Rebuttal to School Board’s 11/2 Statement
By Christine Marlow
The following statement was read at the School Committee meeting on November 18, 2021.
On Nov. 2nd – a statement from the school committee about the mascot was read by Chair Adam Klein. I am here to point out inconsistencies between that statement and what our community has experienced.
The statement said that the committee made the decision to retire the Colonial Mascot in October 2020. However, the emails and texts received via records request, show that you were planning on getting rid of this mascot during the summer of 2020. The summer where you should have been focusing on giving the Seniors of 2020 some closure with an in-person graduation like ALL the towns around us did. Instead, you chose to focus on dividing our town, as the emails & texts stated. Where were your priorities? Did you care that the class of 2020 never returned to their high school or never had a chance to say goodbye to friends they may never see again?
You also said, the committee followed our open process which included listening, seeking input, researching, etc. Again, not entirely accurate. As mentioned, you worked on this decision OVER THE SUMMER OF 2020 with only a select number of students, the school board, Mr. Light, Mr. Shen, Mr. Martin and a few others. You had a plan of action to retire the mascot and then in Sept. of 2020 when families are still struggling with Covid, figuring out how to juggle hybrid schooling and their job, you give the school 3 weeks to “discuss” whether we should keep the mascot. But you had already made the decision to retire the mascot per your emails & texts.
Your statement said you Prioritized student’s needs and interests above all else and worked actively to create an anti-racist community. Earlier a young lady spoke of being bullied both by students AND administration and how the administration’s non action, encouraged even more bullying. You & I both know she was not the only student to be bullied over this subject.
Where are the leaders who champion diversity of thought & differing opinions? Where are the leaders who are looking for inclusion and having thoughtful conversations to ensure that ALL feel part of the process?
True leadership knows when they have made an error and will call for a pause, make course corrections & begin in a new and better direction. I ask the school committee to PAUSE, increase the # of people participating in this process, learn from communities like Shrewsbury who really care about ALL their residents and try and fix this mess YOU have created. Thank you for your time.
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