By Dan Murphy
This story comes from Mamaroneck, where a resident and his family claim that a white student hurled a racial epithet at his 10-year old daughter’s school, Hommocks Middle School.
The Mamaroneck resident, Dr. David Martin, a veteran education administrator and former principal, claims the school district didn’t respond properly to this incident. On his blog, davidmartin.education/blog, he writes: “Just before Christmas (2018), my wife and I learned that a white boy at my 10-year-old daughter’s middle school called her a ‘nigger.’ Not only did this boy feel comfortable hurling this racial epithet at my daughter and her two black friends (one male, one female), he also Googled the word on his phone and demanded (albeit unsuccessfully) that they read the definition.
“The school did not notify us about this incident when it occurred. When we reached out to the school about the incident our emails initially went unanswered, and then we were stalled and then we were asked to be patient while they investigated. During the investigation, the school threatened my daughter’s black male friend, accusing him of lying and telling him that he had ‘one last chance to tell the truth.’ That experience left him in tears and feeling accused rather than believed and supported. When we followed up with the principal – after waiting a month for them to conclude their investigation – we were asked to speak with the assistant principal. We responded, demanding a meeting with the principal, which was eventually scheduled.
“When we sat down for the meeting with the principal and assistant principal, they both stared at us blankly, as if waiting for us to tell them why we were there. We began by explaining how disappointed and frustrated we were that it had taken so long to schedule a meeting about this incident. The principal then said she was confused about why we wanted this meeting, because she thought this situation had been resolved. As it turns out, according to the principal, the situation had been investigated, a disciplinary response was imposed on the white boy who used the racial slur, and a meeting was had with his parents.
“Evidently, both the principal and assistant principal had already moved on, considering this situation concluded: (1) They never met with the parents of the three black children assaulted by this boy’s language; (2) No counseling was offered to any of these children; (3) No mediation was ever conducted between the white boy and the three black children even as they continued to attend the same after-school club; and (4) No meeting was had between all the parents involved.
“Additionally, (5) their teachers were never informed of the incident or asked to be vigilant with respect to how this incident may affect their academics. And (6) until now, the school has not made the school counselor (who was supervising the after-school club when this incident occurred) available to us to explain what he saw and heard on that day, despite our unanswered emails to him directly and our subsequent conversation with the principal. By the principal’s own admission, she did however make the counselor available to speak with the white boy’s parents.
“In short, we were startled to hear the principal acknowledge out loud that the only parents she, her assistant principal and the school counselor had actually communicated with and included in the discussion of an ‘outcome’ to the incident were the parents of the white boy. What we’ve learned (and these black children are currently struggling to comprehend) is that even in schools, when whites are the aggressors, they are treated with more respect and given more consideration than those they have violently assaulted with their language.” (End of Martin’s blog post.)
Since posting that statement, Martin attended a meeting of the Mamaroneck School Board, after which he posted a video and wrote: “I attended a school board meeting to discuss proposed changes to the schedule at Hommocks Middle School. This is a video of my statement about the district’s continued and complete disregard for issues of race, diversity, and the hate speech directed at my daughter by a white boy. In the video, the district attempts to silence me and when that fails, the board president and vice president stand to walk out on me as I speak.
Martin did acknowledge many in the community who have rejected the racism shown to his daughter. “My family and I would like to thank everyone for their support, prayers and inquiries about how the public can mobilize on behalf of our daughter,” he said. “We have been overwhelmed by your expressions of love, kindness and empathy. You are proof that love will always win over hate.”
Martin began his career in education in 1998 as a teacher and has since served in the roles of organizational development specialist, dean, assistant principal, founding principal, consultant and school district principal support, and his educational expertise includes diversity, equity and inclusion, problem-based learning, school design, college and career readiness/21st century skills, instructional technology and overage/under-credited students,
He has created two additional blog sites: https://BullyFree.Me , “To tell your story by rating and writing a review of that school. Two minutes is all it will take and you may be helping families like mine avoid the nightmare of having to deal with this kind of emotional trauma;” and OneMamaroneck, “A collective of like-minded individuals who are passionate about bringing change directly to the front door of the Mamaroneck Union Free School District. For everyone that has supported our family, empathized with us and asked how you can lend a hand – this is it.”
Martin is a husband, and father of three daughters, and this topic can be explored in further detail on social media at #BlackInMamaroneck #BlackAtHommocks.
The Mamaroneck School District issued the following statement:
“We write today to address the concerns raised by a parent about a specific incident that occurred recently among several middle school students. At Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, the parent recounted a painful incident for his child (and the family) that occurred just before the holiday break in December, in which an offensive racial slur was used during an afterschool club. Some students were apparently singing the rap song ‘Moonlight’ by the artist XXXTENTACION, which includes the aforementioned racial slur. From there, a dispute among students ensued.
“It is without question that this incident occurred (although some of the facts are in dispute between/among students), and for that we must remind ourselves of our responsibility to be ever-vigilant in modeling appropriate behaviors and expecting our students – even very young middle school students – to live the important values that we stress as a school community.
“Simply put, there is no place for hateful words or actions in our school district community. We place a priority on creating and maintaining a safe learning environment that promotes respect for all. We are proud of our diverse school community and its efforts to support our culture, and will continue to work within all avenues to reinforce our values of tolerance and respect.
“To be perfectly clear, the district did not initially react properly to this matter. We did not immediately contact (same day) the parents of the students who were involved, and this was wrong. It should not have taken an email from two of the parents to prompt initial action on our part, which took place two days later. We apologize for not acting more swiftly, as we should all be aware of how a lack of timely response can be understood as being indifferent to the very real issue that took place. Further, we believe the seriousness with which we addressed this matter may not have been properly conveyed, which only created needless complication and emotional upset.
“The parent who bravely relayed his concerns at Tuesday’s meeting has drawn attention to this issue on a website. We respectfully disagree with several of the facts and characterizations made on this site.
“Specifically: All families who were a part of this matter were notified; the district unequivocally took appropriate action to investigate in accordance with its protocols; he was asked by the board during the meeting to not speak about district personnel as per district policy; and we reject the notion that our district’s leaders and its broader staff are oblivious or uncaring as to issues of race.
“We will continue to engage our students in conversations about race, ethnicity, and other aspects of living in a diverse world in a manner that supports tolerance and respect. We will continue to utilize district resources to examine and refine our programs and curriculum to support these values. And we firmly pledge a continuation of this conversation.”
The letter is signed Dr. Robert Shaps, superintendent of schools; and the Mamaroneck Board of Education.
