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

No dog in the fight but I think the response is appropriate.

It's Whitman and judging from the OP reactions, what did we expect ?

And yes, what exactly is a gender charged word??

I'd like to know exactly what they are asking parents and students to do. Is it just a letter or are they requiring more?

OP "gender charged words" - the main one is the C word.

Anonymous wrote:I have a different perspective. I think the principal was showing that he was taking the matter seriously and that such behavior would not be tolerated. Using offensive and demeaning language like this was a problem when my kid was at Pyle last year and I thought the principal there (Nardi) handled it terribly. Kids were running around heiling Hitler and calling people dirty Jews and using the N word and the F word willy nilly and no one did anything about it. It was depressing.

This is a public relations exercise, OP. The Principal cannot do anything other than show that he's taking it seriously and doing the maximum. Thus the general annoyance and inconvenience for everyone.

I certainly hope the student who used that word was punished.

Anonymous wrote:Some little whelps called someone a name but instead of punishing just the name callers seems the whole school and parents have been sent to sensitivity training. Two updates from the principle declaring how the student are being constantly told how bad this is in less than 12 hours.

I think they know its bad. Thats why the two obnoxious ones used it. This overkill is absurd... especially the bit about demanding the kids dont use "gender-charged" words.

What the heck are gender charged words???

Good grief...

One could look at the situation as a problem with just the 2 kids. They're bad apples, punish them. Or one could realize issues around racism are a systemic problem and if 2 kids feel free to use the word without blinking an eye that there is a bigger problem in the community and the community needs to be educated and rehabilitated.

So not absurd or overkill. It's probably the one and only time these behaviors were reported after likely many unreported times it's happened.

Gender-charged words: bitch, bossy, cuckold??

I have a different perspective. I think the principal was showing that he was taking the matter seriously and that such behavior would not be tolerated. Using offensive and demeaning language like this was a problem when my kid was at Pyle last year and I thought the principal there (Nardi) handled it terribly. Kids were running around heiling Hitler and calling people dirty Jews and using the N word and the F word willy nilly and no one did anything about it. It was depressing.

It is absurd.

How do you send the whole school and parents to sensitivity training?? Sounds impossible.

I don't understand. Is your point that they already know that it's really bad to use the word, therefore the administration shouldn't say that it's really bad to use the word?

If you want to know what gender-charged words are, send an e-mail to the school administrator and ask.

Some little whelps called someone a name but instead of punishing just the name callers seems the whole school and parents have been sent to sensitivity training. Two updates from the principle declaring how the student are being constantly told how bad this is in less than 12 hours.

I think they know its bad. Thats why the two obnoxious ones used it. This overkill is absurd... especially the bit about demanding the kids dont use "gender-charged" words.

What the heck are gender charged words???

Good grief...