A student found a swastika and “threatening language” drawn on a desk at F.A. Day Middle School, the Globe reports.
Swastika found at Day Middle School…again
by Village 14 | May 21, 2019 | Newton | 15 comments
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
drivers man be like
This is so sad. It must be very difficult to go to school and focus on learning with the appearance of this symbol of hate.
It is not just in the schools, incidents of hate and intolerance are on the rise around the country, and Newton is not immune. We must be prepared to respond and remain vigilant.
To quote comedian Stephen Colbert “Donald Trump attracts more skinheads than a bottle of Rogaine”
I’m not suggesting that Donald Trump is a racist, in fact he claims to strongly support the state of Israel. But he has unknowingly created an atmosphere in this country which fuels antisemitism, and embolden hate groups.
We need to do more than prepare to respond. We need to actually respond, with a community effort to oppose intolerance that involves the kids that are being affected, their parents, and the greater community.
@norman…if I objectively look at recent news reports, the anti-Israel messages seem to be coming from some of the Democrats in Congress. Wouldn’t you think this would also be to blame for this problem? When I refer to news reports, I’m talking WSJ, NYT…,not Steven Colbert or John Stewart.
This has nothing to do with Israel, Trump, or the Democrats in Congress. It’s about a misguided kid who needs to be caught and punished now. It the offender was a student at Day, they should face a heavy suspension, and not be allowed to return to school until they apologize to students and faculty.
@mike Striar….this may be a first but I agree with 100% of what you wrote.
I also agree with Mike and am fairly certain the kid will be caught… and then severely disciplined. The apology part, however, won’t happen because that would mean identifying the student.
I think it’s important that this kind of bigotry is dealt with in a fully transparent way. We’re not educating the offender or comforting the offended by allowing the perpetrator to remain anonymous after they are caught.
I don’t support bringing criminal charges against the offender, assuming they are a student. But if the decision were mine, I would require an apology for readmission to school. My hope would be that the offender would not only learn a life-lesson, but that the student body would welcome them back as a more enlightened human being. That is the very essence of what education is supposed to be about.
Unfortunately, Mike, you’d also be breaking the law by requiring a public apology.
When I was in college we had a similar incident like this. Only instead of the classroom desk, it was in our bathroom in our dormitory. This was a big deal. Our floor had a meeting with the school priest, and he gave us all a lecture on anti-semitism.
Hopefully they can catch the person(s) who did this.
In my humble opinion, punishment is — while warranted — insufficient for long-lasting results and the internalization of appropriate behavior. This isn’t to say that punishment and a private apology aren’t warranted here. They are. What I suggest is missing is the education of this misguided student. S/he needs to learn and understand WHY this behavior is unacceptable. That is why initiatives like SEL4Newton/S.P.I.N. and FORJ are so crucial. For those wishing to learn more about SEL4Newton/S.P.I.N. — an initiative in partnership between SEL4MA and NPS — there will be an informational meeting on Tuesday, May 28. Newton has been chosen by SEL4MA to be a pilot city where everyone parents/caregivers learn about social and emotional learning being taught in schools and how to reinforce these skills at home. Check out http://www.sel4ma.org/resources/for-families/ to learn more.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Ellen. Yes, certainly the “why” has to be understood by this offending student.
On a universal level, an all-hands-on-deck approach for our city, where important personal skills like empathy and inclusion must be known and practiced daily by all, where kids see the same messages daily not just in school, but outside of school as well, is essential if we are to address these issues with consistency. The educational process of social-emotional learning (SEL), which results in emotional intelligence, teaches this and many other skills. We must encourage what is taught in schools to be shared in the community at large and especially in homes.
That is why at 7 PM on Tuesday, May 28th at the Newton Ed Center at 100 Walnut Street, Rm 210, the first meeting of the SEL Parents Initiative of Newton (SPIN) is meeting to learn more about SEL but also to organize to reach out to every sector of Newton, whether business, religious organizations or sports leagues to publicize and practice the skills now taught in NPS. We are cooperating with NPS to help them fulfill their goals. Please come to this important meeting.
Going back to what @Tarik and @Ralph said, does anyone know if there was a school response (i.e. classroom meetings, an assembly) at Day?
Here’s an article on how school policy could lead to such behavior in children. NOTE this is an article about NYC school system, which I hope never happens in Newton.
https://nypost.com/2019/05/25/teachers-allegedly-told-to-treat-black-students-as-victims-punish-whites/