Dear Neighbor,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n What you can do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.\u00a0 Adding personal stories from current or former students and parents’\u00a0\u00a0experiences in school with bullying makes your letter more powerful.\u00a0 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:\u00a0\u00a0mica@calclane.org<\/a>.\u00a0 Tracking the number of emails from community members helps her with this advocacy work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks in advance for taking a stand in support of our youth.Martha Johnson<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dear Superintendent Vandercar and the Eugene 4J School Board,<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am writing today to urge you to vote in support\u00a0of the proposed policy on Racial Harassment and Bullying.\u00a0 Racial harassment at our 4J schools is a regular, ongoing problem.\u00a0 When a student is targeted, the impacts ripple out through the entire school and into the community.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 4J clearly needs a district-wide policy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The draft policy as proposed is an excellent step in the right direction, but it is missing several\u00a0important elements,\u00a0which should be added before the policy is approved.\u00a0 Those include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.\u00a0 It’s important that the Hate and\u00a0Bias Incident Response Team work with community members, both within and outside the school district. Thank you for your time and efforts to create a safe, healthy and vibrant community in our schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kind Regards,<\/p>\n\n\n\n (your name here)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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: … Continue reading
2.\u00a0 Easy and accessible way for students\/parents to report incidents.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n