, have friends at other schools in the county that have been. Are drugs an issue here? Yes (they are an issue all over the place so let's not bury our heads). Are there racial issues? Sounds like it, though again, my kids have always had friends of all races.

In terms of the racial issues, I truly believe that Benz's complete lack of understanding and inaction have allowed this to fester. I cannot understand how she was allowed to remain principal for so long. MCPS could have removed her from that position years ago yet did not, so they bear quite a bit of responsibility here. I myself was witness to some of the absolutely ignorant things she said in front of groups of parents.

[Anonymous]

You can't put 100% of blame on Benz. The problems started for my kids in 6th grade at Hoover. Same kids who were bullies in 6th grade have matriculated through the system to Churchill. MCPS has ignored school climate issues throughout the Churchill cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't put 100% of blame on Benz. The problems started for my kids in 6th grade at Hoover. Same kids who were bullies in 6th grade have matriculated through the system to Churchill. MCPS has ignored school climate issues throughout the Churchill cluster.

Maybe the problem is the victim culture

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't put 100% of blame on Benz. The problems started for my kids in 6th grade at Hoover. Same kids who were bullies in 6th grade have matriculated through the system to Churchill. MCPS has ignored school climate issues throughout the Churchill cluster.

I also think that Hoover is part of the problem. The school lacks leadership and those problems not addressed there move to Churchill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't put 100% of blame on Benz. The problems started for my kids in 6th grade at Hoover. Same kids who were bullies in 6th grade have matriculated through the system to Churchill. MCPS has ignored school climate issues throughout the Churchill cluster.

I also think that Hoover is part of the problem. The school lacks leadership and those problems not addressed there move to Churchill.

The whole school system lacks leadership. Dr. Moran now is the Director for Hoover and Churchill. What has he done except express false platitudes to fix problems?

[Anonymous]

Why do these problems keep happening at Churchill?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do these problems keep happening at Churchill?

Um - lack of leadership.

[Anonymous]

If you work in MCPS long enough you become a sheep. You stop thinking for yourself , think you’re stuck there forever, and await instructions from above. The few who have the guts to act decisively and on their own are a dwindling bunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you work in MCPS long enough you become a sheep. You stop thinking for yourself , think you’re stuck there forever, and await instructions from above. The few who have the guts to act decisively and on their own are a dwindling bunch.

This describes why Mrs. Heckert and Dr. Moran are ineffective. Nothing has been done to follow-up with the February 19th PTA meeting. They really have no idea of how to fix Churchill. They are slow to respond to any problem because it takes so long for the beuracracy above them to give the guidance they are waiting for. Thus, there is not a consistent plan for preventing and addressing student and staff behavior at Churchill. Problems fester and grow to the point students feel like they need to defend themselves.

MCPS has consistently failed our community.

[Anonymous]

Administrators including Mrs. Heckert and Dr. Moran have lost the vision of doing what is best for children to support their social and emotional wellbeing. As parents, would they send their children to Churchill? Would they send their children to Churchill if they were black or hispanic?