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Saturday, November 12, 2016

High School Students Disciplined after Harassing Black Peer

Ladue Horton Watkins High School
Photo by Christian Gooden, St. Louis Post
Two Ladue Horton Watkins High School students in St. Louis, MO were facing internal consequences after shouting at black peers that they had to 'sit at the back of the bus' in the light of Trump's election.

The school investigated and released the follow statement via the PA system.


Good Afternoon Ladue High School Community:
In light of the recent election and the weekend ahead, I felt it important that we take this opportunity to reaffirm who we are, and what we stand for as a larger community.
1201 South Warson is one of the few places that we have an opportunity to learn, laugh, study, and work together.  You may be surprised to learn that we are one of the most diverse school districts in the state of Missouri.  This diversity--racial, ethnic, and economic--is a source of our strength.  It is what makes us who we are.
At the same time, the larger issues of social inequality, systemic and institutionalized racism that are impacting our nation—impact us in a very direct and meaningful way. 
Regardless of your political ideology, we embrace one another’s race and ethnicity.  We embrace one another’s family background, heritage, language, culture, and gender identity. 
We embrace one another because it is a core value of our humanity.  We are one school.  We are one community. 

Today, over the weekend and when you return to school, I encourage you to be kind and caring towards one another.  We cannot change the world, but we can control our own actions, and how we choose to treat our fellow students. 
In the words of Dr. King, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
We will protect and take care of each other.  We will work towards justice.  We will stand as one community. 

While the message is certainly uplifting and inclusive, it doesn't make mention of the issue which spawned the incident, or the inciting factor of the President Elect.

We encourage schools to be fierce and brave.  Make your stand.  Now is not the time to hide behind political neutrality.  This is not an issue of political identity but of human and American identity.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/education/two-ladue-horton-watkins-high-school-students-disciplined-after-racial-incident-on-bus/351236035 

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