In response to an incident in the fall, King Philip Regional High School has formed a task force to combat racist and culturally-insensitive behavior among students.
In a letter to parents, KP Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Zielinski said the task force will “help improve our district’s ability to address racism and understand the complex issues involved in race relations in our school.”
In October, several students used racist slurs towards another student, and then repeatedly called the student’s mother and made inappropriate sexual comments. The incident raised important questions about diversity at King Philip, the acceptance of students of all cultures, and how the school handles these types of issues.
The school hopes the newly-formed committee will help increase dialogue and understanding among school members. The first task force meeting was held on December 4, and close to thirty people attended. The group included parents, teachers, and school administrators.
Dr. Craig Murphy, PhD, a psychologist with expertise in the role of social influences in schools, has been hired by the school to facilitate the meetings.
The school administration is also designing a leadership summit for all sports captains and two representatives from every school club. The goal of the summit will be to identify how student leaders can help spread kindness, acceptance, and inclusion at the high school.
The October incident was discussed at the November 20th KP School Committee meeting. Several parents came forward with thoughts about racism and bias at the school, with some believing it was pervasive and entrenched. Targeted students do not feel comfortable complaining about bigoted behavior, suggested a few people.
One suggestion was that parents, along with all the schools, needed to work harder to teach acceptance and respect of all races, since the area is predominately white. Children are not exposed early to different cultures and races, as they might be if they lived in a different community.
According to 2016 enrollment data from the Massachusetts Department of Education, King Philip Regional High School is over 94% white.
Tariq Siddiqui, a Norfolk resident, described insensitive racial comments his three children have endured while in the KP school system.
“I think promoting tolerance and promoting diversity has never been a priority at KP,” said Siddiqui. “I think it’s a systematic problem at the district level, starting at the middle school.”
KP Principal Dr. Lisa Mobley acknowledged an “illusion of inclusion” is possible among school staff.
“I do believe that we have different perceptions than those we do not share the same lens with,” she said. “I believe that our students know more about potential racism in school than the adults do.”
Siddiqui questioned the lack of racial diversity on the King Philip school board and in the administration, and suggested the district could benefit from implicit bias training. Implicit biases are unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect understanding, actions, and decisions.
Dr. Mobley cautioned that diversity is not just about skin color, and added that the administration is focused on hiring the best educators first and foremost.
“There is not much diversity racially, but the face of our faculty is changing as is our student population,” said Dr. Mobley. “I do think that when you feel your culture is represented, there is an increased level of comfort and support. That is something we have had a focus on when hiring.”
The Cultural Proficiency Committee will eventually include students themselves, said Dr. Mobley. Equipping students with the skills to combat careless comments or racially-charged language can empower them to become active bystanders in the hallways of the school or on the playing fields.
“Our students need to feel safe enough to not tolerate actions that are unkind, or that demonstrate intolerance of racial or cultural differences,” said Dr. Mobley. “A simple, ‘hey, that’s not cool’ not only can make a targeted student feel supported, it also makes it known that the larger population does not like the divide.”
Parents too have role in combating prejudice, said Dr. Mobley, and can help schools create a culture of respect.
“As parents, we can continually check our thoughts, words, and actions to ensure they don’t stray into an area inconsistent with acceptance.”
For more information about the Cultural Proficiency Committee, contact Dr. Mobley at [email protected].
Issue Date:
January, 2018
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