CROMWELL, Connecticut — The Cromwell Board of Education held its first public meeting Tuesday since allegations of racism and bullying surfaced online earlier this month.
Tuesday night's meeting began with Superintendent Dr. Enzi Macri addressing the allegations from prepared remarks.
“I think that racism does exist in society, and schools are a microcosm of society. So, therefore, we would be turning a blind eye if we said that it did not exist in our schools,” said Macri.
Since two high school students posted about their experience on Reddit, dozens of current and former students are coming forward to share similar stories.
One parent criticized how district officials initially responded to the news.
“It's disheartening to me to see 500 plus comments [from] parents, and passed alumni and students, and then to receive two letters that were so full of political jargon, there was no apology, no recognition that this stuff happens," the parent said.
Macri said she was concerned that so many students were experiencing hate on campus and offered an apology.
“I am extremely sad and sorry that students are feeling horribly and are experiencing incidents of racism and bullying in our schools,” Macri said during the meeting.
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Cromwell’s Mayor, James Demetriades, is getting involved as well; though he has no legal authority over the Board of Education, he is proposing a multi-effort plan to deal with the issue.
“It's devastating to hear these things, and I think we need to do better, but there needs to be a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination, but I think it's more than just discrimination. It's about bullying, and it's about harassment, and it's about how we react to it,” Demetriades said.
The mayor posted his proposal in full on his Facebook page.
Representatives from the Middlesex County NAACP call for more to be done and urge officials to launch an investigation.
“It should be an investigation. And once the perpetrators of these crimes are identified, they should be dealt with swiftly,” said Anita Ford Saunders, president of Middlesex County NAACP. “So let's just sit and let that marinate for a second. These are hate crimes,” said Ford Saunders.
City officials say there are no criminal charges currently pending.
The Board of Education approved hiring a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant to advise the District.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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