Dear Neighbor,
Eugene 4J School Board is meeting Wednesday evening, Feb 16, and it appears that the proposed 4-J district-wide policy on Racial Harassment and Bullying is likely to come up for a vote at this meeting.
Why it matters: Racial harassment at our 4J schools is a regular, ongoing problem. Individual students and groups (i.e., Black Student Union) at North Eugene High School have experienced racist and anti-semitic graffiti, and vicious online intimidation, including threats of physical and sexual violence, since late November of last year. The Eugene Police Department is investigating these incidents, but no perpetrator has been identified yet. The district currently has no policy in place that defines what constitutes bias or harassment, who should take action when an incident occurs, and what should be done. That means the response depends on the commitment and courage (or lack thereof) of the school teacher or administrator who observes the incident or receives the report. 4J needs a district-wide policy. Here is a link to a proposed draft policy: Racial Harassment Policy
What you can do:
- email the board: board@4j.lane.edu
- email the superintendent: Vandercar_c@4j.lane.edu
- call the Eugene Police Department and express interest in the case, tell them you hope they have their best people working on it.
- If you know a student who has experienced harassment or bullying at school or online, refer them to CALC’s excellent Community Advocate Program. CALC’s community advocates are trauma informed, fluent in Chinese and Spanish, aware of unhoused issues, immigration issues, IEP needs, LGBTQ, and more.
Below is Martha Johnson’s letter to the 4J Board and Superintendent which you may copy and sign with your own name, or use as a template to write your own. Adding personal stories from current or former students and parents’ experiences in school with bullying makes your letter more powerful. Please cc or bcc your email to Mica Contreras at CALC (Citizens Alliance of Lane County), the author of the proposed policy, and CALC’s Equity and Justice coordinator: mica@calclane.org. Tracking the number of emails from community members helps her with this advocacy work.
Thanks in advance for taking a stand in support of our youth.Martha Johnson
Dear Superintendent Vandercar and the Eugene 4J School Board,
I am writing today to urge you to vote in support of the proposed policy on Racial Harassment and Bullying. Racial harassment at our 4J schools is a regular, ongoing problem. When a student is targeted, the impacts ripple out through the entire school and into the community. The district currently has no policy in place that defines what constitutes bias or harassment, who should take action when an incident occurs, and what should be done. That means the response depends on the commitment and courage (or lack thereof) of the school teacher or administrator who observes the incident or receives the report. 4J clearly needs a district-wide policy.
The draft policy as proposed is an excellent step in the right direction, but it is missing several important elements, which should be added before the policy is approved. Those include:
1.The need for clearly delineated processes and procedures when an event occurs, including the responsibilities, training, and processes of the Hate and Bias Incident Response team. It’s important that the Hate and Bias Incident Response Team work with community members, both within and outside the school district.
2. Easy and accessible way for students/parents to report incidents. Parents and students have requested the district provide a text-line where they can report and receive follow-up.
3. Transformative justice practices must be adopted and utilized, district-wide.
Thank you for your time and efforts to create a safe, healthy and vibrant community in our schools.
Kind Regards,
(your name here)
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