WILLIAMSTOWN, Vt. (WCAX) – School officials in central Vermont are looking into multiple incidents of what they call hate speech, discrimination, and bias.
The Central Vermont Supervisory Union — which includes schools in the towns of Northfield, Williamstown, and Orange — sent out a letter to parents on Friday, condemning recent instances, including swastikas on bathroom walls and buses, as well as students using racial and transphobic slurs.
Superintendent Matthew Fedders called the acts “unacceptable.” “That sort of language is not supported in our schools, that does not reflect our school or community values,” he said.
Fedders says investigations are underway into the incidents and that they are finding ways to productively address them. “Ensuring that there are safe places to express the concerns that students are experiencing, and that there is a place for students to talk about what is occurring, and to help be part of the solution on how we address this,” he said.
But some Northfield community members want a stronger response. Ryan Harlow works in the school system and says he and others have repeatedly asked leaders for things to change. “While there’s been some sort of lip service responses, and some performative responses, it just hasn’t really been what we’ve asked to be done, and we’ve asked for specific things to be done,” he said.
Fedders says the school is looking to add discussions to the curriculum, but recognizes that these are young students with a lot to learn.
“Who are in an experimental stage of their life where they’re testing boundaries and trying things out. As much as I want to call out these behaviors, my primary mission remains educating the students, and that involves making sure that they’re responsible and respectful community members,” he said.
Organizations representing school officials say they haven’t heard of specific incidents like these happening in other schools, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t happening.
