Reply to N word at Whitman

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Reply to "N word at Whitman"

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[quote=Anonymous]Here is the e-mail from the principal.

Dear Parents,

I am writing to express concern about two recent serious incidents that occurred at school.  Our staff is committed to ensuring that the climate at Whitman High School is a positive one where all students feel valued and respected. Unfortunately, in the past week, there have been two incidents in which students have used the racially offensive “N” word towards another student.  These acts are unacceptable in our school community.  The offending students were disciplined according to the Montgomery County Public Schools Code of Conduct, and we also involved our school’s resource police officer.  The students also participated in restorative conversations.

After the first incident, I made the following school-wide announcement to the staff and students repeating what had been shared in classes the second day of school:

Be respectful of adults and of each other.  Embrace, accept, respect, and celebrate the diversity we enjoy at Whitman.  Everyone has a right to feel safe and comfortable in school.  Be courteous.  Be kind to others.  Derogatory name-calling of any type is unacceptable with strong school consequences for any racist expressions, gender-charged words, and sexual identity references.

Administrators then started visiting all English classes to repeat these expectations, a task that will be completed next week.  Unfortunately, a second incident occurred today, so I am seeking your assistance.  Please talk to your students giving them counsel and reinforcing our expectations to stop making such hurtful statements.  Please emphasize that everyone who walks into this school deserves to feel welcome and safe.  I will be working with staff and student leaders to determine what additional steps we can take to enhance the inclusiveness of our school community.

I again want to emphasize the seriousness of this situation. As your principal, I am disappointed to have to share this, and I want you to know that I feel a deep responsibility to maintain an accepting school environment that is intolerant of hate speech.

Sincerely,

Alan Goodwin[/quote]

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