Friday, January 16, 2015

Dear Needham Families:

Last evening, Pollard Middle School Principal Tamatha Bibbo emailed the following information to all Pollard families:

Dear Pollard Families, 

This morning it was reported by a grade 7 student that racist graffiti was located on a wall in the boys' locker room. Although we will be undergoing a full investigation and are still finding out facts, I wanted to share our information as soon as possible:

What we know right now:
1. This incident occurred between 6:00pm and 9:00pm yesterday evening.
2. The person(s) used a deodorant stick to complete the graffiti. 
3. The person may or may not be a member of the Pollard community.

Our action steps:
1.  The Needham Police department has been notified and will be interviewing specific people (including students here and at NHS, if necessary). 
2. We have interviewed a number of students to identify involvement and timing of the incident.  
3. We will be meeting at lunches and after school with our students of color to provide support.
4. The guidance team has been notified and is ready for students who may want to talk about/ process this incident. 
5. Leslie Smart, our METCO coordinator, in conjunction with our administrative team, is preparing conversation starters to use in classroom advisories as a learning opportunity 

We encourage you to open this conversation with your son/daughter and to process this as a serous racial incident.  It is important to note that although this may not have been a Pollard student, we feel strongly that words are used as weapons in situation such as these, and that we continue to actively work towards a school community that does not tolerate any form of hate. 

Once again, it is important to note that this may or may not be a member of the Pollard community; however, we want to emphasize that we care for all of our students and members of our community.  We are saddened that we live in a time when these incidents still occur, and we must be sure to respond to this and all incidents with sensitivity, compassion, and strength in the face of these unacceptable incidents.

In Partnership, 
Tamatha L. Bibbo
Principal
Pollard Middle School

I wanted to share this message with parents and families so that you can be made aware of the incident and know that we take these situations very seriously.  Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have had to deal with vicious and racist graffiti or situations; sadly, it may not be the last.

However, working together as students, parents, and educators we will confront this behavior to ensure we learn and work in a safe environment, one that values all students and their families.

I appreciate the work Ms. Bibbo and her staff are doing to assist students understand what happened in this particular situation, and I am thankful that all of Needham's principals, teachers and METCO staff are engaged in work and training to promote respectful and tolerant school communities.  In fact, embedded in the District's goals and each School Improvement Plan are specific actions steps we are taking to promote and nurture culturally sensitive and proficient practices in each of Needham's classrooms.

I can't guarantee there will never be ugly or racist incidents in the Needham Public Schools.  Our efforts are robust but imperfect.  I can assure you, however, that we are committed to the work of equity, respect for all, and tolerance.

If you have any questions or concerns about this or any situation involving your child, please reach out to your child's teacher, guidance counselor, or principal.

Respectfully,

Dan Gutekanst
Superintendent of Schools