EAST HADDAM, Conn. — The East Haddam Board of Education began Wednesday night’s meeting by addressing claims of repeated bullying and racism of a middle school student.
The superintendent read a letter sent to parents, saying they take the claims seriously.
The Middlesex County chapters of the NAACP and BLM 860 were made aware by family members of the student and quickly took action.
“I spoke to the father's non-biological mom today, and she's devastated that her grandson had to go through this,” said Anita Ford Saunders, president of the Middlesex County NAACP.
Ford Saunders said the student received hundreds of harassing messages filled with racial slurs sent to him by a group of 10 other students. Some of the messages were sent in a group message that the students named after the KKK.
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“It seems incidents like this are constantly being swept under the rug, and we feel that people need to be held accountable from the students who should learn from their behavior, down to administrators that allowed that to happen,” said Ivelisse Correa, vice president of BLM 860.
The group believes that some of the students are not being disciplined appropriately.
“They may be getting more of a pass because some of them are student-athletes. And I understand that student-athletes tend to be the bright stars of a school district,” Correa continued, “I'm not sure if people saw it said we're proud of our schools right on the Welcome to East Haddam sign, how can you be proud of your schools if all students don't feel safe?"
Dozens of people made public comment during Wednesday’s BOE meeting, expressing their anger and disgust at what’s happening in the schools. Many believe the culture in the schools allows for this type of racism.
“When I was employed for the school district, I attempted to start an LGBTQ safe space as well as an affinity group for non-white students….I attempted to start this in the high school and I was told by administration to focus on making a support group for student-athletes,” one woman testified, noting that she has seen students carry confederate flags on campus with no discipline.
Community advocates said while all of the blame can’t be placed on the school, the community needs to step up to make sure racism isn’t allowed in East Haddam.
“I got to put some responsibility on the on the parents as well. You can't necessarily put it all on the school system,” said Ford Saunders. “It's the responsibility of the parents of the community to develop a broader community that is so much more welcoming."
The Middlesex County NAACP president said these incidents should be investigated as a hate crime.
“It is a hate crime, and I want it dealt with as such,” said Ford Saunders.
She said even if the students are minors, they need to be held accountable.
“You do something wrong, there are consequences. So do not stand up here and think that you were so privileged that you could do something like that, and not have consequences, not on our watch,” Ford Saunders said.
The East Haddam Board of Education recently released a statement that reads, “The East Haddam Public Schools Administration is deeply concerned with the disturbing footage that was brought to our attention involving children who attend our schools. An immediate investigation ensued, including law enforcement. Federal law and Board Policy prohibits the District from addressing specifics related to student records, discipline, or consequences. We continue to work tirelessly to create school environments where all individuals are safe, valued, and respected.”
Jake Garcia is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. He can be reached at jgarcia@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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